Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Hawk Ridge News - November 2021

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Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,

 

Golden Eagle by H Toutonghi

This fall was filled with highlights of beautiful birds, wonderful visitors, smiling students, helpful volunteers, and fantastic staff. One of our amazing November highlights was this beautiful Golden Eagle that was banded by our trainees, Maggie & Emma! We are still counting and banding through the end of the month. Over 300,000 birds have been counted, including 72,000 raptors of 17 species! You can find our October count and banding, and summary reports below. Tomorrow (Thurs. Nov. 18th) is a special giving day here in MN for nonprofits with Give to the Max Day! We would sure appreciate your extra support, as any donation $5 or more is eligible to turn into a super-sized gift of $500, $1000, or even $10,000! You can contribute by clicking HERE https://www.givemn.org/organization/Hawkridge! Thanks for your support!

 

Give to the Max for Hawk Ridge!

Thursday, November 18th

 

Banding Trainee Maggie (left) and Bander Abbie (right) with Golden Eagle by H Toutonghi

Help us stay lucky and Golden this month with a chance to win the $10,000 Golden Ticket tomorrow on Give to the Max Day! Each year, generous supporters like you celebrate Give to the Max Day by making your online donation. Your generosity on this day makes a difference far beyond the 24-hour giving event. Please consider making a donation on Thursday, November 18, 2021. Drawings will be held every 15 minutes during Give to the Max to grow your gift!

 

Your gift of $5 or more could instantly turn into an extra $500, $1,000 or even $10,000 for us with the Golden Ticket! The more gifts we generate during Give to the Max Day, the more our chances increase to receive those additional prizes. Our goal is to raise $6000 and you can help us reach it! You can easily make your gift online by visiting GiveMN.org and searching for "Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory" or by simply clicking HERE to Give to the Max in support of Hawk Ridge! We truly appreciate your support on this special giving day! 

 

October 2021 Bird Migration Count & Banding Summaries


October Raptor Count Summary


Northern Goshawk by J Richardson

The month of October on Hawk Ridge begins with the remnants of earlier season migrants (Osprey, Turkey Vultures, American Kestrel) still passing through in numbers as they continue to clear out from northern latitudes while the end of the month features heavier movement of several larger raptor species. The once golden aspens have been stripped clean by the frosty autumn winds and daily temperatures slowly drift lower with each passing sunset. This month often accounts for the bulk of the season total for several raptor species including Rough-legged Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, and Northern Goshawk. A total of 266.83 count hours over 31 consecutive days of counts were logged throughout the month. A total of 10,736 migrant raptors of 15 species were tallied from the observation platform between 1 and 31 October. 


Sharp-shinned Hawk by L Erickson

October 1st – 9th: The first week of the month brought several days of dense fog, often in the earlier hours of the count, which would sit along the ridge and lake shore while obscuring visibility for several hours before finally clearing. Despite these poorer conditions, several good raptor flights produced once skies cleared, including SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (334 bird/day 9-day average) with one of the largest monthly flights for this species on 7 October (945). Several later BROAD-WINGED HAWKS (5) passed along the ridge during this same week, falling somewhat behind those 42,000+ that had already migrated through by last month on their way to South America. The bulk of the monthly totals for both AMERICAN KESTREL (52, 59%) and OSPREY (22, 63%) were documented in this first week alone. 


Golden Eagle J.Cosentino

October 10th – 16th: The following week of the month brought the arrival of the season’s first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS (7) as early as 10 October with birds being seen from the ridge five of the seven days. Additionally, the first GOLDEN EAGLES (4) of the season were spotted heading south on 16 October. Historically, more Goldens seem to be tallied during the first half of this month; however, consistent poor weather conditions during that same time window likely contributed to some of the low numbers observed this year. SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS continued to move in triple-digit numbers this week (213 bird/day 7-day average). 


Turkey Vulture by J Richardson

Early October temperatures averaged in the upper 60°s to 70°s but an abrupt shift to cooler weather (47°F) on 15 through 16 October coupled with strong WNW winds brought the two highest daily counts for TURKEY VULTURES (175, 210 respectively) which accounted for nearly half (48%) of the monthly total for this species. Also, by 16 October, the final OSPREY of the season was spotted heading south to warmer latitudes, the final double-digit MERLIN (12) and NORTHERN HARRIER (13) daily counts for the month were tallied, the highest BALD EAGLE (237) daily count on the season and second highest RED-TAILED HAWK (706) count on the month as well, with a strong push of SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (566) on the same date. A great day of fall hawk watching from the ridge! 


Red-Tail Hawk juvenile J.Cosentino

October 17th – 23rd: The third week of October began with more strong WNW wind which ushered in the season’s highest RED-TAILED HAWK (714) and the final triple-digit SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (205) daily counts for the season. The final remnants of TURKEY VULTURE (169) moved south on 17 October as well, with only a small number (30) throughout the remainder of the month. The final triple-digit SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (205) daily count for the month came on this same date. The final three late BROAD-WINGED HAWKS of the month passed along the ridge on both 16 and 17 October as well. The remainder of this week also saw consistent RED-TAILED HAWK movement (229 bird/day 7-day average) and the highest daily count for NORTHERN GOSHAWK (7) on the month courtesy of several days characterized by strong northerly winds. The final AMERICAN KESTREL on the season likely passed along the ridge on 19 October and highest daily count for ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (64) on 23 October. These mid-month days provided some of the biggest raptor movements for October with those ideal wind conditions. 


