Hawk Ridge Blog: Notes from the Ridge: Fall Migration Count 2023 (September 11

Fall migration along Hawk Ridge unfolds like a familiar book, with each passing day and week revealing a new chapter of that story. The passage of time - alternation of day and night - brings new waves of migrant birds on their southward journeys, each carrying their own unique stories with them as they move along the lake shore and continue onward to far away places. The prologue to this book may begin somewhere around early and late August, titled "A Farewell to Summer", while the middle of September is where the first real chapters of fall migration begin to find their way onto the unseen pages. As the slow approach towards the autumn equinox while foliage along the north shore gently paints itself familiar shades of yellows and red, the first half of this month is truly an exciting time in this book: where the fabric of migration feels more and more tangible with each sunrise and sunset.

September 11 began with the excitement of an incredibly close SHORT-EARED OWL (2nd of this fall count) rising over the treeline and spending several minutes circling slowly directly above the overlook! One of the few diurnally active owl species observed along the Ridge, the large owl gave a brilliant show to the large crowd gathering below along the road with deep, rhythmic wing beats and seemingly effortless cadence before heading out southwards towards the lake shore. The momentum of the BLUE JAY migration along the shore line and Ridge continued with 6651 migrants recorded throughout the day, as well as another migrant BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER (!) and an earlier arriving migrant DARK-EYED JUNCO for the fall season. Several hundred SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS (480) pushed down the Ridge before isolated thunderstorms arrived from the southwest and temporarily paused the count for several hours to wait out the deluge of rain.


A southbound SHORT-EARED OWL migrating low over the Ridge in the late morning hours on September 11 (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

The following day (September 12) had a delayed start to the count due to light rain and a thick layer of fog enveloping the Ridge; however, as the weather began to clear by 8 AM a flurry of raptor migrants began to pour south out of the low cloud bank! A huge SHARP-SHINNED HAWK push began almost minutes following the final rain drops. The tiny accipiters were darting from the sky in all directions in succession - singles, pairs, small groups - until a total of 448 in just a few hours along the Ridge and shore. In addition, the first noticeable push of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS (525) came as well in the hours following the passage of rain as the small buteos approach their peak window of migration along the north shore of Lake Superior. It's incredible how responsive migrant birds can be to shifting weather patterns when they have the urge to move, and today was a great example of this. The day also saw great movement of PINE SISKINS (484) as large groups of the small, frenetic finches were tallied passing south along the Ridge in the final hours of the count. Late in the day, two large groups of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS passed along the lake shore, totaling 172 by the end of the count! Beyond the birds, today also marked the arrival of long-time HRBO volunteer and friend - Russ Edmonds (of Brimley, MI). Russ is on the Board of Directors with Macinac Straits Hawkwatch and has a rich history tied with HRBO, dating back to the mid-1990s. He has dedicated much of this time every fall since to assist with the count, public outreach, and other facets that help make Hawk Ridge run successfully each fall. It was great to have Russ back on the platform for the next week!

Large group of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS migrating along the lake shore while passing the Ridge on September 12 (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

The robust BLUE JAY migration momentum remained consistent through September 13 with another near five-digit daily total (9466) as well as another migrant BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER (a life-bird for Russ!), The following day (September 14) ushered in another Black-backed down the Rige as well as four other migrant woodpecker species on the day: The largest NORTHERN FLICKER flight (17) on the season to date and another RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, which adds to what is shaping up to be a fantastic fall count for this species (nearing 20 migrants already!). While the day was somewhat lower on raptor movement, it did also bring the first CLAY-COLORED SPARROW of the fall to the feeders near the count platform as well as the first southbound PHILADELPHIA VIREO.

The first CLAY-COLORED SPARROW of the fall 2023 season seen feeding on seeds at the platform feeders near the count platform on September 14 (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

September 15 marked the kick-off to the Annual HRBO Hawk Weekend Festival! The three-day event enjoyed impressive migration days as well as fantastic social events, owl programs, field trips, and guest speaker, Dr. Laurie Goodrich (Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science - Hawk Mountain). While the day brought west winds and good migrant raptor diversity (11 species), it seemed as though the passage of yesterday's cold front had not quite motivate birds to push south just yet. However, this changed abruptly the next day (September 16) as northwest winds continued to bellow out of the northern forests - bringing with them the largest raptor migration day count of the season! The waves of BROAD-WINGED HAWK kettles pulsed through the skies for hours as 4601 made passage over the day. Migration highlights included: (1) the largest SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (1412) and AMERICAN KESTREL (281) day counts of the season-to-date (first four-digit day count of the fall for this species), (2) a continuation of great PINE SISKIN (1154) and PURPLE FINCH (806) movement down the shore, (3) with a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE (!) mixed in with the five-digit BLUE JAY day count (10540)(!!!), (4) and the first good push of earlier migrant RED-TAILED HAWK (37) movement this fall. A very genuine sign of gratitude to both Frank Nicoletti and Stephen Nelson for assisting with covering the count during these two days.

HRBO counters scan the skies relentlessly for Broad-winged Hawk kettles and other migrant birds on September 16 (L-R: Stephen Nelson, Sean McLaughlin, Russ Edmonds, Photo: Sara Depew)

An adult BROAD-WINGED HAWK migrates south down the Ridge on September 17 among the many thousands of the kettles observed over the weekend (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

September 17 saw the first large groups of LAPLAND LONGSPUR (169) pushing south - a sure sign of winter's impending arrival as the High Arctic breeding birds continue to pour out of the northern latitudes and make passage along the Ridge for more southerly climates. While SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (600) movement remained steady, the migration highlight on the day was: BLUE JAYS! The 9th blue jay day count on the season-to-date exceeding four-digits (two of those being five-digit counts: September 10 and 16) pushed steadily down the shoreline and ridge throughout the day. This day was also special as it broke the previous HRBO site record for Blue Jays counted in a day, which was set last year (2022) at 60,523! The 2022 record was set several weeks later into the fall which leaves ample time to continue to add to that record-breaking season total with the weeks to come.

A migrant BLUE JAY passes the Ridge on September 11 - one of the many birds counted this fall that have contributed to setting a new HRBO site season record! (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

The next day (September 18) brought the first migrant SNOW GEESE of the season as a small group of birds passed high along the Ridge, while another BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER and five-digit BLUE JAY (1412) day count pushed south along the tree lines. September 19 brought more east winds which did not promote tremendous raptor movement; however, several hundred SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS (201) did move while BLUE JAY (2351) numbers remained consistently high.

SNOW GEESE migrating directly over the Ridge on September 18 (Photo: Jess Cosentino)

Southeast winds persisted into September 20 yet saw a trio of PEREGRINE FALCONS push into the moderate headwinds while BLUE JAYS (1429) continue to pass as small, spaced out dots on the skyscape - a dynamic game of connect-the-dots fluttering down the shore line with flapping, emphatic wingbeats and cacophonous chatter.

The pages of this fall migration continue to be written each day along the Ridge. The days are getting shorter, leaves more red and yellow. The air will be crisp in a few more passing weeks so make the trip up to experience the beautiful spectacle of the natural world that is bird migration before it has ended for this autumn.