Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,
We hope you can join us for our last weekend and week of our Spring Count now through May 31! It's been an amazing season! Hawk
Ridge has been counting all the birds during the spring migration since March 1st.
Approximately 30,000 raptors of 16 species have been counted, as well
as close to 16,000 other birds (~95 different species) have also been
counted.
Highlights
have been setting the new North
American one-day record for Bald Eagles of 1,076 on March 21, 2019.
Season
total record highs have also been set for both Bald Eagles and Golden
Eagles and still counting! Be sure to read more in our May and April
summary reports below by John Richardson, as well as how to get to the
Spring Count and learn about other upcoming events!
Thanks again for your support and if we don't see you this spring - be sure to catch the migration with us in the fall!
May 2019 Summary
West Skyline Spring Count
As with March and April, May came in like a lion, it remains to be seen if it will go out like a lamb!
Duluth received 9.1” of wet heavy snow on the 9th and a few more inches on the 19th - perhaps winters’ final cruel joke of the 2018/19 winter season? Let’s hope so!
Persistent east winds made hawk counting a rather cool endeavor in May as the chill from the remaining ice on Lake Superior slowly receded and thankfully returned to liquid form.
It wasn’t a huge season for BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, but we were nevertheless
treated to one day of spectacular views as low kettles churned above
our head. A true spectacle where viewers were left in awe, oh and so
we’re the counters! We are just over 6,000 for May and just over 13,000 for the season.
BALD EAGLES have continued to impress with currently close to 750 in May, made
up of many young birds, and/or birds from the South coming up for a
cooler summer.
I must say, on the season itself we have reached over 7,200 BALD EAGLES with about one week left to go. That is an incredible number!!
We have had an amazing flight of GOLDEN EAGLES too, 212 so far (a record for HRBO) with 5 more tallied this month.
It was slightly disappointing haul of SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS this spring with currently only close to 2,500, I think many travel low as many are observed from Park Point, which is well out of our viewing.
I must say, on the season itself we have reached over 7,200 BALD EAGLES with about one week left to go. That is an incredible number!!
We have had an amazing flight of GOLDEN EAGLES too, 212 so far (a record for HRBO) with 5 more tallied this month.
It was slightly disappointing haul of SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS this spring with currently only close to 2,500, I think many travel low as many are observed from Park Point, which is well out of our viewing.
We did see 4 SWAINSON'S HAWKS this month of May. Usually, the passerine flights are much anticipated in May for everyone, but as of the 17th we have seen relatively very few neo-tropic migrants. They will come, I promise!
It has been a hugely successful spring count with record
attendances of visitors. I look forward, as I am sure you do, to reading
Frank Nicoletti’s final report of Spring 2019.
Thanks to everyone who came out to keep us company and enjoy the birds. We look forward to seeing you all in fall 2019, it’s not that far away folks!!
Thanks to everyone who came out to keep us company and enjoy the birds. We look forward to seeing you all in fall 2019, it’s not that far away folks!!
April 2019 Summary
West Skyline Spring Count
Hawk Ridge is well known for one of the best Fall migration counts in
the nation, but the Spring migration count is now also gaining some
well-deserved attention! Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (HRBO) is happy to
provide educational opportunities for the public to view, enjoy, and
learn from counters and naturalists during both the Fall and Spring
migration. Having count interpretation and education about the migration for visitors has proved to be very popular and valuable. This has been made possible thanks to funding from the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union in 2018 and 2019.
The Spring count starts March 1st and continues through the end of May. HRBO staff conduct the count on West Skyline Parkway at either one of two sites depending on wind direction.
This March proved challenging in the first half as winter appeared reluctant to let go!
Nevertheless, that did not stop HRBO recording a world record one-day
count for Bald Eagles with 1,076. In addition, a record number of Golden
Eagles have also been recorded with 207 so far. I should also mention that we have had more visitors then ever before according to Frank Nicoletti the Spring Count Director since the spring count’s inception back in 1997.
In his words “seeing 60+ people on a Saturday in Mid-March braving the cold is a true testament to what we do and offer!”
We held our first HRBO Spring Migration Celebration weekend
at the end of April. With education staff on hand, we were able to
offer a workshop, 3 fields trips, kid’s activities, and interpretation
about the birds and migration. Carrol Henderson also delivered a
wonderful presentation “The World of the Peregrine Falcon and its Return
to the Skies of Minnesota”. The event weekend was well attended and
received great reviews from the participants! 
We
also held the Raptorthon event on Sunday, April 28th with 630 raptors
counted of 11 species in support of both the Hawk Migration Association
of North America and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Results of the Raptorthon are published each
year in the Hawk Migration Studies Journal. Thank you to those that contributed and if you'd still like to pledge to support both
Hawk Ridge & HMANA’s efforts in raptor conservation, monitoring and
research programs, you can do so here: https://www.hmana.org/events/franknicoletti-the-hawk-ridge-spring-counters/There’s still time to visit the Spring count and enjoy the bird migration! Broad-winged Hawks are now moving through in good numbers, with one day the last week in April with over 4,000. There are many more to come and May should bring plenty more!
