Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,
We hope you've been enjoying the start to summer and we wish you a Happy 4th of July week! Our Hawk Weekend Festival Registration is now open! REGISTER HERE today! The event will take place Fri. Sept. 15 - Sun. Sept. 17th. Thanks to all that visited and enjoyed the spring migration with us at the West Skyline Count! We ended on May 31st with a season total count of around 43,000 birds of approx. 110 species. This includes our total raptor count of 21,298 of 15 raptor species. We appreciate the research and education efforts of our staff and volunteers, as well as your support to help make it possible! You can see our totals on Trektellen HERE and HawkCount HERE with a season report below, as well as other upcoming events.
P.S. If you missed our last e-newsletter, you can view that and older versions by clicking HERE.
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory conducted the West Skyline Hawk Count (WSHC) from March 1 - May 31, 2023. This was the sixth year of the planned 10-year comprehensive count. The westernmost spring hawk watch on the Great Lakes is made possible thanks to a generous donation. Goals of this project include observing, recording and documenting raptor and non-raptor migrants on shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, MN.
Counts were conducted daily, totaling 631.5 hours of observation, the most ever recorded at WSHC. Nine days of poor weather shortened the count to four or fewer hours. The seasonal raptor total numbered 21,298 individuals, with 15 species of raptors observed. 2,200 raptors were counted in March, 9,017 in April and 10,081 in May. There were 119 non-raptor species also seen from the count sites. All migrant data can be followed live on Trektellen, as well as accessed at any time throughout the year. Seasonal totals and high counts are all found here.
Raptor count totals from WSHC are consistent from 2000-2006, 2009-2010, and 2018-2023. Because of the variable effort, count totals will be analyzed using data from 2000-2006 and 2018-2023. The seasonal total of 21,298 is just below the 6-year average (2018-2023) of 23,536. A large percentage of birds that are counted at WSHC are Broad-winged hawks, and variability in weather can lead to counts that differ year to year by thousands. 2023 was a slightly below average Broad-winged year, bringing that seasonal total just under average. However, prime April conditions produced numerous days of flight that brought other species totals higher than previous years. Turkey Vultures had a banner year, and broke the record spring count with 3,213. Northern Harriers tallied the second highest spring with 87, the most since 2004. 324 Rough-legged Hawks were the most counted since 2018.
Falcons were also well represented, American Kestrels (91) had a high count since 2004, Merlin (53) was the third highest ever count, and 29 Peregrine Falcons is a new spring high count. Other raptor counts were more on par. Bald Eagles (4928) was right around average for the six-year period. Bald Eagle have exploded in population in the past 20 years, and all recent counts exceed the 2000-2006 period at WSHC. Sharp-shinned Hawks have fluctuated a great deal in the spring, but 1,952 was closer to the six-year average of 1915. Cooper’s Hawk was also near average with 38. Buteos were all near average or slightly below: Broad-winged (7,852), Red-tailed (2,460), Red-shouldered (3), and Swainson’s (3). Red-shouldered and Swainson’s Hawks are uncommon but annual spring migrants.
Notable low counts include Osprey (106), Golden Eagle (115) and Northern Goshawk (0). All are the lowest counts in the last 5 years, and the first time a Goshawk has not been recorded at the spring count. Raptor highlights include numerous dark morph Red-tailed Hawk, one white Red-tailed, one dark morph Broad-winged Hawk, and the rare migrants like Red-shouldered and Swainson’s. Non-raptor highlights included 17 warbler species, Eastern Towhee, Evening and Pine Grosbeak, Great Egret, Great and Lesser Black-backed gulls, and a few days of mass reverse migration of American Robins, Fox and American Tree Sparrows and Rusty Blackbirds.
Education programs continued this spring with groups welcomed to the WSHC sites and Enger Park by Education Director Margie Menzies and Naturalist Sara DePew. There were 10 school groups that visited, the Spring Migration workshop held, and a total of 38 programs delivered. Many eager students and participants in the Spring Migration workshop got to spot raptors flying high (sometimes too high) over the watch and gain some skills at identifying raptors in flight, as well as visiting several other Duluth birding hotspots. It was a great season!
I want to extend a huge thank you to all who came out to help spot and appreciate the wonderful world of bird migration. Our visitors and dedicated watchers are an invaluable asset to the watch and making sure no bird slips by! Thanks to our education staff for spreading the good word and helping spot and interpret the flight. I would also like to thank Frank Nicoletti for helping as a relief counter for covering days off, in addition to his guidance and expertise. I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to volunteers John Edwards, Ralph Larsen, Ed Longhway, Jan and Larry Kraemer and Steve Kolbe. Their help spotting and interacting with folks in the spring makes the watch a better place. Thank you!
Thank you all for your good spotting and your enthusiasm for birds, raptor migration and the natural world. We all hope to see you this fall at Hawk Ridge for yet another wonderful season of migration.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 15th-17th, 2023
Come and celebrate the amazing fall bird migration with us! Hawk Weekend is the annual festival held by Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN. Bird migration research and education programs have been shared with visitors throughout the world each fall at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve for over 50 years! Join us for a fun weekend with a variety of birding field trips, nature hikes, programs, and activities for all ages!
