Hawk Ridge Banding Report for October 11-20, 2014

Passerine Banding Report

We usually set the end of the passerine banding operation at the Hawk Ridge banding research station for October 15th as the official closing date. We sometimes try a few additional days to see if there are still birds, but this year the October 15 closing date was pretty much spot on for the end of the season. There really has been little migration traffic since the 15th. 

During the period between October 11 to Oct. 20th, 51 birds were banded in six sessions. The Ruby-crowned Kinglets still are the most frequent birds caught with 12 banded. We had been waiting for the latest of the late season migrants - the American Tree Sparrows. The first arrived on Oct. 13th and we banded a total of 9. We expected a larger run of later season migrants,  like Dark-eyed Juncos and Fox Sparrows, but didn't get it; no Fox Sparrows were banded after the 6th of October, though we did band 7 juncos. 

So the big numbers have either sneaked on past or have not yet made a major move. October 13 was the last day we caught any warblers, we had 1 Orange-crowned Warbler and 1 Nashville Warbler that day. We caught 3 more Brown Creepers, 3 more Golden-crowned Kinglets, 7 White-throated Sparrows, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Downy and 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Swamp Sparrow and 1 American Robin. We are done banding at the research station, but will still look for those late migrants.

Songbird Banding Education

We banded on Oct. 12 and 19th near the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve main overlook. Oct. 12 was very windy all day, so no mist nets were set, but 4 birds were banded using feeder traps. 3 White-throated Sparrows and 1 Slate-colored Junco were banded. October 19th permitted the use of mist nets and feeder traps. The day belonged to the Black-capped Chickadees with 8 new chickadees banded and 10 previously banded chickadees recaptured. One last Ruby-crowned Kinglet was banded early in the morning. A total of 14 new birds were banded during October 11-20th near the Hawk Ridge main overlook.

Margie at the Hawk Ridge overlook (Karen Stubenvoll)

Report by Margie Menzies, Naturalist/Songbird Bander

Owl Banding Report

Owls were certainly on the move during this period, although conditions were less then favorable for migration. A total of 366 Saw-whet Owls were captured during the period with a peak night on the 14^th when 126 Saw-whet Owls were captured. To date we have also captured 61 previously banded Saw-whets. About 54% of the Saw-whets have been hatch-year thus far this season.
 

Only 4 Long-eared Owls and 3 Barred Owls were banded during this period. Large owls are still to come and were hoping this poor weather pattern of easterly winds will turn more westerly and get the bigger owls on the move.

Saw-whet Owl with retained juvenile body plumage (Madison McConnell)

Saw-whet Owl being banded (Madison McConnell)

Saw-whet before release (Chris Neri)

Report by Madison McConnell, Owl Bander

Hawk Banding Report

The hawk flight has been steady during the period, however flights have been mostly high or lakeside and thus bird have been less catchable than expected for this time of year. Highlights were 2 Bald Eagles banded on the 12^th at Moose Valley, an adult and a hatch year. A total 105 hawks were banded during the period and included the following: Bald Eagle-2, Northern Harrier-1, Sharp-shinned Hawk-73, Northern Goshawk-10, Red-tailed Hawk-14, American Kestrel-2 and Merlin-3.

Adult Bald Eagle (Chris Neri)

Hatch-year goshawk with a crop (Chris Neri)

Report by Frank Nicoletti, Banding Director

Updates on Satellite Tracking

The Turkey Vulture that was tagged and transmitter placed on in early August in West Duluth is really moving now. It’s last location was 27.97717, -97.81233, approximately 28 mi. NW of Corpus Christi, TX. Tracking this Turkey Vulture is part of the Turkey Vulture Migration Project of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in cooperation with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.

Jack, the adult male golden eagle that was trapped and fitted with a satellite telemetry unit at Hawk Ridge in November of 2012, is still hanging around his breeding area in the Northwest Territories of Canada north of the Great Slave Lake. In the past 2 years he has shown up in Minnesota in mid to late November, so we would expect him to begin his movements south pretty soon.

