Early September 2019 Highlights and Upcoming Events

        

Dear Friends of Hawk Ridge,

Happy Fall Bird Migration! The migration is ON at Hawk Ridge and you can find our staff at the nature reserve daily (9am-4pm) now through October 31st. Be sure to read the count & banding highlights below! You can view our LIVE Bird Migration Count HERE!  We invite you to join us at the Ridge and/or at one of our upcoming events! Read on to find out about our Hawk Weekend Festival, programs, planning your visit, our Take Flight with Hawk Ridge Gala and then come celebrate the magnificent migration at Hawk Ridge with us!  

Fall Count Highlights

As of September 5th, 1,982 raptors of 14 species have been counted, including BLACK VULTURE (1, which is 2nd record ever at Hawk Ridge!), TURKEY VULTURE (5), OSPREY (48), BALD EAGLE (989), NORTHERN HARRIER (52), SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (560), COOPER'S HAWK (8), NORTHERN GOSHAWK (6), BROAD-WINGED HAWK (193), RED-TAILED HAWK (38), AMERICAN KESTREL (51), MERLIN (15), PEREGRINE FALCON (6) and unknown raptors (14).  For our overall bird migration count, over 20,000 birds of 99 species have been counted August 15-September 5. You can follow along daily via our LIVE COUNT or read our daily Hawk Ridge Facebook page posts. Total counts can be found here on HawkCount.

Fall Banding Highlights

As of August 31st, 138 raptors of 8 species have been banded, including NORTHERN HARRIER (5), SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (89), COOPER'S HAWK (6), NORTHERN GOSHAWK (3), BROAD-WINGED HAWK (2), RED-TAILED HAWK (10), AMERICAN KESTREL (6), MERLIN (17). Banding Director, Frank Nicoletti, reported that it was one of the best August monthly totals in recent years.

Meet Our Fall 2019 Staff

We have a great crew of many return, as well as new, staff for fall of 2019. You can find out who's who HERE on our staff page or just stop by Hawk Ridge this fall and meet us in person! We are all excited to share in the migration with you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hawks on High Book Launch - September 9th, 2019

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 20-22, 2019

REGISTER HERE TODAY!! (many field trips are close to full)

• Natural History & Birding Train Trip Fri. 9/20
• Guided morning birding field trips to local hotspots Sat 9/21 & Sun. 9/22
• Naturalist programs, hikes, & workshops at Hawk Ridge Fri. 9/20-Sun. 9/22
• Vista Birding & Boat Dinner Cruise Sat. 9/21
• Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Annual Member Meeting Sat. 9/21 at 7pm
• Evening presentation by John Fitzpatrick Sat. 9/21 at 7:30pm
• Post-Festival "Science and Wonder of Migration" Workshop Sun. 9/22-Mon 9/23

REGISTER HERE TODAY!!

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"!

Plan on staying after the weekend and join us for our post-festival “Science and Wonder of Migration” workshop!

For more information about the festival (program schedule, field trip details), please click HERE. We hope you can join us!

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, cash bar, live education birds, nature & artwork fundraiser, book signing, Lifetime Achievement Award (2019 recipients: Hawk Ridge Volunteers - Gail Marsman & Jeanne Filiatrault-Laine), and guest speaker. We’ll share highlights from the spring & fall bird migration, how your support makes a difference, and end the evening with a fantastic program "Owls: Souls of the Night" by Scott Weidensaul, ornithologist and author. Scott 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). Be sure to PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS today ($65/members, $75/non or $500 Full Table of 8)!

Public Programs

Check out our calendar HERE for our program schedule! Daily Sat. & Sun. programs, special events, workshops, evening programs, and more!

NEW Private Guided Morning Bird Walks at Park Point!

Join one of our expert birders and Count Interpreter staff, Clinton Nienhaus or Alex Sundvall, for a private guided morning bird walk at Park Point. A great diversity of shorebirds, warblers, waterfowl, and other exciting bird species are frequently observed at the birding hotspot.Click HERE for more info on how to register!

Saturday Evening October Owl Programs: 

10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26; 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).

Private Owl Programs also available beginning mid-September through October 31. Click on link for more info on how to register.

NEW Fall OWL 2-day Workshop! Amazing Owls: Ecology, Mysteries, and Research. October 10th & 11th. Limited to 12, so be sure to register today! Click on link for more info on how to register.   

VISIT US AT HAWK RIDGE NATURE RESERVE 9AM-4PM DAILY SEPT 1 - OCT. 31ST!

Visitors Guide

Directions

Lodging

                                                                       

OTHER NEWS

West Skyline Spring Count 2019 - Join one of our Please click HERE to read the West Skyline Spring Count Final Report and monthly summaries. It was an exciting season and we look forward to Spring of 2020!

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!

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.

Thanks again for your support and hope to see you at the Ridge!

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

Join us on Facebook and Instagram

Non-Profit Organization