Rough-Legged Hawk juvenile J.Cosentino

October 24th – 31st: The final week of the month returned to less-than-favorable weather conditions, bringing east winds off the lake which likely helped move flight lines inland and away from the ridge while nearly every day that followed had winds with a southerly component. These headwinds did not help promote late October movement for most species; however, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continued to move steadily between 29-31 October (31, 21, 31 respectively) while both BALD EAGLES and RED-TAILED HAWKS moved consistently in double-digits each day. 


PeregrineFalcon_LErickson

A later migrant PEREGRINE FALCON passed by the ridge on a soggy rainy day (27 October) which could very well be the last one on the season as the last November record for this species dates to 2005. The month of October did not provide the best of weather conditions for autumn raptor migration, and this was reflected in the count. Notably lower current season totals for GOLDEN EAGLE and NORTHERN GOSHAWK are evidence of this effect while October RED-TAILED HAWK numbers appear to be slightly below average compared to recent years. However, the days that did deliver strong NW winds brought about big numbers and fantastic fall hawk watching from the ridge. 


In November, we could possibly expect a few more triple-digit Red-tailed Hawk flights before this species begins to taper off, as well as more Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, and Northern Goshawks from the Arctic and northern boreal forest well into the month. 

 

You can follow along daily with the fall raptor count and summaries HERE!


-Jess Cosentino, Fall Migration Counter

 

October Non-Raptor Count Summary


Rusty Blackbirds by J Richardson

October at Hawk Ridge is an exciting time that sees the departure of all the neo-tropical songbirds which breed throughout the boreal forests of Canada and the forests of northern Minnesota. It also sees the passage of the most sparrows, blackbirds, larks, longspurs, and other interesting migrants which return to their wintering grounds throughout the central to southern reaches of the United States and Mexico. Later in the month, the tundra breeding songbirds and raptors, as well as many waterfowl begin to pour south, bringing a real winter flavor. This October had its share of stand out flights and a few good surprises, along with the expected birds. We ended the month with 109 species tallied, and a season total of 165 species. The following summary will cover our migration count in chronological order with a focus on the morning (or sometimes all day) passerine flights, and notable counts or records of other species. 


Pine Grosbeaks (like this young one) have not been moving in very large numbers this season, but there have been some small flocks daily and over 400 counted so far for the season. Pine Grosbeaks will visit bird feeders during the winter, so look out for these large, gentle finches in the coming months. By A Valine

October 1st – 9th: Species total month to date: (75) Species total season to date: (150) The month started off with good diversity, around 50 species a day, including many warblers as well as later season migrants like sparrows and finches. Over the course of the week we added a few good species to the count including an early Pine Grosbeak and a Boreal Chickadee. Although there were a couple days with considerable fog and rain, we still had some impressive flights this week for both raptors and passerines. October 1st brought us 1123 American Robins, 40 American Pipits, and 405 Pine Siskin. The next two days brought somewhat lower numbers, but some interesting species such as Trumpeter Swans, American Golden Plovers, and a late Semipalmated Plover. Our biggest flight was on the 4th, with a constant stream of birds coming in high out of the clouds over the lake. It was our first big flight of Rusty Blackbirds (879) and our biggest recorded flight of Yellow-rumped Warblers for the season (1993), also over 2,000 American Robins.


American Robin by J Richardson 2

October 10th – 16th: Species total month to date: (91) Species total season to date: (155) This week kicked in strong on the 11th, with our best Purple Finch flight of the season (2,013), 1256 American Robins, 341 Pine Siskin, 2 late Tree Swallows, a Barn Swallow, and one very late Chimney Swift! However, the 12th was an even bigger event, with our biggest Rusty Blackbird Flight of the season (8,628), although the concurrent count of over 15,000 from Stoney Point is possibly the highest count in Minnesota history! Also on that day, we saw our best flights of American Robin (4,143) and Common Grackle (2,768)! Good numbers of Purple Finch (1,636) and Ring-necked Duck (243) further marked the occasion. The next day on the 13th, good counts of American Robin (1,781) and Rusty Blackbird (1,210) continued, but the highlight was a Townsend’s Solitaire! We also saw our first big movement of American Crows (452) primarily in big flocks down the lake shore. Our first flock of Snow Bunting also appeared! Good flights continued through the week, ending with the weekend of the 16th and 17th which were most notably our biggest and best Red-tailed Hawk flights! 


White-winged Crossbills used their odd-looking beak to tear apart conifer cones to get the seeds inside, and they go about the task with great enthusiasm. Young crossbills start out with a straight bill, but as they begin eating cones the tips of the bill start to cross. Crossbills can have their beaks crossed in either direction depending on the way the individual bird spirals up the cone (much like being right or left-handed). Male White-winged Crossbills (left) are a beautiful shade of pink, and females (right) are gray with yellow accents. Keep an eye on your local cone-filled spruce trees, and you may see and hear crossbills busily demolishing the cones! Photo by A Valine

October 17th – 23rd: Species total month to date: (104) Species total season to date: (163) The 17th was the second of our two big Red-tailed Hawk flights on Northwest winds, which also brought plenty of other great migrants, including 230 Sandhill Cranes, a big late flock of 101 American White Pelicans, 608 American Crows, 121 Common Ravens, 504 Purple Finch, 646 Rusty Blackbirds, and 43 White-winged Crossbills! The next few days continued to bring some interesting birds, such as Snow Geese, and a smattering of waterfowl (Blue and Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Common and Red-breasted Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and Trumpeter Swans). Waterfowl migration starts to pick up strongly this time of year, although the ridge is not often the best place to observe this with very distant and poorly lit birds. Some other highlights include our biggest flight of American Crows (3,118) on the 20th, and not one but two Short-eared Owls seen from the ridge on the 21st! Also quite notable were the arrival of our first American Tree Sparrows, Bohemian Waxwings, and Northern Shrikes, along with the first real flocks of Pine Grosbeak and Common Redpoll for the season! These species are true winter birds, and really show the shift in the seasons. 


