Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,
We're hoping Spring is here to stay and we hope you can join us for our last days of our Spring Count now through May 31st! The diversity and numbers of migrating bird species is great to see, especially with warmer temps and sunshine. It's a great time to look for warblers! Hawk Ridge has been counting all the birds during the spring migration since March 1st. Approximately 18,000 raptors of 16 species have been counted, as well as 18,000+ other birds (~100 different species) have also been counted. You can check out the current raptor total HERE or live count HERE. Thanks again for your support and if we don't see you this spring, we hope to catch the migration with you this fall, especially in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve! Please read on for the April migration summary and exciting upcoming events below!
P.S. If you missed our last e-newsletter, you can view that and older versions by clicking HERE.
April Spring Count Summary
The West Skyline Spring Count was conducted for 24 days in April. Several large fronts of precipitation canceled the count for 6 days and shortened 4 others to less than 4 hours. 166.5 hours of observation were recorded, 12 days of counting were conducted at the primary spring site location below Enger Tower, and other 12 at the alternate site below Thompson Hill rest area.
There were 5,410 raptors counted this April, which is well below average. This lower count correlated with regular precipitation and NE winds. Diversity of raptors has greatly increased in the past month. The majority of Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Northern Goshawk and Merlin passed in April. Notable Red-tailed hawk flights occurred on April 9 (428) and April 17 (492). Only 1,891 Red-Tailed Hawks were counted - well below average for this species.
60 Northern Harriers were recorded in April, and the current total of 84 is the second highest for this site. Sharp-shinned hawks and Rough-legged Hawks also primarily move through our area in April, and were exceptionally low this year.
New arrivals included the first Broad-winged hawks, first seen
on April 19th, and Osprey on April 11th. Rare raptors seen this month include 2 Red-shouldered Hawks and 2 Swainson’s Hawks. Swainson’s are a western species that is annual, but unusual in northeast MN. A Snowy Owl also was seen from Enger Tower on April 21.
Non-raptor diversity has increased
greatly, especially in late April. Interesting migrants regularly seen from the hawk watch include Northern Flicker, Yellow-rumped warbler, American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Sandhill Cranes, along with numerous duck species. Common Redpolls mostly finished moving through Duluth by the end of April. 
The arrival of May brings only warmer weather and increasing diversity. We will conclude the spring count on May 31. Daily ebird checklists can be found here for our spring count locations at Thompson Hill and Enger sites, which you can follow along with!
As the spring weather warms up, it's been great to see more birds and more visitors! We've had lots of special visitors and two of those visitors in April were Prachi Mehta & Jayant Kulkarni coming all the way from India. They are the Research Scientists & Directors of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Society. Thankfully, the weather held and they were able to enjoy a number of migrating lifer raptor species. One evening they shared a wonderful presentation with our Hawk Ridge Research Committee on their research and conservation work with Forest Owlets. Prachi also received a special achievement award at the International Festival of Owls in Houston, MN. We hope to have them visit again and plan a visit to see their amazing work in action!
Lastly, our spring education programs with Margie & Sara have also really picked up in April & May too. You can read more about that in the education summary below. Hope to see you soon!
-Sean McLaughlin & Frank Nicoletti, Spring Counters
Spring Education Summary
.JPG "Broad-winged Hawk by J Richardson (6)")
-Margie Menzies, Education Director
Upcoming Events
Hawk Ridge Spring Migration Duluth Community Day
Sunday, May 22nd 10am-2pm
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is happy to be a participant in the City of Duluth Community Day offerings.
Join Hawk Ridge staff to celebrate the amazing spring bird migration and International Migratory Bird Day! Free outdoor public education programs (migration interpretation & kid’s activities) will be taking place at the West Skyline Spring Count run by Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Schedule of activities, directions, are listed below. Hope to see you there! Inclement weather will result in the cancellation of the event.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES 10am-2pm
Guess the Bird Count Contest- Pick the species of bird we will see the most of through the count day today! You can enter between 10 and 2. Prize will be awarded after the conclusion of the count day!
Eyes on the Skies
Did you know that Duluth is one of the premier spring migration places in North America? Spring and fall are both amazing times of year to view the bird migration! Join us for a play by play of who’s currently flying through, figure out who is related to who through artifact wings and talons, and find out how flight behaviors can help us identify the raptors as they fly by Duluth on their way to nesting territories, as well as some of the natural history stories of these amazing raptors.
Activities for Kids and Adults!
Watching birds is just as much fun for kids as it is for adults! We have lots of ways to learn more about them. We will have a variety activities available - limited number of kits available for kids to make a bird mask, and/or your own special binoculars, or get banded like a bird to learn more about that scientific process. Grab a Junior Birder Raptor guide and take off on a learning adventure about raptors. We will have staff and volunteers available to help with these activities through the day.
How Do You Measure Up?
Test your flapping ability against that of birds- who would you be? How does your wingspan compare to bird species that fly overhead? Compete in Bird trivia and ID questions- What Bird are You? Participate in a Migration game and see if you are successful making it to your final destination!
DIRECTIONS
In S, SW, SE, N, NW or W winds: Enger Tower.
Directions: From Hwy 35, take the Hwy 53 North exit (255A) in Duluth and continue on Hwy 53 North / Piedmont Ave to the stoplight where Piedmont Avenue splits off. Turn LEFT onto Piedmont Avenue, drive 1 block and turn LEFT onto 24th Ave West, then drive another block and turn LEFT onto West Skyline Parkway. Continue past the Enger Golf Course on West Skyline Parkway to a pullout overlook just below Enger Tower (marked with a sign, “Rice’s Point). You’ll come to West 5th Street if you go too far. If you don’t see anyone at the overlook with binoculars, try the Thompson Hill site.
