Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,
O for October and Owls! The first Long-eared Owl banded (pictured here) for the season kicked off the month at midnight on October 1st! This is a fantastic month for fall colors and larger raptors starting to move through in larger numbers (Northern Goshawks - as featured in the beautiful 50th anniversary original painting in our online auction closing Sun. 10/8 @8pm CDT, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Bald Eagles, and Golden Eagles). It's also the month we highlight our evening owl programs (see below for how to sign up) and our owl banding research. We are soaking up everything October has to bring this month and hope you can soak it up with us too at the Ridge! Please read below for our September highlights and other events.
Bid Today! Online Auction Closes Sun. 10/9 8pm CDT
As part of our Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary Celebration banquet held on Thursday 9/22/22 at the Greysolon Ballroom, a long time friend/supporter of Hawk Ridge and well-known Minnesota Artist Adam Swanson did a special live paint fundraiser for Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. He painted this beautiful Northern Goshawk, the iconic bird of Hawk Ridge, in tribute and celebration of 50 years of raptor research and education. Titled "Growing", this original painting is now complete and can be yours! The online auction for this painting will close on Sun. 10/9 at 8pm CDT. Click HERE to register and bid or copy/paste link: galabid.com/hawkridgelivepaint! All proceeds from the auction of this beautiful piece will go to support the bird conservation efforts of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
October Evening Owl Programs
Whoo doesn’t like owls? From large to small, seasonal travelers, and hardy residents, Minnesota hosts a fascinating diversity of owls, with some crazy habits, and some hauntingly beautiful sounds in the night. Join us this fall to learn about the Hawk Ridge owl banding research through one of our evening owl programs with potential of seeing live owl(s). Pre-registration is required and info on how to register for one of the Saturday evening owl programs or a small group owl program is below.
Saturday evening owl programs at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve outdoor education area (max 40 participants): Oct. 8th (PROGRAM IS FULL) & Oct. 22nd at 8pm; COST: $10/ticket ($5/member). Click HERE to register.
Small group owl programs outdoors at Hawk Ridge (max 8 participants) to see our owl research in action. Offered through Oct. 31 (Tues. or Thurs-Sat. evenings with date/time to be arranged). COST: $50/person ($40/member). Click HERE for more information on these programs or by sending an email to owls@hawkridge.org
September Bird Migration Count Summary
The 51st consecutive fall migration count season at Hawk Ridge continued into September with plenty of birds! A total of 288 count hours over 30 consecutive days of counts were logged throughout the month. A total of 51,484 migrant raptors of 15 species and 57 migrant non-raptor species were tallied from the observation platform between 1 and 30 September. The month began with modest raptor movement, dominated mostly by Sharp-shinned Hawks despite a mix of light southern and easterly winds in the first days.
Winds shifted to the north following the first week and the first larger groups of migrant Broad-winged Hawks began appearing down the lakeshore (9/11: 1150, 9:13: 7196). The following week, a second push of Broad-wings funneled down the ridge, with 69% of the entire season total passing over the course of four days (9/19: 1514, 9/20: 4440, 9/21: 9108, 9/22: 12,020). On 9/21, brief rainstorms halted the massive kettles working their way down the lakeshore and had hundreds of the small buteos erratically cutting back and forth between the ridge and water, attempting to find thermals. This momentarily provided a few hours of nearly eye-level views of hundreds of Broad-wings to those along the roadway as they furiously flapped their way to avoid the rain in search of lift to continue southward. The month ended with 39,282 Broad-winged Hawks which sits well above the current 10-year average (28,908).
While Broad-wings often steal the show in September, that same run of large flights brought four Swainson’s Hawks down the ridge as they mixed in with the large kettles. These raptors of open grasslands breed in the western part of the state, and to spot several during migration is always a welcomed treat! The second half the month also brought more interesting migrants, as the first (adult) Golden Eagle of the fall moved down the lake shore on 9/26 and first Red-shouldered Hawk of the season passed on 9/27 while mixing in with Broad-winged Hawks.