Common Redpolls are moving in large numbers these days, with over 34,000 already counted this season. The name redpoll refers to the red spot on top of the bird’s head (the “poll”). Adult male redpolls have a bright raspberry pink breast, and females and young birds have no pink or a limited amount. Redpolls will visit bird feeders in the winter, sometimes in very large flocks. By A Valine

October 24th – 31st: Species total month to date: (109) Species total season to date: (165) The final week of October quickly saw the transition to typical November birds, with less diversity, but lots of fan favorites such as Pine Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, White-winged Crossbills, Northern Shrikes, Evening Grosbeaks, and Snow Buntings, to compliment our Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks. Also of note was a very late record of Blackpoll Warbler on the 27th, seen on the ground below our Hawk Ridge sign during a morning rain shower. Our first notable flight of Common Redpolls (271) was on October 25th, during an odd morning punctuated with rain showers. However this trend continued with high counts for the remainder of the month (299, 461, 1188, 1716, 687, and finally 2,124 on the 31st!) The redpoll flight is continuing strong into November, with a season total of 13,532 as of November 4th! Although the numbers are even higher at places such as Stoney Point with over 5 or 7 thousand in a day, the ridge is still seeing a huge flight of these birds down the ridge and often right past the overlook or platform. Our final day of the main migration season here at the ridge was quite a good one with that redpoll flight, and included a couple nice surprises like a Black-backed Woodpecker and a group of Red-throated Loons. 


As a whole, the month was not exactly what we expected, with a fair amount of poor weather days due to east winds, fog, and rain. However, it brought some fantastic flights and highlights that we will remember for a long time. Follow along with us live on Dunkadoo or at the Ridge in November! You can follow the count live HERE

 

-Julian Grudens, Fall Migration Counter


October Raptor Banding Summary


Banding Crew Past and Present

October provided less than ideal weather conditions for our banding team, but we sure do have a great crew of banders! Two weather variables in particular are likely to blame for our low numbers this month: persistent east winds and record high October temperatures. East winds are especially poor conditions for migration at Hawk Ridge as they tend to disperse birds inland rather than concentrating them along Lake Superior. Meanwhile, this October’s unusually warm weather meant many birds, especially short-distance migrants, likely had little motivation to head south in the first place.


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During the first two weeks of the month, rain and fog also took their toll, particularly on our Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers, with 90 banded this month. Under these unfortunate conditions, 156 raptors were banded across 57 cumulative banding days at our three stations in October, a record low for our past 50 years of banding. The banding of four Rough-legged Hawks was an especially notable highlight this month, with typical years of banding at the ridge resulting in one or none for the entire season. Three light morphs were banded at the main station and one gorgeous dark morph at Moose Valley. Of these four birds, three were juvenile birds and one of the light morphs was an adult female. 


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We band adult Rough-legged Hawks much less frequently than juveniles, making trapping an adult a special event! Even last year’s exceptional year for Rough-legged Hawks did not include an adult. Our two best banding days for large raptors in October were the 16th and 17th. These dates align with the season’s two highest count days, which included over 700 Red-tailed Hawks each and represented two of the mere eight days this month to feature westerly winds. The 16th and 17th included a total of 42 birds banded across our three stations, 18 of which were Red-tailed Hawks. We are hopeful that raptors will continue to steadily trickle through this November, with a handful of birds perhaps soon to come when temperatures finally drop.


Banding Trainee Emma and Rough-legged Hawk by E Pavlovic

October Raptor Banding Totals

Northern Harrier: 5 

Sharp-shinned Hawk: 90 

Cooper’s Hawk:1 

Northern Goshawk: 14 

Red-tailed Hawk: 30 

Rough-legged Hawk: 4

Merlin: 9

Peregrine Falcon: 3                                  Northern Saw-whet Owl: 329 (+9 recaps)

Long-eared Owl: 9

Long-eared Owl by E Regnier

Barred Owl: 5

Great-Horned Owl: 1 

OCTOBER TOTAL: 500


We'll include the full Owl Banding Summary in the next report, but primarily numbers were also down due to poor weather. 


-Frank Nicoletti, Banding Director



Passerine Banding Summary

 

This year we thankfully have been able to do more teaching and learning at our passerine banding station with COVID-19 vaccines in place. We have had a chance to work with a great group of young trainees and naturalists who bring experiences and insights from all over the country.

 

Brown Creeper (A Geniusz)

We started the Fall passerine banding season a few days after our summer MAPS project concluded. Our first day of banding was August 9th, when we caught 32 birds including a raucous 5 Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks. So far, our busiest day was August 10th when we had 65 birds, but we had several mornings over 50 birds banded. Unusual records include multiple Ruby-Crowned Kinglets in early September (which is early), and seven Brown Creepers by mid-September (which is very early).

 

American Tree Sparrow by J Richardson 2

Formal passerine banding ended on October 15th, with a few birds caught in the raptor nets after that time. As of October 30th, we banded 880 birds of 61 species which is lower numbers than typical, but about the usual number of species. The sparrow numbers overall at the overlook and at the banding station seem very low compared to averages. Late season arrivals included our only two American Tree Sparrows on October 24th, and our only White-Breasted Nuthatch on the 25th both in the raptor nets. Thanks to the interns for banding those!