DIRECTIONS TO THE HAWK RIDGE SPRING COUNT SITE
You
can likely find us below Enger Tower on West Skyline Parkway (look for
the sign) or if the winds swing easterly - we will be on W. Skyline
below Thompson Hill (we'll note that on Facebook, which also can be
viewed on our home page on our website at www.hawkridge.org).
Thanks to you all that have visited and be sure to keep coming in May!
Eyes to the skies everyone, and hope to see you at the count!!
You can view the spring raptor count via HERE or the full live count HERE or from our home page at hawkridge.org. We invite you to come out and visit us 10am-2pm (weather-dependent)! Please see direction information below.
IMPORTANT: Please note that the spring count takes place on WEST Skyline Parkway (at one of two sites depending on wind direction) vs our fall count site at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve on EAST Skyline Parkway.
Directions:
In S, SW, SE, N, NW or W winds: overlook below Enger Tower.
Continue past the Enger Golf Course on West Skyline Parkway to overlook pullout just below Enger Tower (marked with a sign, “Rice’s Point"). If you go to far, you’ll come to West 5th Street. If you don’t see anyone at the overlook with binoculars, try the Thompson Hill site or check our Facebook page.
Continue past the Enger Golf Course on West Skyline Parkway to overlook pullout just below Enger Tower (marked with a sign, “Rice’s Point"). If you go to far, you’ll come to West 5th Street. If you don’t see anyone at the overlook with binoculars, try the Thompson Hill site or check our Facebook page.
In NE or E winds: overlook below Thompson Hill rest area.
Directions: From Hwy 35, take the Boundary Avenue exit (249) and cross to the north side of the freeway. Turn RIGHT onto West Skyline Parkway as if going to the Thompson Hill Rest Stop. Drive past the first rest stop entrance to the overlook directly below the rest stop (you’ll come to the second rest stop entrance if you go too far). If you don’t see anyone at the overlook with binoculars, try the Enger Tower site or check our Facebook page.
Directions: From Hwy 35, take the Boundary Avenue exit (249) and cross to the north side of the freeway. Turn RIGHT onto West Skyline Parkway as if going to the Thompson Hill Rest Stop. Drive past the first rest stop entrance to the overlook directly below the rest stop (you’ll come to the second rest stop entrance if you go too far). If you don’t see anyone at the overlook with binoculars, try the Enger Tower site or check our Facebook page.
SAVE THE DATES!
Hawks on High Book Launch
Phil Fitzpatrick will be officially releasing his poetry book Hawks on High:Everyday Miracles in a Hawk Ridge Season on September 9
at Zeitgeist in
the Atrium (222 E Superior St, Duluth). This book highlights Hawk Ridge
with delightful poems about the birds, migration, people, and history.
Artist Penny Perry will open her exhibit of the drawings from the
book there as well. It all starts at 5:00 p.m. with a reception, poetry
reading by Phil at 6:00 p.m., and music by the band Woodblind
starting at 7:00 p.m.We invite you to join us at this special event!
Hawk Weekend Festival - September 20th-22nd, 2019
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! We’re also excited to announce our Saturday
evening guest speaker will be John W. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He will present “How Birds (Including
Hawks!) Can Save the World"! Registration and more info coming late
spring/early summer!
Take Flight with Hawk Ridge Gala - Fri. October 11th, 2019
Please join us for an inspirational & important evening in
celebration and support for Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory at the Radisson Hotel ballroom in downtown Duluth. Enjoy a
delicious dinner, complimentary beer (while it lasts!), cash bar, live
music, live education birds, nature & artwork fundraiser. We’ll
share highlights from the spring & fall bird migration, other
exciting news, and end the evening with a fantastic guest speaker. Scott
Weidensaul, ornithologist and author, is well known for his over 2
dozen books, including Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, and owl migration research through Project SNOWstorm and Project Owlnet (www.scottweidensaul.com). Registration and more info coming late spring/early summer!
NEW Fall OWL Workshop! Coming in October - more info coming soon!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
If
you're already a member of Hawk Ridge, we sincerely appreciate your
support! 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! Our memberships and donations help drive our bird conservation research and education programs. You can check out our exciting membership benefits and join or renew online HERE!
.jpg?0.7989867935476688 "Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk by John Richardson (3)")
2018 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS - Please click HERE to read and see how your support is helping us make a difference! Thank you!
RAISE $ FOR HAWK RIDGE BY WITH YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING!
Two simple ways to raise money for Hawk Ridge are by using 1) GoodShop and 2) Amazon Smile for your online shopping in support of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory to receive proceeds.
Sincerely,
Janelle Long
Executive Director
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 3006
Duluth, MN 55803-3006
Call: 218-428-6209
Contact: mail@hawkridge.org
Visit: www.hawkridge.org
