Dear Friends of Hawk Ridge,
The fall bird migration count and banding research starts tomorrow, Wednesday, August 15th! You can view our LIVE Bird Migration Count HERE! Education staff
will begin public programming at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve main
overlook starting September 1st through October 31st (daily 9am-4pm). We
invite you to join us at the Ridge and/or at one of our upcoming events! Read on to find out about volunteering, festival, programs, planning your visit, and then come celebrate the magnificent migration at Hawk Ridge with us!
Wednesday, September 5th, 2018
Hawk Ridge Volunteer Potluck & Information Session6-8:30pm at Hartley Nature Center
Hawk R
idge Bird Observatory is looking for volunteers during the fall bird migration from September 1st – October
31st. This is your opportunity be a part of our bird education and
research team, learn from experts in the field, and share the magic of
the fall bird migration with visitors! We need people to help in many
areas, including: · Visitor services · Bird identification · Public
Education · Trail maintenance · Kid’s activity cart · Merchandise sales ·
Office help, and more! Sound exciting? For more information
– please join us on September 5th (meet staff & return volunteers)!
No RSVP is needed & potluck dish is optional. Questions? Contact us
at: mail@hawkridge.or, (218) 428-6209
September 21-23, 2018
- Natural History & Birding Train Trip Fri. 9/21
- Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Annual Member Meeting Sat. 9/22 at 2pm
- Guided morning birding field trips to local hotspots Sat 9/22 & Sun. 9/23
- Naturalist programs, hikes, & workshops at Hawk Ridge Fri. 9/21-Sun. 9/23
- NEW! Vista Birding & Boat Dinner Cruise Sat. 9/22
- Evening presentation by Dr. Francesca Cuthbert: "There and Back Again: Studying Piping Plover Migration the "Old Fashioned" Way" Sat. 9/22
- Post-Festival "Best of Hawk Ridge" Workshop Sun. 9/23-Mon 9/24
REGISTER HERE TODAY!!
.JPG "Broad-winged Hawk by J Richardson (2)")
Come and celebrate the fall bird migration with us! Hawk Weekend is the annual festival held by
the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN.
It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase one of North America’s best
places to experience the fall bird migration at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve! There will be a variety of field trips, hikes, programs, and
activities for all ages!
Plan on staying longer and join us for our post-festival “Best of Hawk Ridge” 2-day
workshop on Sun. 9/23 & Mon. 9/24!
For more information about the festival (program schedule, field trip details), please click HERE. We hope you can join us!
Weekend Public Programs Beginning September 1st!
Please join us Sat. & Sun. in Sept. & Oct. for these great programs!
Check out our calendar HERE for our program schedule! Daily Sat. & Sun. programs, special events, workshops, evening programs, and more!
Saturday Evening Speaker Series: 9/8, 9/15, 9/22 (see festival info above), 10/6, 10/27; most programs are 7-8pm at UMD Bag
ley Outdoor Classroom (FREE for members, $5 non-member - pay at door)
ley Outdoor Classroom (FREE for members, $5 non-member - pay at door)
Saturday Evening Owl Programs:
9/29, 10/13, 10/20; 8pm at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve ($5/person -
limited tickets for sale beginning 9/1 at Hawk Ridge merchandise trailer
and online by clicking HERE)
There are several ways to find out news and highlights of the fall bird migration at Hawk Ridge:
Volunteer with us! Sign up is Wed. 9/6 (more info above)! Join us on Facebook to follow the daily action!
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our Blog
Visit our website at: www.hawkridge.org
Read our e-news (like you're currently doing)! ;)
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday October 12, 2018
TAKE FLIGHT WITH HAWK RIDGE!
5-9 pm at the new Pier B Resort
Please join us for an inspirational & important evening in celebration and support for Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Enjoy delicious drinks & food, live music, live birds, nature & artwork fundraiser, & engaging speakers. Tickets and more info will be available soon HERE!
TAKE FLIGHT WITH HAWK RIDGE!
5-9 pm at the new Pier B Resort
Please join us for an inspirational & important evening in celebration and support for Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Enjoy delicious drinks & food, live music, live birds, nature & artwork fundraiser, & engaging speakers. Tickets and more info will be available soon HERE!
OTHER HAWK RIDGE NEWS:
HAWK RIDGE 32ND ANNUAL
BIRDATHON RESULTS
188
bird species were counted by teams that participated in several
different categories in this friendly competition throughout the 10-day
period beginning on Saturday May 19th and ending Memorial Day May 28th.