WAYS OF GIVING


Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory thanks all of our supporters. As a nonprofit organization, we are primarily funded by individual gifts to put our bird migration research and education programs in action. Below are ways you can help us keep sharing the magic of the bird migration!


Support Hawk Ridge by Shopping!

 

Celebrate Diversity by Emma RegnierBe sure to stop by our gift shop (merchandise trailer) at Hawk Ridge September 1 – October 31 for a variety of Hawk Ridge and other bird/nature-related merchandise. Our featured artist this year is Emma Regnier, who was one of our Bird Migration Count Trainees in 2020 and has returned as one of our Banding Research Trainees for this fall. She created 2 new beautiful designs for our limited-edition shirts for 2021!

 

Purchase one of our unique artist-designed Hawk Ridge shirts or tote bags online. If you like to shop on Amazon, you can add Hawk Ridge as your charity you support via Amazon Smile and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory receives a donation of 0.5% of eligible purchases!.

 

Banded bird release at Hawk Ridge by J Richardson

Become A Member Today!

 

If you're already a member of Hawk Ridge, we sincerely appreciate your support! THANK YOU! If you're not a member and have enjoyed your experience with Hawk Ridge, we invite you to 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!

 

Books with Portion of Proceeds coming to Hawk Ridge! 


Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Alternative Futures for the trees, birds and insects 

Original art by ten Minnesota artists

Text by Lee Frelich, Ph.D. and Gerald Niemi, Ph.D. 


Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest book coverA group of Minnesota botanical artists applied their skills and knowledge to create a visual archival record of Minnesota's threatened boreal forest. Dr. Frelich, director for the Center for Forest Ecology, and Dr. Niemi, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth (and former Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Board Member & Research Chair), as well as Jane Albers, DNR Forest Health Specialist, contributed research on threatened boreal trees, plants, birds, and insects. This collection is important because the ecology of the boreal forest is undergoing slow and silent but significant change due to disturbances caused by fire, invasive insects and stressful climate conditions. Books for sale online from various sellers, including HERE


Hawks-on-High-Cover-700x875

Hawks on High - Everyday Miracles in a Hawk Ridge Season

By Phil Fitzpatrick with drawings by Penny Perry


Phil Fitzpatrick captures the magic of migration at Hawk Ridge and interesting bird bits beyond through his beautiful collection of poetry. Poems are brought to life through the artwork of Penny Perry. Books for sale online and at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve during the fall season September 1 - October 31. 


Simply Donate

 

You can always simply donate online by clicking HERE or by mailing a check made out to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 3006, Duluth, MN 55803.

Thank you again for your wonderful gift of support! Hope to connect with you again soon!  


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
501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Federal Tax ID 76-0746366

Hawk Ridge News - October 2021

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Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,

 

Andy with Northern Harrier

September was a great month for viewing the fall migration at Hawk Ridge! However, we love October just as much with the beauty of the fall colors combined with many of our larger raptor species now starting to show up. Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles are on their way! Be sure to join us between now and October 31st! We also invite you to REGISTER TODAY (last chance) for our Advanced Raptor ID workshop taking place next weekend (Fri. 10/15- Sun. 10/17 - virtual & in-person options)! Please read below for our September research summaries and other news. Happy Fall Bird Migration and hope to see you at the Ridge! 

 

Fall 2021 Hawk Ridge Education Programs


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

 

Advanced Raptor Identification Weekend

Virtual Class with Bill Clark and Field Portion with Hawk Ridge Staff

Friday, October 15th – Sunday, October 17th

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! 

 

Broad-winged Hawks with dark morph broadie by J Richardson

Have you ever wondered how our counters can identify raptors from far distances or in large numbers? Well now's your chance to learn some tricks and tips from the comfort of your home with raptor expert, Bill Clark (co-author of Peterson Guide to Hawks & Photographic Guide to North American Raptors), for the virtual portion and then follow-up with our Hawk Ridge experts in the field on Saturday & Sunday during the fall bird migration at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. 


This workshop is sure to help bring you up a notch in your hawkwatching skills. During the virtual portion, Bill Clark will provide an ID skill review and then go into details on challenging raptor ID in groups (accipiters, buteos, eagles, vagrants, and unusual plumages). You can choose the virtual course ONLY or join us for the full workshop (virtual course and field portion). The 3-part virtual course will run Friday 7-9pm, Saturday & Sunday 8-10am. The in-person field portion will be held on Saturday and Sunday following the virtual course on both Saturday and Sunday starting approximately 10:30am (4-6 hours, max. 15 participants)

 

Cost: $200/person ($175 member/student) or Virtual Class ONLY $110/person ($100 member/student).

 

REGISTER HERE TODAY!


Bill Clark Photo by Frank Nicoletti

Raptor expert, Bill Clark, is a photographer, author, researcher, and lecturer and has over 5 decades experience working with birds of prey, including 5 years as Director of NWF's Raptor Information Center. He has published numerous articles on raptor subjects; has traveled extensively world-wide studying, observing, and photographing raptors; and regularly leads raptor and birding tours and workshops, both home and abroad. He is the co-author of the Peterson Guide to Hawks and Photographic Guide to North American Raptors, as well as author of field guides for Europe, Africa, and Central America.



NEW Private Guided Morning Bird Walks and Evening Owl Programs!

If you’re interested in a smaller, private program, Hawk Ridge can make that happen for you! During the fall season, we are offering both Private Guided Morning Bird Walks and Private Owl Programs. More information can be found below!  


Private Guided Morning Bird Walks at Park Point

Nashville Warbler by Laura Erickson

Join one of our expert birders 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!


