The bookend to October came with the typical drop in temperatures, blustery north winds that cleaned the remaining foliage from the blanket of trees, and waves of late season migrant raptors. October 21 brought rain showers and minimal raptor movement (ten raptors total throughout the entire count period); however, a late migrant OSPREY was a somewhat unexpected surprise as the soggy, M-shaped fish hawk came spiraling down the shore en route to more southerly climates for the winter season. South winds persisted for a second day (October 22) and the morning was very slow with practically no raptor movement; however, a nice push of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS later in the day added some excitement. Six birds cut in from the shore together, forming a small kettle before circling around the backside of the summit. A ROSS'S GOOSE mixed in with a large group of SNOW GEESE heading down the shore while four late migrant SANDHILL CANES passed along a similar route later into the day. A large group of 18 late migrant AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS slowly meandered down the shoreline late in the day, seemingly in no rush to beat the sunset and ultimately deciding to roost on the water in front the UMD Limnology building in the final hours of daylight. It is still a long journey south for these pelicans before they reach the Gulf of Mexico and beyond, but for today, a brief respite on Lake Superior offered some rest before resuming their adventure south.
.JPG) | |||
GOLDEN EAGLE passed high along the Ridge on October 24 (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
South winds persisted for another day, while October 24 shifted to northeast winds and promoted some raptor movement that had been noticeably absent for a few days. Three GOLDEN EAGLES appeared to the north of the Ridge around 3 PM and took the better part of 20 minutes to travel together down the shore before cutting inland and crossing directly over the summit. All three eagles (one adult and two young birds) offered incredible, lengthy views to those along the overlook before continuing southward down the Ridge. A late migrant PEREGRINE FALCON pushed down the shore, adding to what has shaped up to the best October species total for this species ever recorded at HRBO and one of the best season totals ever recorded. Additionally, a late migrant AMERICAN KESTREL made passage - another migrant kestrel in what is the highest HRBO species season total since 2005.
October 25 shifted to light east winds, which kept migrant raptors moving slowly once again. Another migrant BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER passed directly over the count platform early in the morning while heading south over the treeline, while a good late October pulse of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS (695), COMMON GRACKLES (330), and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS (78) in large mixed species flocks pushed southward all afternoon through the dreary weather. The following day (October 26) brought sloppy conditions and more strong east winds following light morning showers. Surprisingly, a pulse of RED-TAILED HAWKS (13) and BALD EAGLES (16) still pushed onward. Soggy Red-tails with bulging full crops spent the afternoon hunting the Ridge and lingering about in the poor wind conditions, possibly waiting for the next wave of northwest winds to continue on longer stretches of their migrations south. It was promising to see this much Red-tail movement in the face of poor wind conditions, which may mean birds were anxious to get moving south and this upcoming weekend's drop in temperatures coupled with north winds could be the recipe to push them out from more northern latitudes as well.
October 27: Northwest winds finally! Following a lengthy stretch of less-than-favorable wind conditions, the winds shifted and came blustering hard and raw from the north. One of the first birds of the morning included a low AMERICAN GOSHAWK popping up over the summit and gliding directly over the count platform before continuing quickly down the Ridge, passing close enough to catch the white flash of an eyebrow without the aid of any optics! The day also ushered in a huge RED-TAILED HAWK (365) flight. As the waves of large buteos passed quickly over the Ridge and down the shore, an adult RED-SHOULDERED HAWK quickly buzzed the west side while being harassed by ravens. This was the first Red-shouldered of the fall and the 18th raptor species documented! The day also brought good GOLDEN EAGLE (9) movement as well as flocks of northbound PINE SISKINS (290) - a trend we continue to see play out this fall as the small finches move north along the shore. The blustery north winds have successfully cleaned the last of the fall foliage from the Ridge and adjacent valley between the shore and the brilliant colors of autumn are now a not-so-distant memory until next year and its own migration.
 |
| GOLDEN EAGLE passes along the Ridge on October 27 (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
A cold front pushed through overnight and October 28 woke up to a light dusting of snow on the Ridge. Temperatures plummeted and winds continued to blow from the northwest: A perfect combination for a good late October flight!
The day brought another great RED-TAILED HAWK (573) flight, which was the best on the season-to-date and included SEVEN DARK-MORPHS! Additionally, great BALD (129) and GOLDEN EAGLE (21) movement followed in the wake of the favorable winds. At times, up to three Goldens were spiraling together in a mixed species kettle with Balds and several Red-tails. Raptor movement remained consistent down the shore and along the Ridge for hours upon hours throughout the entire day. The late day winds pushed flight lines far to both the west and east of the Ridge; however, migrant Red-tails and Balds were pushing south into the final hours of daylight. The day also brought a good pulse of late season AMERICAN ROBINS (442) and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS (111) - surely some of the final migrants clearing out from the northern forests, while a late migrant AMERICAN PIPIT called out briefly while passing overhead. Overall, this ended up being a great final weekend of hawkwatching along the Ridge while the skies whisper farewell to October.