Tracking Jack is part of the Golden Eagle Tracking project of Audubon Minnesota & The National Eagle Center in cooperation with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory & the Minnesota DNR Nongame Program.

Frank Nicoletti

Hawk Ridge Banding Director

Raptor and non-raptor count summaries 15-20 October, 2014

Despite the lack of cold weather, the season keeps moving at Hawk Ridge! This past week saw the peak of fall color come and go underneath some lovely flights of birds.

The transition from early to late season raptors is fully underway, as days dominated by Sharp-shinned Hawks are being replaced by Red-tailed Hawk flights. Other species on the way out include Turkey Vulture, Osprey, American Kestrel, and Broad-winged Hawk. A few more of each may straggle through, but the bulk of their movement is past. We wish them all the best during the winter before they head back this way in the spring!

Saying goodbye to these species is made easier when welcoming more Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Goshawks, and Golden Eagles to the skies over Hawk Ridge. And of course there are always Bald Eagles migrating past!

The period 15-20 October produced some consistent flights highlighted by:

660 Raptors on 18 October including 463 Red-tailed Hawks and 28 Rough-legged Hawks

450 Raptors on 19 October including 167 Bald Eagles, 28 Rough-legged Hawks, and 198 Red-tailed Hawks (including a leucistic adult, see below)

701 Raptors on 20 October including 517 Red-tailed Hawks (including another leucisitic adult) and 22 Rough-legged Hawks

An adult leucistic Red-tailed Hawk. One of two individuals that were detected in the last week. Note that this bird is sporting many pure white feathers but still retains a belly band, a red tail and a few scattered normally-pigmented feathers. This genetic abnormality is much more common in Red-tailed Hawks than in other raptors (though still rare).

The story of the non-raptors in the past week revolves around two families of birds: corvids and finches.

Let's start with the corvids. 

American Crow migration is in full swing along the North Shore this week. And I mean literally on the shore. Regardless of wind direction or speed, sunshine or overcast, the vast majority of American Crow migration sticks right to the shore. This means that viewing can be distant from the ridge, but our vantage there provides an amazing perspective on the scope of some of these migrant flocks! It is really amazing to see hundreds of American Crows strung out in large, loose flocks going all the way up and down the shore. Usually this happens in the first hours of the day, but sometimes crow migration will pick back up in the late afternoon. Peak American Crow numbers this week included 1403 on 15 October, 641 on 18 October, and 617 on 19 October. 

No, those aren't dust specks all over your binoculars, it's a flock of migrating American Crows!

When it comes to migration, Common Ravens take a page right out of the raptor's playbook. In the past few weeks, small groups of Common Ravens have been circling and gliding their way past Hawk Ridge, sometimes accompanying Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles and sometimes in single species flocks. Peak flights of Common Ravens this week included 57 on 15 October, 47 on 16 October, 104 on 18 October, and 74 on 19 October.

Migrating Common Ravens. Note the soaring behavior, long, tapered wings, large head and bill, and wedge-shaped tail.

How do you know if you are seeing crows or ravens? American Crow flocks can contain hundreds or even thousands of birds; Common Raven flocks do not reach these sizes. American Crows flap on a straight line when migrating and do not soar or glide for any long periods; Common Ravens soar and glide like hawks when migrating. 

Common Raven migration is a phenomenon that cannot be witnessed in many places, but Hawk Ridge is certainly one of them! This year, we've been noting many more Common Ravens migrating south than usual. I guess it is going to be a hard winter.

Finches have also been impressing the crowds at Hawk Ridge this week. So far, Pine Siskins and Purple Finches are stealing the show, but small numbers of Red and White-winged Crossbills, Evening Grosbeaks, and Common Redpolls are also being noted. We hope there are many more to come! Here's a breakdown of the finches that passed recently:

16 October: 1170 Pine Siskins and the first Common Redpoll of the season

17 October: 2856 Pine Siskins and 755 Purple Finches

18 October: 1198 Pine Siskins and 124 Purple Finches

19 October: 4762 Pine Siskins and 1433 Purple Finches

20 October: 2795 Pine Siskins and 2241 Purple Finches and the first White-winged Crossbill of the season

That's nearly 13000 Pine Siskins and 4500 Purple Finches just in the past week! The Purple Finch flight on the 20th represents a new high count for Minnesota.