Cost: $35/person or $25/member or student (minimum of 2 people; max of 12)


Private Owl Programs 

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Now through October 31, you can schedule a private owl program in advance for small group sizes up to 8. Depending on the night, the program will last roughly 1.5-2 hours and could involve watching the banding of owls captured, their release back to the wild, and certainly the opportunity to learn much more about the owls found in our area, as well as those migrating through.  


Cost: is $50/person or $40/member or student (minimum of 4 or minimum cost of 4 for less than 4; max of 10)


Click HERE for more info on how to register.


 *NOTE: we also offer private programs for school field trips, Scouts, and other small groups, which can be found HERE or under our Education tab on our home page.  


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

Visitors Guide

Directions

Lodging


Visitor Info for Viewing the Fall Bird Migration

 

Margie with Merlin bird demo at Hawk Ridge Oct 2021

Visitors are welcome to come out and enjoy the migration with us this fall. Just as last year, we have continued safety measures in place for the health of staff, volunteers, and visitors. This will be especially important with our programs and at our main overlook, which is our primary visitor viewing area. Guidelines may also change pending regulations mandated by local, state, federal authorities. If you are planning to visit, there are helpful tips on our Plan Your Visit page and they will also be posted at the Hawk Ridge main overlook.


September 2021 Bird Migration Count & Banding Summaries


September Raptor Count Summary


Osprey Sept 2021 J Cosentino

The month of September on Hawk Ridge begins with the subtle tones of summer still lingering in the air while finishing with nearby trees beginning to transition gently into a blend of oranges and reds as autumn takes hold. This month accounts for the bulk of the season total for several raptor species including Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, and Osprey. A total of 300.58 count hours over 30 consecutive days of counts were logged throughout the month. A total of 58,425 migrant raptors of 15 species were tallied from the observation platform between 1 and 30 September. 


Eagle Sept 21 J Cosentino

Sept 1-4 The first count day of September began with a 100+ BALD EAGLE flight (1 Sept: 108), coming on the heels of August’s two recording breaking daily counts. Only three additional count days in the month would exceed the 100-bird mark for the species. Several strong SHARP-SHINNED HAWK days (1 Sept:119; 2 Sept: 120; 4 Sept: 349) were tallied early on while the occasional juvenile BROAD-WINGED HAWK continued to appear, usually single birds for the entire day. A total of 10 raptor species were documented in the first week of the month, albeit in relatively lower numbers, as the remainder of the season continued to gain momentum. 


Sharpie Sept 21 J CosentinoSept 5-11 The second week of the month brought the first multi-thousand BROAD-WINGED HAWK days, notably 8, 9, and 11 September (3163, 9162, 1972 respectively). By now, both adults and juveniles were pouring in from the northern forests and forming massive kettles throughout the lake side valley adjacent to the ridge as well as several days with large kettles forming in the distant valley to the west. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK continued to gain momentum over the week with a 546 birds/day 7-day average. The largest sharpie flight on the month came on 8 September (1328) paralleling the first large Broad-wing Hawk flight – large mixed kettles of both species filled the skies throughout the count period! The first and last days of the week brought the first and second records of SWAINSON’S HAWK on the season. The earlier bird being a juvenile and the latter being a dark morph adult. The first early signs of TURKEY VULTURE migration were documented on 8 September as well, mixing in kettles throughout the day. The two largest AMERICAN KESTREL flights (103 and 127) for the month came during the same two-day window (8 and 9 Sept). The first NORTHERN GOSHAWK tallied on the season came before the week’s end while 8 and 9 September saw some of the highest COOPER’S HAWK daily counts (8 and 9) for the month. 


Kettle Sept 21 J Cosentino

Sept 12-18 PEREGRINE FALCON began being more consistent daily records during the third week, with at least one bird being seen each day. The week began with strong northwest winds which produced another large BROAD-WINGED HAWK flight (Sept 12: 5321) separated by a brief lull of minimal migratory movement during the midweek until the next large flight (Sept 17: 5515), with the latter day bringing the third SWAINSON’S HAWK on the season, too. Two of the largest MERLIN flights on the month came during the beginning of this week and end of the previous one (12 Sept: 12; 11 Sept: 10). Several days were filled some RED-TAILED HAWK movement, mostly young birds, while the bulk of the season total is usually tallied later next month in October and early November. 


Turkey Vulture Sept 21 J Cosentino

Sept 19-25 The fourth week of the month began with two days of southerly wind and rain that shut down the count period. The poor weather did not produce much of a flight however the days that followed provided incredibly favorable conditions and the largest BROAD-WINGED HAWK daily count on the season (21 Sept: 13821), pushing the season total well over the 40,000 bird mark! The same day brought the second-only 1000+ SHARP-SHINNED HAWK daily count (1122) on the month (516 birds/day 7-day average over the week) as well as good flights of NORTHERN HARRIER (37), OSPREY (10), and TURKEY VULTURE (47). The final day of the week brought the largest NORTHERN HARRIER daily count on the month (25 Sept: 39). Sept 26-30 By the final week of the month, the BROAD-WINGED HAWK numbers had begun to wane but not before providing well over 42,000 birds on the season! This was the largest September and season total for this species since 2004. Between the third week and this one, NORTHERN GOSHAWK began making more daily appearances along the ridge with 13 being seen between 24 September and the end of the month. 