Osprey numbers were a bit low this month (94) – the first September to not break the “100” mark since 1985. It was also the first single-digit Northern Goshawk September (6) since 2013 (also 6). Peregrine Falcons also seem to be a bit late this year, with only 42 passing over the month. American Kestrels nearly reached the four-digit mark over the month (948), which is consistent with other good past monthly totals. As expected, Sharp-shinned Hawks finished out the month as the second-highest raptor migrant (8535), with other species (Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk) monthly totals remaining overall consistent with the past averages on the ridge.
The non-raptor migration over September was dominated by Blue Jays as 57,958 migrants were logged during several strong morning flights down the lakeshore over the month (9/10: 5611, 9/11: 5009, 9/12/: 6615, 9/13: 4528, 9/19: 4515, 9/20: 6883). Cedar Waxwings (9733) comprised the second-highest total. Unidentified warbler species (5144) were next with 12 total identified warbler species being documented as well, including the most abundant Yellow-rumped Warbler (4286). Groups of migrant American Robin (1720) and Purple Finch (1020) also consistently moved down the ridge. A large group of migrant Common Terns (106) moved down the lakeshore early on the morning of 9/20. The last of the Common Nighthawks (24) moved through during the first weeks of the month, with a single late migrant being spotted on 9/21.
While some of the last migrants of some species were documented, several of the first for others were as well. Blackbird migration gained momentum with a mix of Rusty Blackbirds (1327), Common Grackles (1267), Red-winged Blackbirds (533), and unidentified blackbird species (392). Groups of Sandhill Cranes (409) began moving down the lake, their loud resonating calls often being heard first before being seen, with hundreds passing in a single day at times (9/13: 134 and 9/27: 110).
.jpg "White-throated Sparrow (photo by Karl Bardon)")
Northern migrants continued to arrive and move through as the first American Pipits (764) passed on 9/11 and continued through the month, while the first Lapland Longspurs (13) and White-crowned Sparrow (3) both showed up on 9/22, and Dark-eyed Juncos (15) on 9/25. An early Snow Goose (36) mixed in with a group of Canada Geese on 9/10, with several more passing later into the month.
Fall migration is in full swing up here on Hawk Ridge. Make sure to follow our count in real-time on both Dunkadoo.org and Hawkcount.org to see what birds we are counting each day as they migrate south.
Jess Cosentino
Fall Count Director
September Raptor Banding Summary
September numbers of raptors were down nearly half the average with warmer temperatures earlier on, easterly winds keeping the flight high and overall lower than normal numbers except for Broad-winged Hawks which we don’t normally catch many. One was banded in September.
Significantly down were Sharp-shinned Hawks, especially hatch-years, Red-tailed Hawks, Merlins and other migrants. It’s unclear yet, but avian flu may have had played a role in the lower numbers. There was a large outbreak which occurred this spring into late summer. Reports from authorities reported high numbers especially in the Midwest. We ran 3 banding stations in September. One of the highlights were some Peregrine Falcons, including one previously banded Peregrine (in photo with trainee, Kara), likely from the North Shore this year.
Hawk Ridge and Moose Valley were covered consistently with myself and banding trainees running the ridge and last season’s trainee Maggie Brown running the valley. I would like to thank Hannah Toutonghi, Halle Lambeau, Miranda Durbin, Allie Pesano and David Alexander for helping out as well. We also had several groups learning about our banding research, including a researcher from Guatemala who runs a banding station as part of MoSI project (monitoring winter survival of migratory birds), as well as students from University of Minnesota Duluth led by graduate student and former Hawk Ridge trainee, Hannah Toutonghi.
The following are the numbers of diurnal raptor banded from the three stations during September:
Northern Harrier-12
Sharp-shinned Hawk-785
Cooper’s Hawk-12
Northern Goshawk-2
Broad-winged Hawk-1
Red-tailed Hawk-15
American Kestrel-37
Merlin-38
Peregrine Falcon-4
Total-906
Frank Nicoletti, Banding Director
Maggie Brown, Bander
Banding Trainees (Kara Beer, Hannah Landwerlen, Jadzia Rodriguez)
September Owl Banding Summary
The 2022 Owl Banding season was off to a slow start this year. Although our first day of opening was September 15th, inclement weather and wind in the first week delayed banding. Regardless, Hawk Ridge’s famous Eastern Screech Owl made its return to the station right on time for its 5th season in a row.