In NE or E winds: Thompson Hill.
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.)
INCLEMENT WEATHER LOCATIONS
The activities above are weather dependent. If there is rain, snow, or high winds, the event will be cancelled. You can find out which location we will be at the day of by checking our Facebook page or home page of our website at www.hawkridge.org. Spring Migration location varies depending on direction of wind, as noted in directions above.
Pick A Bird Brain Series
March-August 2022 (virtual programs & field trips)
Pick a Bird Brain is back as a new series of virtual presentations with optional field trips! These will be held monthly March-August with a focus on bird families (woodpeckers to warblers and sparrows and more!). Each month, this series will look a little more in depth at particular groupings of birds during the virtual presentation, then follow with an optional birding field trip to see what we can find. You can register for the full series or a la carte for any of the virtual presentations or field trips (note: field trips have max of 15 participants). We hope you will join us! Check out the June schedule details below (space is limited!) and more info on registration and monthly schedule HERE!
June 14 Virtual Program 7:00 pm – Hummingbirds and their relatives
There are more than 140 different species of hummingbirds in the Andes of South America alone, and they all eat the same thing- nectar from flowering plants! Why did all of the hummers end up down there, and how come those of in the north and eastern half of US are usually limited to one lone species? Hey, we’ve got plenty of flower too! There must be more to this story!
June 18 Field Trip TBD - Hummingbirds
Hummingbird field trip and banding in Duluth, MN (locations to be determined - participants will be notified). Field trip will focus on hummingbirds and other spring migrants.
Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary Celebration!
Sept. 22-25th, 2022
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Hawk Ridge is turning 50!! Be sure to SAVE THE DATE for our 50th Anniversary Event! Hawk Ridge is celebrating 50 years of raptor research and education! We will kick off the event Thursday evening at the beautiful Greysolon Ballroom for a grand celebration of the past, present, and future of Hawk Ridge on Thurs. 9/22/22! Our annual Hawk Weekend Festival will follow that weekend (Fri. 9/23 - Sun. 9/25) with a great line up of speakers, field trips, and special events. We invite you for this very special celebration and hope to see many of our Hawk Ridge friends from past and present!
Registration opening in June!
Panama: Under the River of Raptors!
October 25th - November 1st, 2022
*SPECIAL NOTE: Registration DUE BY JUNE 7th for optional pre-trip extension trip October 20-25 to Darien Province
Hawk Ridge is heading back to Panama again this fall for another amazing birding and nature trip! Margie Menzies, Hawk Ridge Education Director, in cooperation with Holbrook Travel will be accompanying a lucky group to witness this incredible river of raptors in peak season, as well as other birding and nature hotspots. At Hawk Ridge, we are thrilled with incredible views of thousands to tens of thousands of raptors a day during fall migration season. The hawk count site in Panama counted over 2 million raptors in one day with daily counts ranging in the hundreds of thousands! This is a great opportunity to see where many of our northern migrants are heading during the fall for their wintering grounds.
An optional 4-day pre-trip extension (October 20-25) will provide an opportunity to venture into the more remote Darien Province of Eastern Panama where wilderness remains and provides haven for an incredible array of forest birds including rare Harpy and Crested Eagles. Travel downriver in a dugout canoe in search of herons, egrets, kingfishers and oropendolas along the shores of the river. Visit the interior of these dense forests in search of antbirds, macaws, toucans, tanagers and more- all before the main trip begins!
In addition to seeing raptors, we will experience the best of birding in Panama with visits to a variety of settings including rainforest, cloud forest, tropical dry forest, and Mangrove habitats, among others, each with it’s own unique endemic species, colorful and unique local resident birds, and visiting migratory species. The tour group will be guided each day on this expedition by an expert local guide in each region of the trip. Click HERE for general information and HERE for full itinerary/registration. We hope you can join us!
Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve Facilities Improvement Plan
.jpg "A beautiful day at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (photo by Gail Johnejack)")
The Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve Facilities Improvement Planning is continuing to receive positive response. The first public open house was held on March 2nd and followed up with a presentation to the City of Duluth Parks & Recreation Commission. We continue to welcome and appreciate feedback coming in from the public through the planning page online HERE. What's clear is that there are many people who enjoy Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve as a beloved outdoor space in Duluth and appreciate the efforts of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory through research, education, and stewardship. We look forward to implementing this plan to improve facilities at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve for road safety issues, accessibility, increased education program space, and enhanced visitor viewing. Thank you to staff & committees (Hawk Ridge, SAS+ Associates, City of Duluth), people involved in focus groups, and the and public (members, visitors) for your input. We will continue to update you through this exciting project!
Thank You for Your Support!
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory thanks all of our supporters. We appreciate you! As a nonprofit organization, we are primarily funded by individual gifts to put our bird migration research and education programs in action. Below are some of the ways you can help us keep sharing the magic of the bird migration!
Support Hawk Ridge by Shopping!
.jpg "Celebrate Diversity by E Regnier (2)")
Be sure to purchase one of our unique artist-designed Hawk Ridge shirts or tote bags online! Our featured artist is Emma Regnier, who completed both the Bird Banding & Bird Migration Count Research Traineeships at Hawk Ridge in 2020 & 2021. She created 2 new beautiful designs for our limited-edition shirts for 2021, including the popular "Celebrate Diversity" design pictured here!
If you like to shop on Amazon, we'd also super appreciate you adding Hawk Ridge as a charity you support via Amazon Smile. Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory receives a donation of 0.5% of eligible purchases!.
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.
A 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 - 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.
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
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