Pine Siskins. Note the short, notched tail, dark streaked body, and yellow wing-stripe.

Finch flocks can move past quickly and give only fleeting looks, so how do we know what we are looking at? Here's a few tips for telling Pine Siskins from Purple Finches:

- Use your ears! All finches often call in flight and this can be an aid to both detection and identification. The common Purple Finch flight call is a hollow "pik" which differs substantially from the nasal "skew" of Pine Siskins.

- The behavior of a given flock of finches can provide lots of clues as to the identity of it's members. Pine Siskin flocks move fast, stay in very tight groups, and individuals frequently change position within the flock and often chase each other. Purple Finch flocks move slower, are arranged in looser groups, individuals change position less frequently within the flock and don't engage in chasing behavior as frequently.

- Purple Finches are larger than Pine Siskins, but this can be surprisingly difficult to judge, especially when you do not see the two species side by side. I tend to think Purple Finches look front-heavy, almost as if they smashed into something and most of their body mass was forced to the front. Pine Sikins, on the other hand, look rather slender. The yellow wing-stripe on Pine Siskins can be surprisingly hard to see under some conditions and really obvious in others.

- If you can see plumage details, use them! Often finches will appear as silhouettes, and we are forced to use size, shape, and behavior to identify them. But if you see the raspberry color of a male Purple Finch or the yellow wing-stripe on a Pine Siskin, you're all set! If you see a definitive plumage character on one individual in the flock, use this known individual as a template to judge the rest of the flock. Do they all look the same? Or is it a mixed flock? 

The best way to get better is lots of practice! The birds are here! Are you?

Purple Finches. Note looser flock structure. Individuals do not chase each other or change position within the flock as much as Pine Siskins.

Pine Siskins. Note tighter flock structure. Individuals chase each other and change position within the flock frequently.

Male Purple Finch. Note the short, notched tail, raspberry color, and front-heavy appearance.

Steve Kolbe

Assistant Counter

Our volunteers come from all over!

This week's Volunteer blog is guest-written by Karen Stubenvoll, board chair. Karen started as a volunteer in 2004, overcoming her shyness by greeting visitors and selling T-shirts at the overlook, then becoming a raptor banding volunteer in 2009. Karen joined the board of directors in December 2010.

Volunteer Profile: Wu (Jian-long Wu) is a native of Taiwan. He and his wife (Ling-Min Wang) will be in the USA for 2 years, living in Minneapolis while Ling-Min completes her veterinary internship at The Raptor Center. Wu has worked as an avian technician in Taiwan.
Wu and Ling-Min are both members of the Raptor Research Group of Taiwan, which is a non-governmental organization with goals to protect and conserve raptors and their living environment in Taiwan by means of research and education.

I met Wu at Hawk Weekend 2013, when he enthusiastically walked up to our table at the overlook and emphatically told me that he wanted to be a Hawk Ridge volunteer. I could tell by his appearance (prominent binoculars & large camera) that Wu is a birder. Wu currently has 996 species of birds on his life list! Wu & Ling-Min recently attended the international Raptor Research Foundation meeting in Texas, where they toured with raptor expert Bill Clark. Wu added 54 new species to his list, and saw 20 species of raptors -- including Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, and Aplomado Falcon.

Even though it is not easy for Wu to get up to Duluth to volunteer at Hawk Ridge as often as he would like, it has been a memorable experience. He likes every staff and volunteer he has met there, and he reports that the landscape is just awesome!