Some other exciting captures include our first Barred Owl of the season. This individual
was aged as a hatch year. Barred Owls are local breeders in Duluth and have an expansive range across the U.S. Although they are non-migratory they will disperse most years especially juveniles. We look forward to seeing more of these resident owls throughout the season.
Migration began to pick up September 25th, with our first big push of 53 Northern Saw
-whets. The following night we reached our first hundred owl night of the season with a total of 138 owls. Our season total so far is 282, which includes 20 recaptures. Numbers are averaging the same as last year so we are hopeful it will be a steady season as Saw-Whet migration picks up in October. Our captures have primarily been adults with 197 banded compared to 85 hatch year birds banded.
The station wrapped up the month of September with our first Long-eared Owl of the season arriving at midnight marking the 1st day of October. This individual was aged as an adult (ASY) female. Our crew is excited to see what this season holds and can’t wait to bring you the next migration update!
Lesley Rolls
Fall Owl Bander
Passerine Banding Summary
The Fall Passerine Banding season has been going well. In the time period from August 15-September a total of approximately 937 birds were banded representing 55 species. We also recaptured 48 previously banded birds. American Redstarts were by far the most numerous species of bird with 174 caught and banded. Here are the rest of the 10 ten species: 2: Magnolia Warblers- 78, 3:Nashville Warblers- 64, 4: Tennessee Warblers- 55, 5: Swainson’s Thrushes- 50, 6: Red-eyed Vireos- 38, 7: Chestnut-sided Warblers- 35, 8: Least Flycatchers- 29, 9: White-throated Sparrows- 28, 10: Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and Common Yellowthroats tied for tenth position with- 23. A truly amazing assortment of birds!
Some highlights included an additional species of Flycatcher- the Eastern Wood Peewee- more frequently hear than caught at Hawk Ridge. We also caught not one, but two Black-billed Cuckoos. Beautiful long tailed, zygodactyl, green-eyed wonders! It was also a great year for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks- we banded more than usual this year at 21! We missed the Cape May Warbler this year- we usually have one or two of those, but not this year. Interesting, since they are Spruce budworm specialists that should be having large numbers to the north in the Lake and Cook county budworm outbreak. We totaled 22 species of warblers so far- though we are unlikely to see any other new species of warblers at this point. 26-28 species is about the maximum we can get- so not bad. Stay tuned for the grand finale with Octobers numbers added in!
Margie Menzies
Education Director/Passerine Bander
September Education Summary
Wow! Another September has absolutely flown by as it usually seems to do, full of training for new staff and getting the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve main overlook off and running for another amazing season of watching fall migration happen right before our eyes. In addition to all of the wonderful bird observations, a whopping total of 69 scheduled programs took place through the month which included 6 private group programs, 5 small group owl programs, 9 college groups, 9 different school groups & most with multiple programs and classes, and 36 public programs were scheduled through the weekends of September, including the 50th anniversary/Hawk Weekend Festival events, 2 virtual education events for the Urban Bird Collective and the MN DNR, and 3 Outreach events. Whew! There was a lot going on this month!
Some of the highlights from the month were 2 Viking Cruise Ship passenger visits to Hawk Ridge, a visit from a Red Hill Birding tour group, which received a nice cross-section of many of the wonderful research and education program options at Hawk Ridge. Hawk Ridge partnered with the Duluth Dark Skies Celebration and Todd Burlet presented on importance of dark skies for evening migrants for visitors on Sept. 17, in addition to hosting an informational table. Margie collaborated with the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) to offer an inclusivity training in August and an Accessible Birding Event on Barker’s Island on Sept. 20th. We were also able to showcase Hawk Ridge for the Natural Areas Conference, and hosted a Nature Conservancy Legacy Group as well.
More programs are on the calendar for October! You can schedule a small group owl program (min 4, max of 8) on Tues, Thurs. Fri. and Sat. through October 31, so check in with owls@hawkridge.org for possibilities. There are 2 public owl programs (Oct. 8 is FULL, and the second Oct. 22). Not to mention the usual wonderful public program offerings for the weekends at the Ridge and migration interpretation daily. Something for everyone, so come on out and participate and see what’s flying by as well!