American Kestrel by J Cosentino

By 26 September, the AMERICAN KESTREL season total pushed over the 1000 mark while 19 PEREGRINE FALCONS were tallied in the final four days of the month! The momentum of the SHARP-SHINNED HAWK flight continued into the last week with a 436 birds/day 5-day average. One of the final days of the month (29 Sept) brought with it the first GOLDEN EAGLE on the season as well as an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK! The young eagle made a quick, low pass along the west side of the ridge while there is a good chance that may be the only Red-shouldered on the season, as only nine seasons out of the last 50 years have records, usually single birds! 


Red-tailed Hawk Sept 21 J Cosentino

Thank you to all who visited the ridge throughout the month and enjoyed the incredible migration. By now many of the Broad-winged Hawks that had passed along Hawk Ridge weeks ago are beginning to pass through more southerly sites, such as Corpus Christi in Texas and Veracruz in Mexico, with hundreds of thousands of others on their way to the Amazon basin. However, we look ahead towards October and impressive flights of larger raptors, such as Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle, leaving northern latitudes as the boreal winter inches closer, as well as Rough-legged Hawks departing their Arctic breeding grounds!

 

You can follow along daily with the fall raptor count and summaries HERE!


-Jess Cosentino, Fall Counter

 

September Non-Raptor Count Summary


September at Hawk Ridge is known for its high diversity of migrants and of course some of the biggest flights of raptors such as Broad-winged Hawks. This year we were also fortunate to have many memorable flights and high counts across the board for a variety of passerines and other birds, due in part to excellent weather with westerly winds dominating. We have also seen notably early flights and first arrivals for many species, which leave us wondering what the rest of the season will bring. The following summary will cover our migration count in chronological order with a focus on the morning (or sometimes all day) passerine flights, and notable counts of other species such as shorebirds, waterbirds, cranes, and more.


Palm Warbler Sept 21 J Cosentino

September 1st-4th: Species total month to date: (81) Species total season to date: (111) The first few days of the month brought some more diversity following the first big flight on August 30th (1250 warblers of 11 species, 53 Palm Warblers, 2 Evening Grosbeak, 37 Red-breasted Nuthatches). A wide array of species abounded including: (Common Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sandhill Crane, Solitary Sandpiper, Tree, Barn, and Cliff Swallows, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Veery, Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked Thrush, any and all species of warblers, Purple Finch, Bobolink, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American White Pelican, Red-necked Grebe, and Common Loon.) 68 species were recorded on the 4th alone. Of particular note were the first flights of Blue Jays on the 1st and 2nd (234 and 631) respectively; a sneak peak to the now record-breaking season. Also, a brief sighting of a likely Selasphorus sp. (Rufous or Allen’s) Hummingbird on the 2nd and a pair of Red-crossbills on the 4th were the first of a few good rarities for the month.


Blue Jay Sept 21 J Cosentino

September 5th- 11th: Species total month to date: (105) Species total season to date: (121) The first full week of the month brought a strong early push of migrants, of course including our first big flights of Broad-winged Hawks on the 8th (3163) and 9th (9162), which were surprising for those early dates! This week saw more great diversity for songbirds, starting off with 59 species on the 5th, including 14 species of warblers. We also added some new species for the season such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Lapland Longspur, and White-winged Crossbill, Cackling Goose, Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. One of the major highlights for passerines this week were the huge Blue Jay flights that certainly pushed us over the top for this season, with counts ramping up quickly each day: 1676, 3288, 2085, 3426, 4155, 6188, and finally 7569 on the 11th! The previous season total for Blue Jays was around 51,000, but this week contributed to the new record season total of 59,170 and counting as of Oct. 2nd! 


Lincolns Sparrow Sept 21 J Cosentino

September 12th- 18th: Species total month to date: (120) Species total season to date: (134) Following an exciting week with great numbers and diversity, we had some more strong pushes of migrant raptors and passerines. Blue Jay numbers continued to climb with many days over 3000, and mornings with nearly 2000 warblers! Some notable additions for the season were our first Rusty Blackbird, Lincolns Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Horned Lark, Orange-crowned Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, and Snow Goose. The biggest surprise came on the morning of the 15th when a Smith’s Longspur flew over the platform and was photographed by Alex Sundvall during the count! This is only the 2nd record for the count and a great rarity for anywhere in the region. 


Sandhill Crane Sept 21 J Cosentino

September 19th- 25th: Species total month to date: (128) Species total season to date: (142) Late September on Hawk Ridge is known for is spectacular flights and amazing diversity, and this week really brought it home! Of course our biggest flight of Broad-winged Hawks for the season (13,821) on the 21st, was a big highlight, but that wasn’t the only memorable event of the week. The week kicked off with a somewhat slow Sunday due to strong south winds, but a great surprise came in the form of a White-winged Dove that flew by the platform in the afternoon! This southwest desert species has a reputation for vagrancy, with a handful of records for the county, making this the 4th for the count! In terms of migration phenology (seasonal timing), this week was quite interesting, with the count on the 21st showing a rapid shift in the passerine species migrating through the region. The morning brought our first notable flights of some later season species including Rusty Blackbirds (297) and Yellow-rumped Warblers (841). Also notable was our first Black-backed Woodpecker, Fox Sparrow, and 4 very early Common Redpoll! The day ended with a huge push of nearly 500 Sandhill Cranes, nearly all at once! The morning of the 24th was also a significant, with nearly 6000 warblers moving along the lakeshore, most of which were likely Yellow-rumped (we positively identified 1292 as such). Rain showers moved in late morning, but Yellow-rumps, Robins, and others kept on moving! 