 |
| DARK-MORPH RED-TAILED HAWK circles above the Ridge on October 28 - One of seven dark-morphs seen throughout the day (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
 |
| NORTHERN SHRIKE perches in front of the count platform on October 28 (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
 |
| GOLDEN EAGLE passes high along the Ridge on October 28 (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
October 29 had long-time Hawk Ridge counter, Frank Nicoletti, join the count for the day which is always a welcomed addition. In the first hours following sunrise, the 5th SHORT-EARED OWL on the season passed distant along the shore while fantastic RED CROSSBILL (128) movement pulsed down the Ridge throughout the morning hours, chirping their jip-jip-jip calls overhead. A mix of PINE SISKINS (125), AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (51), COMMON REDPOLLS (3), PURPLE FINCH (21), and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (11) added to the migrant finch diversity on the morning. Raptor movement took until late morning to pick up and birds were moving quite high from the beginning, and would remain throughout most of the day. The momentum of flight lines was slow as birds took their time patiently working down the shore, at times reaching the Ridge and drifting lazily to the west or directly overhead. RED-TAILED HAWK (367) movement was consistent throughout the entire count period, as birds pooled up in kettles of 20-30 at times mixing with BALD EAGLES (134) and migrant COMMON RAVENS (35)! This was the second consecutive triple-digit Bald Eagle and third consecutive triple-digit Red-tailed Hawk day which had made for fun counting following a stretch of slower days. The day also brought more great GOLDEN EAGLE (14) movement south, with several birds popping up over the summit and passing directly above the overlook slowly in succession while providing excellent views to all below. Goldens continued to fly late into the final hours of daylight - the golden hour - as the air began to crisp and the angle of sunlight lowers with each fading minute. As the Goldens move south into the cold sunset and more snow is forecaste for tonight, the chill of winter lingers close. While we gently say goodbye to autumn with another sunset, there is nothing quite like hawkwatching during that ephemeral golden hour with the low orange light gleaming off the hackles as the northern eagles slowly push south in the final moments of the day.
 |
| HRBO Lead counter Jess Cosentino (left) with Frank Nicoletti (right) on the count platform on October 29 (Photo: Megan Hanson) |
More west wind and cold temperatures (high 31 F) continued into the penultimate day of the month (October 30) and the frosty start to the morning had both RED-TAILED HAWKS (266) and BALD EAGLES (106) moving in the first hours of daylight. The bulk of the raptor movement seemed to occur in the hours before noon before dropping off precipitously in the afternoon hours. The day count pushed the RED-TAILED HAWK season total over the 4000-mark. A late migrant ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER flitted around the count platform during the morning hours and the first migrant PINE GROSBEAK of the fall passed over the summit late in the morning with deep undulating flight and ethereal singing while passing. The passage of the first Pine Grosbeaks along the Ridge is another sure sign that we have entered in the late season of migration.
 |
| RED-TAILED HAWK passing along the Ridge on October 29 (Photo: Jess Cosentino) |
The final day of the month (October 31) brought a mix of clever Halloween costumes along the overlook, frigid north winds, and migrant raptors. A crisp start to another cold morning delivered a fresh blanket of snow as a forceful northwest wind wasted no time funneling down onto the Ridge. RED-TAILED HAWKS (351) were already on the move south in the first hour following sunrise, which is often a good harbinger of a larger flight yet to come down the shore. Raptor momentum picked up and in the first hours after sunrise, a brief scan across the Ridge yielded a mix of several GOLDEN EAGLES (15) and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS (31) overhead while an AMERICAN GOSHAWK (9) popped up over the summit, as a medley of RED-TAILED HAWKS of varying phenotypes and subspecies mixed in. A pair of late migrant TURKEY VULTURES pushed south as well, as this October continues to be the highest October total ever recorded for this species. The day ended with being the best ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK flight of the season-to-date, which also pushed the species season total over the 100-mark. A late migrant EASTERN PHOEBE quickly pushed down the Ridge, which added a brief moment of excitement. The flight continued well into the final hour before sunset, with lines of BALD EAGLES and RED-TAILED HAWKS remaining very high. Late day flights where birds remain incredibly high is always impressive to witness from below, as the birds push on with every sliver of daylight. Eventually, many Red-tails began to drop down from their high altitudes to roost nearby for the night. Falling from the sky into the darkened forests below and along the Ridge to wait for the next sunrise. One of the final birds of the evening being a non-adult GOLDEN EAGLE passing slowly just above treetop-level at 5:30 PM along the west side of the Ridge. Deep wing beats pushing the large bird just feet from the canopy while disappearing over the southern horizon into the orange and yellow wash of the setting set was absolutely beautiful. These are ephemeral moments on the Ridge that linger with you long after the final migrant bird has made passage south.
Fall migration continues to unfold, while the final chapters lay ahead. Daylight is slowly replaced by darkness, warmth for cold. The northern forests are quiet now and most the migrant raptors counted from Hawk Ridge have reached distant latitudes to the south by now. Crossing farm fields and open grasslands, following ancient coastlines and mountain ranges. Their moments in passing along the Ridge were just a brief snapshot of a greater adventure, yet in many ways the birds still feel connected to this place even after they are gone.
Follow the HRBO count daily here at: https://www.trektellen.org
Jess Cosentino
Lead Counter
No comments:
Post a Comment