Margie Menzies
Education Director
September Volunteer Highlights
Another amazing migration season means another season of amazing volunteers! Hawk Ridge is an incredibly special place and that attracts many incredible people that want to volunteer and be a part of it. This year we have 20 amazing new volunteers! One of our new volunteers is Tania from Arkansas who decided that she would spend September at Hawk Ridge volunteering. Tania was at Hawk Ridge volunteering every single day from open to close helping out wherever she could and while she has gone back home, she is already planning on returning next year! While not everyone is able to be at Hawk Ridge every day, we are so appreciative of the time that volunteers give to Hawk Ridge and those that return each year like Gail and Jeanne who started coming up to Hawk Ridge in 1973 and have pretty much been volunteering ever since!
Val Slocum
Volunteer Coordinator
Fall Raffle at the Ridge
During the month of October, we will be holding our annual fall raffle at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. Tickets are $5 each and you can enter into the raffle drawing for any of the 3 prizes. The prizes are 1) Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42 Binoculars; 2) Guided Winter Birding Daytrip for 2 with Frank Nicoletti; and 3) $100 Gift Certificate for Merchandise from the Hawk Ridge gift shop. The drawing will be held on Monday, October 31st at 1pm at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve main overlook. You do NOT have to be present to win and must be 18 or older to purchase raffle tickets.
Plan Your Visit to Hawk Ridge
VISIT US 9AM-4PM DAILY SEPT 1 - OCT. 31ST!
Visitor Info for Viewing the Fall Bird Migration
Join us for another fantastic fall bird migration season at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory! If you are planning to visit, please read our guidelines on our Plan Your Visit page and they will also be posted at the Hawk Ridge main overlook.
Directions (Please note for those that typically drive to Hawk Ridge from Jean Duluth Rd, the intersection of Jean Duluth/Snively/Glenwood is closed until mid-October. Hawk Ridge on East Skyline Pkwy is still accessible coming up the hill on Glenwood St or from Seven Bridges Rd or Maxwell Rd)
Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary Event & Festival Weekend- THANK YOU!
We celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve and 50 years of raptor research & education 9/22-9/25/22. Thank you to all those that joined us and helped make it a special event. We kicked off the event with a wonderful celebration of past, present, and future at the beautiful Greysolon Ballroom with over 200 in attendance! On Friday evening, we enjoyed social and research poster session at the Great Lakes Aquarium with 18 posters shared by presenters on bird research in conjunction with Hawk Ridge.
On Saturday evening, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory held their annual meeting at the University of MN Duluth followed by a speaker panel on 50 years of Hawk Ridge Research. Dr. Robert Rosenfield was also presented with the Hawk Ridge Lifetime Achievement Award. Field trips and workshops were held throughout the weekend at local birding hotspots, as well as Hawk Ridge.
The festival weekend ended on an extra high note on Sunday with great weather, a fantastic bird migration, and Hawk Ridge friends to enjoy it with from near and far! We will share a more extensive summary soon, as well as online album, video links, posters, etc. from the event on our website HERE. A big thank you to all of our sponsors, speakers, staff, field trip/workshop leaders, vendors, volunteers, participants, and supporters!
P.S. Calling all Hawk Ridge Alumni - Where are you now?
As we celebrate 50 years, we would love to hear from you! Please send an update to Janelle at jlong@hawkridge.org on what year you were involved & position, photo of you at Hawk Ridge (or current), and what you're doing now!
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!
Community Round-Up for Hawk Ridge
Thank you to Mount Royal Foods and all that shopped & rounded up there for Hawk Ridge in September. Over $3500 was raised towards our bird research & education programs! The next community round-up will take place at Bent Paddle Brewing Co. at their taproom October 16-31st!
Support Hawk Ridge by Shopping!
Be sure to visit our Hawk Ridge Gift Shop trailer at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve now-October 31 (9am0=-4pm daily) to purchase some great Hawk Ridge gear and other bird/nature items. 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 3 beautiful designs, including the popular "50th Anniversary" design pictured here. We also have some of the designs available for purchase online HERE too!
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!
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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