Purple Finches Sept 21

September 26th- 30th: Species total month to date: (133) Species total season to date: (147) The last few days of September did not disappoint, bringing a few new species for the count and some good counts of later season species like finches. The 26th was a great day, with a surprising count of 873 Purple Finch and the first big flight of American Robins (1882). Blue Jay numbers were low on some days, but we still saw good numbers (1547) on the 27th, showing the transition between these two abundant migrants. Species like Orange-crowned Warbler began showing up more frequently, along with Lapland Longspurs, American Pipits, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned Sparrow, Winter Wren, and the first Trumpeter Swans of the season. 


As we end this fast paced and exciting month, we look forward to more of what will come in October and November. The flycatchers, warblers, thrushes, and shorebirds might be on their way out, but late season could bring big finch flights, exciting western rarities, and hopefully a few more good surprises. Follow along with us live on Dunkadoo or on the ridge for another exciting month!


You can follow the count live HERE

 

-Julian Grudens, Fall Counter


September Raptor Banding Summary


September provided favorable conditions for the raptor banding project with many days of mild temperatures and westerly winds. While the Hawk Ridge and Moose Valley banding stations started operations in mid-August, the Paine Farm station was set up on August 28 and began operating on September 4. Paine Farm is being run by long-time banding volunteers, David Alexander and Miranda Durbin. Abbie Valine is running the Moose Valley station, while I’m running the Hawk Ridge station with the 3 banding trainees: Emma Regnier, Maggie Brown, & Elle Heiser. This month, we had 76 banding days covered between the three stations. 

Banding trainee Elle banded first Northern Goshawk of season  Banding trainee Emma banded her first big bird of season 2  Maggie banded this beautiful young Peregrine Falcon


Former Owl Bander Danny and now running Cedar Grove station in WI

While the number of Sharp-shinned Hawks banded in August was low relative to previous years, we finally started getting nice pushes of hatch-year females within the first week of September. September 8 was our biggest banding day with 318 raptors banded across all three stations, the vast majority of which were Sharp-shinned Hawks. That first wave of young female Sharp-shinned Hawks was followed by the simultaneous arrival of adult females and hatch-year males around September 13 and an increase in adult males by the end of the month. In addition, we banded 12 Broad-winged Hawks in Sept. which is well above last season’s total of 7. 


Bander Abbie V banded this first adult female Peregrine Falcon

This September was also a remarkable month for American Kestrels, with 73 banded. The season’s first Peregrine Falcon was a hatch-year bird banded on September 23 at Paine Farm - only the third Peregrine ever banded there! The Moose Valley banding station, which is set up for falcons, has been very productive with 47 Merlins, 56 American Kestrels, and 2 Peregrine Falcons banded, including a beautiful adult female Peregrine banded. We look forward to what October has in store for us! 


-Frank Nicoletti, Banding Director


September Owl Banding Summary


One of the 500 plus Northern Saw-whet Owls banded this fall at Hawk Ridge 2

The owl banding season began on September 13th and the crew has had 16 productive nights since. Mild weather allowed the station to run all but one night and the owls have been plentiful. So far, 547 new Northern Saw-whet Owls have been banded. There’ve also been 27 recaptured owls, including saw-whets originally processed in Minnesota near the Canadian border, on the St. Croix River on the Wisconsin border, and even a 3 year-old bird originally banded near Rockford, Illinois. 


A saw-whet first banded as a hatch year in 2015 at Hawk Ridge was also recaptured and released in good health. So far, our captured saw-whets have been predominantly second-year females, although an increase in hatch year birds has been noted in recent nights. 


Eastern Screech Owl recaptured fourth year this year at Hawk Ridge 2

Once again, our resident Eastern Screech Owl was recaptured. That’s the fourth straight year this owl has made an appearance after originally being banded by Kate Maley in 2018. It is still feisty, healthy and continues to treat our banding crew to its call on many nights. No Long-eared, Barred or Great Horned owls have been banded. But, a few have been seen and heard, so it’s only a matter of time until one graces us with its presence. 


-Andy Witchger, Owl Bander 


September Raptor Banding Totals

Count trainees Sam and Claire with Peregrine before release 3

Northern Harrier: 15 

Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1730 

Cooper’s Hawk:13 

Northern Goshawk: 3 

Broad-winged Hawk:12 

Red-tailed Hawk: 36 

American Kestrel: 73 

Merlin: 81 

Peregrine Falcon: 4                                            

Northern Saw-whet Owl: 547 

SEPTEMBER TOTAL: 2514

 

Passerine Banding Summary

 

Golden-winged Warbler by Laura Erickson

The 8th summer of the MAPS project (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) was completed at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve by our dedicated group of passerine volunteers led by David Alexander and Margie Menzies. During one of their July sessions, they had an amazing day with a total of 127 birds. Highlights included Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Least Flycatchers, Northern Waterthrush, Veery, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, recaptured Hairy Woodpecker, and a family of Golden-winged Warblers. The full MAPS summary will be included in our next newsletter.

 

Amercian Woodcock banded at Hawk Ridge

Beginning in August, the Fall Passerine Banding Project then begins at Hawk Ridge. As of September 30, 800+ passerines of nearly 60 species were banded, including highlights of Black-throated Blue Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Northern Parula, and Blackpoll Warblers. An American Woodcock was banded, but at the owl banding station one night. 


Hawk Weekend Festival 2021 Summary


Naturalist Allie J releasing Red-tailed Hawk

Hawk Weekend 2021 (Sept. 17-19) has come and gone, and with it brought many wonderful visitors to Hawk Ridge. It was also a fun, exciting week for migration!  During the week preceding and including Hawk Weekend, nearly 15,000 Raptors migrated past Hawk Ridge. Here's a report of the migration highlights of that week from one of our counters, Alex Sundvall: "During this time frame, we had multiple days over 5000 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, contributing to a season total of nearly 27,000, and on the Friday of Hawk Weekend, a stunning Dark Morph bird graced the ridge and gave amazing views to everyone present. Another raptor highlight was a gorgeous adult Intermediate Morph SWAINSON’S HAWK in a large kettle of Broad-winged Hawks. 