Team Grousing Twitchers (Dave Benson & John Ellis pictured) won the
Big Day category for a 2nd year with 150 species counted, including 2
new additions with Rusty Blackbird & Eurasian Tree Sparrow! We truly
thank those that participated and pledged. Team Captain, Steve Wilson
with Team Whip-poor-wheels, not only biked 15 miles & hiked 9 miles,
but also took the fundraising prize in getting pledges to support the
bird research and education programs of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory!
Thank you! Click HERE to read summary and for species list!
SPRING COUNT HIGHLIGHTS
The 2018 season was conducted from March 1 through May 29. A
total of 32,603 raptors were counted of 17 species. This season count was the second highest total in
the history of the West Skyline Hawk Count with 33,228 in 2004. Most species were recorded in higher
then normal numbers with the exception of
Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel.
It’s unclear at this point why the numbers were well below the 2000-2005
averages which is currently the most useful set of data we can use (Nicoletti,
2009). Certainly species which has shown steady increases in fall counts such
as Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle and Peregrine we recorded in record
numbers this spring. Surprisingly we had only one daily record, Merlin with 13
on 20 April.
Some of the highlights this spring were the following: Record
Bald Eagle season total of 5,480 which comes close to Hawk Ridge’s best flight
posted last year of 6,099. Likely continuing into June may have eclipsed that
fall total. The third spring record of Mississippi Kite, this one a sub-adult
seen on 26 May. The two other records are in 1997 and 2001. A grand total of 7
Swainson’s hawk, 7 dark morph Broad-winged Hawks among the almost nearly 18,000
that migrated pass, and an adult light morph Harlan’s were special for sure.
We
also recorded non-raptor
species and numbers observed or heard from the lookouts. A total of 172
species
were recorded, including some unusual sightings: Greater White-fronted
Geese, Mute Swan, Ruddy Duck, Red-throated Loon, Great Egret, Whimbrel,
Marbled Godwit, Parasitic Jaeger, Little Gull, Iceland Gull, Snowy Owl,
Northern Saw-whet Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Yellow-headed
Blackbird.
%20and%20Frank%20Nicoletti%20(right)%20by%20J%20Long.jpg "John Richardson (left) and Frank Nicoletti (right) by J Long")
The West Skyline Spring Count was made possible this year thanks to funding from a generous donor and is hoped to continue for years to come. Hawk Ridge Bird
Observatory is excited about gaining knowledge about the spring migration
through Duluth and to continue the education of raptor and bird
conservation in the western Great Lakes region.Thanks to the Minnesota Ornithologists'
Union for grant funding for a Count Interpreter to provide public
education. We appreciate all that visited, volunteered, and especially
thank Frank Nicoletti, John Richardson, Steve Kolbe, and Margie Menzies
for doing an amazing job at conducting the research and education this
spring!
WISH LIST
Help
keep our bird feeders filled throughout the fall season! They not only
provide food for our bird friends, but also a great opportunity to see
birds up close and for photography too! Need: Black Oil Sunflower Seed (any size bags would be appreciated!)
*If
they can be delivered to one of our staff at either the hawkwatch
platform or at the main overlook at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, that
would be wonderful. If not, please call 218-428-6209 and we're happy to
pick up too!
.jpg "View from the Ridge (K Stubenvoll)")
VISIT US AT HAWK RIDGE NATURE RESERVE
BECOME A HAWK RIDGE MEMBER TODAY!
If
you're already a member of Hawk Ridge - THANK YOU!!! If you aren't, we
hope you've enjoyed your experience with us and at Hawk Ridge and ask
that you renew or join as a Hawk Ridge member today!
This support is especially important this time of year, as we conduct
our bird conservation research (47th fall season of bird count & banding!) and education programs. You can check out
our exciting membership benefits (like 10% off merchandise) by clicking HERE or sign up when you visit this fall at Hawk Ridge! Thank you!
RAISE $ FOR HAWK RIDGE BY SHOPPING ONLINE!
Two simple ways to raise money for Hawk Ridge are by using 1) GoodSearch for your internet search engine: http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/hawk-ridge-bird-observatory.aspx and for your online shopping, and 2) Amazon Smile http://smile.amazon.com/ for your online shopping in support of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory to receive proceeds.
Sincerely,
Janelle Long
Executive Director
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory