Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,
October is a wonderful month to visit Hawk Ridge! The mix of fall colors and Lake Superior provide a beautiful backdrop to the larger raptors moving through, such as Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Bald and Golden Eagles! Approximately 35,000 raptors and over 200,000 non-raptors of nearly 180 bird species have been counted so far since August 15! In this e-news, you'll find the September bird migration count and raptor banding summaries, as well as upcoming events! You can follow along with the count on Trektellen HERE and HawkCount HERE.
P.S. If you missed our last e-newsletter, you can view that and older versions by clicking HERE.
The month of September started out well with decent weather and winds, but just as things started ramping up for what should have been our biggest push of birds mid-September, we were hit with two straight weeks of east winds, fog, and rain. Despite the rough weather, we ran three banding stations a total of 65 days in September. The Hawk Ridge and Moose Valley stations were each covered consistently throughout the month by Abbie Valine and Kara Beer, respectively, while the Paine Farm station was run intermittently by David Alexander, Frank Nicoletti, and Miranda Durbin. Additional help at the Hawk Ridge station was provided by our banding apprentices Liv Fortuna and Doris Rodriguez, as well as trainees Marie Chappell, Megan Hanson, and Sarah Needles.
Due to poor weather in the second half of the month, September numbers were below average (though similar to 2022 numbers), particularly for Sharp-shinned Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks. American Kestrels and Merlins showed excellent numbers in September, with kestrels already well above the season total average and Merlins not far behind.
Some of the highlights of the month included an uncharacteristically diurnal barred owl banded at Paine Farm at 11 A.M. on September 10th, and a new daily record of 17 Merlins banded at Moose Valley on September 22nd .
Totals for September were as follows:
Norther Harrier – 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 710
Cooper’s Hawk – 16
American Goshawk – 1
Broad-winged Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 8
American Kestrel – 69
Merlin – 70
Peregrine Falcon – 3
Barred Owl – 1
Total – 890
Abbie Valine
Lead Raptor Bander
*NOTE: September summary reports for owls and passerine banding and education programs will be out in the e-newsletter part 2 next week.
Upcoming Events
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 public evening owl programs or schedule a small group owl program. Click HERE for more info.
Saturday 10/21 Owl Program:
General public evening owl program on Saturday Oct. 21st at 8pm
Tickets limited (click HERE to register); $10 member/student or $15 nonmember
Small group owl programs (up to 8): offered now through Oct. 31 (Tues. or Thurs-Sat. evenings) with date/time to be arranged by sending an email to owls@hawkridge.org. $40 member/student or $50 nonmember.
Saturday, October 14th
October is the month where the largest of our migrating raptors move through Hawk Ridge! Come out and join us for our FREE fall Duluth Community Day (9am-4pm) and Everyone Can Bird event (9:30-11:30am) at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. A variety of activities for all ages and abilities will be happening at the Ridge – measure your wingspan and see what bird you would be, make a bird mask, get banded like a bird, head off for a scavenger hunt on our trails, or just hang out to learn about and see what magnificent birds fly by! Join us for one of our scheduled programs or learn from Hawk Ridge naturalists and volunteers at the Hawk Ridge main overlook! This is a great time to make a visit and see what Hawk Ridge is all about!
Hawk Ridge in partnership with the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Minnesota Land Trust, Embark Supported Employment and the Lake Superior Reserve is hosting the Everyone Can Bird as part of the accessible birding series. This event also coincides with Birdability Week 2023, in which there are other virtual birding events you can attend via birdability.org.
We welcome people of all ages and ability levels to attend!
International Birding Trip Update
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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!
The best place to get all your Hawk Ridge gear is at our fall season gift shop trailer at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve daily 9am-4pm between September 1 - October 31. If you're not able to come up to Hawk Ridge this fall, you can also check out some of our online shopping options with some of our merchandise.
Big Frog (direct ship or pick up at Duluth store)
The Mug Experience (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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