Smith's Longspur St Louis County 092021 by Alex Sundvall 2

Raptors weren’t the only stars of the show this week! BLUE JAY numbers continue to impress with over 19,000 migrating past the ridge over the course of the week (note: as of October, the season total is nearing 60,000 and we have broke the season-high count!). Over 3000 Warblers of 17 different species were recorded in morning flight, with YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and PALM WARBLERS making up the bulk of the identified species. The main passerine highlights however were the second Hawk Ridge record of SMITH’S LONGSPUR and the fourth Hawk Ridge Record of WHITE-WINGED DOVE, the latter of which blitzed past the platform on the Sunday of Hawk Weekend giving all the staff and onlookers a quick glance before disappearing." 


Hawk Weekend 2021 Festival photos

We opened the weekend events with our kick-off social at the Great Lakes Aquarium enjoying the venue and exhibits, including Karl Bardon's "A Life of Birds II" art exhibit, which is stunning. Dr. Jerry Niemi presented a fantastic presentation on boreal birds research and sold out of the new book "Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest".


Our Saturday evening presentation was equally wonderful with UMD graduate students, Emily Pavlovic, Allie Pesano, and Hannah Toutonghi presenting on their raptor research in conjunction with Hawk Ridge.


Board Chair Andrew Streitz presenting David Alexander 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award photo by K Nicoletti

The Hawk Ridge Annual Meeting was held Saturday night and honored Dr. David Alexander in receiving his 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award in person, as well as a 10-year service award for his decade serving on the Hawk Ridge Board of Directors. Thank you David for your 25+ years of involvement from banding birds to stewardship work and more!


Field trips and workshops on Saturday and Sunday also reported back with great compliments on leaders, good birding, and camaraderie. We truly thank all of our presenters & field trip/workshop leaders, including Margie Menzies, Jackie Fallon, Dave Carman, Bill Tefft, Laura Erickson, John Green, Alex Sundvall, Dr. Jerry Niemi, Emily Pavlovic, Hannah Toutonghi, and Allie Pesano. A special thanks to the volunteers that helped with the festival weekend! We also especially thank Christine Ebert, Gail Marsman, Jeanne Filiatrault-Laine, and Molly Thompson for help behind-the-scenes and the evening events.


All in all a wonderful Hawk Weekend with beautiful weather and thousands of birds and people!


Hawk Ridge Fall Team 2021

Meet Our Fall 2021 Hawk Ridge Team

 

We have a wonderful crew for fall of 2021 of both return and new! You can find out who's who HERE on our staff page. We are all excited to share the magnificent migration of birds with you!


WAYS OF GIVING


Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory thanks all of our supporters. As a nonprofit organization, we are primarily funded by individual gifts to put our bird migration research and education programs in action. Below are ways you can help us keep sharing the magic of the bird migration! 


Support Hawk Ridge by Shopping!

 

Celebrate Diversity by Emma RegnierBe sure to stop by our gift shop (merchandise trailer) at Hawk Ridge September 1 – October 31 for a variety of Hawk Ridge and other bird/nature-related merchandise. Our featured artist this year is Emma Regnier, who was one of our Bird Migration Count Trainees in 2020 and has returned as one of our Banding Research Trainees for this fall. She created 2 new beautiful designs for our limited-edition shirts for 2021!

 

Purchase one of our unique artist-designed Hawk Ridge shirts or tote bags online. If you like to shop on Amazon, you can add Hawk Ridge as your charity you support via Amazon Smile and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory receives a donation of 0.5% of eligible purchases!.

 

Banded bird release at Hawk Ridge by J Richardson

Become A Member Today!

 

If you're already a member of Hawk Ridge, we sincerely appreciate your support! THANK YOU! If you're not a member and have enjoyed your experience with Hawk Ridge, we invite you to 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!

 

Books with Portion of Proceeds coming to Hawk Ridge! 


Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Alternative Futures for the trees, birds and insects 

Original art by ten Minnesota artists

Text by Lee Frelich, Ph.D. and Gerald Niemi, Ph.D. 


Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest book coverA group of Minnesota botanical artists applied their skills and knowledge to create a visual archival record of Minnesota's threatened boreal forest. Dr. Frelich, director for the Center for Forest Ecology, and Dr. Niemi, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth (and former Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Board Member & Research Chair), as well as Jane Albers, DNR Forest Health Specialist, contributed research on threatened boreal trees, plants, birds, and insects. This collection is important because the ecology of the boreal forest is undergoing slow and silent but significant change due to disturbances caused by fire, invasive insects and stressful climate conditions. Books for sale online from various sellers, including HERE


Hawks-on-High-Cover-700x875

Hawks on High - Everyday Miracles in a Hawk Ridge Season

By Phil Fitzpatrick with drawings by Penny Perry


Phil Fitzpatrick captures the magic of migration at Hawk Ridge and interesting bird bits beyond through his beautiful collection of poetry. Poems are brought to life through the artwork of Penny Perry. Books for sale online and at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve during the fall season September 1 - October 31. 


Simply Donate

 

You can always simply donate online by clicking HERE or by mailing a check made out to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 3006, Duluth, MN 55803.

Thank you again for your wonderful gift of support! 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
501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Federal Tax ID 76-0746366