We are happy to announce Dr. Laurie Goodrich, Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, will be joining us as our keynote speaker. She will present From Canada to Colombia: Broad-winged Hawk Migration and Ecology as part of our festival celebration kick-off event on Friday, September 15th 6:30-9pm at the Great Lakes Aquarium (online registration required). Broad-winged Hawks are one of the most numerous and conspicuous migrant raptors at many hawkwatches, yet despite their concentrations, little is known about their migration journey or winter ecology. Because some broad-winged hawk populations appear to be declining, in 2014 Hawk Mountain launched a study to examine their ecology throughout their life cycle. To better understand Broad-winged Hawk migration behavior and ecology, biologists have used telemetry to follow birds from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Ontario, Canada on their migration journey to examine routes taken, stopover behavior, migration behavior and where each population winters. In this talk, Laurie Goodrich will share some of the findings of this long-term study including stories of individual birds tracked for multiple seasons.
Many of our field trips, evening owl programs, workshops have limited space, so be sure to register HERE today! EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT available through August 15th. All registration closes on September 10th.
Lake Superior Art Glass
Design Your Own Hummingbird Feeder
June Only! 5% Of Each Designer Feeder Will Be Donated to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
Hawk Ri
dge and Holbrook Travel are off on another fascinating Costa Rica Adventure in the fall of 2023. A perfect excursion for nature lovers and avid birders- particularly those who have an interest in raptors! Venture to the Caribbean coastline and remote Tortuguero National Park, well known as one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites in the world, but also an extensive network of waterways and diverse species of birds and other wildlife.
The famed raptor hotspot of Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve is up next and there we will be witnessing not only raptors but other migratory birds streaming through on their way south during some of the heaviest traffic times in one of the busiest migration places in the world! It’s possible to see species like the Broad-winged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, and more. The numbers of birds who use this thoroughfare are mind-bending and October is usually when the highest counts happen.
Then journey inland to discover the rainforests of Selva Verde, our private eco-reserve set on 500 protected acres that hundreds of bird species call home. Take guided hikes in the private rainforest reserve at Selva Verde Lodge, with opportunities to see birds like the Keel-billed Toucan, Sunbittern, and endangered Great Green Macaw. We will also bird the trails of the world-renowned La Selva Biological Station, where more than half of Costa Rica’s species have been recorded.
Each day provides a variety of opportunities to make the most of the birding/nature touring available, as well as options for individual exploration and leisure time. You will be traveling with other nature enthusiasts to all share an amazing spectrum of bird experiences and knowledge. All meals are included and dining is often arranged outdoors or in private group seating. Your guides will be Hawk Ridge Education Director, Margie Menzies, and Mario Cordoba. Margie will be leading a spring 2023 international birding trip in Costa Rica and has also traveled to and bird banded in Costa Rica. Mario Cordoba has been a nature guide in Costa Rica for over 2 decades.
Don’t miss this incredible experience! Space on this trip is limited to 10, and final payment for the trip is due July 21, 2023. REGISTER HERE today! Questions? Contact Debbie Sturdivant Jordan at 866-748-6146 or debbie@holbrooktravel.com, or Margie Menzies mmenzies@hawkridge.org. Hope to see you in October!
The 2023 Pick a Bird Brain series will primarily focus on highlighting some of the amazing research projects with Hawk Ridge. Programs are free, but pre-registration is required for virtual programs, with a registration link provided in each presentation’s description.
July & August 2023 Speakers/Dates Coming Soon!
P.S. If you missed the last Pick a Bird Brain virtual events you can view recordings below:
Loon Lessons: Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver by Dr. James Paruk
What have we learned from 50 years of fall counts at Hawk Ridge? by Dr. Jerry Niemi (June 6th)
Using DNA Metabarcoding to Study the Diet of Raptors during Migration by Lisa Brouellette (April 18th)
Periodic Invasions of Northern Goshawks by Dick Green (March 21st)
The Forever Chemicals: What Do We Need to Know About Their Effects on Birds and How Will We Learn It? by Matt Etterson (Feb. 23rd)
The Secrets that Feathers Hold: Using Feathers to Trace Migration by Emily Pavlovic (Jan. 24th)
Sat. Wed. August 2nd, Sat. October 14th
Join the Lake Superior Reserve, Hawk Ridge, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Minnesota Land Trust, and the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve for a free, bird-focused morning as part of an accessible birding series. We welcome people of all ages and ability levels to attend this accessible birding series!
The next event will be held Wednesday, August 2nd at Barker's Island "Everyone Can Bird: Graduation to Migration!". In August baby birds begin to “graduate” into adulthood as they prepare for migration. Come join us for a celebration of this exciting adventure for the new adult birds!
We welcome people of all ages and ability levels to attend this accessible birding event at the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker's Island in Superior. Move along the boardwalk or paved trails on a guided bird hike, or explore bird artifacts like feathers and skulls indoors at your own pace.
These activities are designed with access in mind, but if you would like to request additional accommodations, please email Luciana.Ranelli@Wisc.Edu or call Luciana at 715-399-4085 at least 10 days before the event.
Plan Your Fall Visit to Hawk Ridge
September 1st - October 31st, 2023
Daily 9am-4pm
2023 marks the 52nd consecutive fall season of bird migration research and education at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in Duluth, MN - one of the premier fall bird migration sites in North America! We look forward to connecting with visitors of all ages from around the world! Here are some helpful links with information on visiting this fall:
PLAN YOUR VISIT
DIRECTIONS
LODGING
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS (more coming soon!)
2022 Research & Education Summary Reports
Here are the links to our 2022 fall research and education summaries:
Fall 2022 Bird Migration Count Summary (raptor count totals HERE)
Fall 2022 Raptor Banding Summary
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!
If you missed out on getting a limited edition 50th anniversary shirt or mug - you can still do so today! Purchase a variety of Hawk Ridge merchandise at the links below:
Big Frog (direct ship or pick up at Duluth store)
The Mug Experience - 50th mug (direct ship)
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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