Wu would like to encourage birding fans to consider a visit to Taiwan, where hundreds of thousands of raptors migrate annually (the majority of which are the Chinese Goshawk and the Gray-faced Buzzard). These 2 short video clips showcase some of the natural beauty of Taiwan, and feature two magnificent Taiwanese raptors:

The Black Eagle

Oriental Honey Buzzards of 99 Peaks

Jian-long WU

Blog submitted by Karen Stubenvoll

Goshawk Hotspot, Hawkwatching Workshop, Member Drive, & More!

Fall Fundraisers for Hawk Ridge

Here are 3 ways you can help support the fall count & banding research and education programs taking place at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve.

1) Raptors Raffle - Buy a raffle ticket today for your chance to win a great prize! The annual raptors raffle helps support the bird education and research programs of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Prizes are: Eagle Optics 10x32 Ranger Binoculars, Duluth Pack Utility Pack (Navy), and Hawk Ridge Storm Creek Softshell Jacket (size L).

           You pick which prize you'd like to enter your raffle ticket for drawing. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in person at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. Drawing will be held Sunday October 26th at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve Main Overlook at 1pm. No need to be present to win, but must be 18 or older to purchase tickets. Thanks to Eagle Optics, Duluth Pack, & On the Limit for donating prizes! 





2) Membership Drive - Begin or renew your membership TODAY through October 31st in person at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve and receive this Hawk Ridge hat featuring Broad-winged Hawks kettling over Lake Superior! (as shown in the picture, while supplies last - must be purchased in person at Hawk Ridge)

If you renew at the $100+ levels, you’ll receive additional exciting member benefits!

(including a second hat, as shown in the picture, if purchased at Hawk Ridge while supplies last)

3) Eat Brunch at Zeitgeist Arts Cafe in October - During the month of October, 5% of brunch proceeds from the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe will be donated to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Brunch is on Sat. & Sun. from 10am-3pm. To enjoy great food and help support Hawk Ridge go to brunch at Zeitgeist Arts Café located at 222 E Superior St, Duluth, MN. Note: Zeigeist Arts validates 3 hours of parking at the Medical Arts ramp, located on First Street & 3rd Ave E (behind Sheraton hotel) in downtown Duluth. Bring your ticket with you to Cafe! http://www.zeitgeistarts.com/hawk-ridge-is-the-october-brunch-partner/

Attend a Weekend Public Program at Hawk Ridge (Only a few left)!

Goshawk Hotspot 

DATE/TIME: Saturday October 18th at 12pm

DESCRIPTION: Learn about the Northern Goshawk, and why Hawk Ridge is one of the best spots in North America to view this incredible raptor.

COST: $5/person

DURATION: 1 hour

Advanced Hawkwatching Workshop

DATES/TIMES: Saturday October 18th at 11am OR Sunday October 19th at 1pm 

COST: $15 member or $25 non-member

DESCRIPTION: The Advanced Hawkwatching Workshop taught by lifelong birder/hawkwatcher, David Carman, will cover the many classification techniques such as using shapes, wing and tail length and shapes, flight behavior, size and plumage details and other tricks of the trade that professional hawk counters use to make quick, real time, and correct identifications of what's flying regardless of distance and altitude.

DURATION: approx. 1  hour 

Evening Owl Programs

DATES/TIMES:  

Friday, Oct 17 8pm, Saturday, Oct 18 8pm

Friday, Oct 24 8pm, Saturday, Oct 25 8pm

DESCRIPTION: The evening Owl Program will shine a light onto the mysterious nature of the nocturnal migrants flying over Hawk Ridge. Participants will learn about the research methods being used to study owl activity in the area as well as how to identify many of the species that can be observed in Northern Minnesota by sight and sound. This outdoor evening program takes place at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve education lecture area at the main overlook.

DURATION: approx. 1 hour

COST: $5 per individual or $20 for a family. A maximum of 60 participants may attend each night. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Hawk Ridge merchandise trailer at the main overlook or by calling (218) 428-6209 between 9am-4pm daily.NOTE: Owl programs can only be done when weather conditions are favorable, so some cancellations are to be expected. When this happens, ticket holders will be notified via phone prior to the start of the program and  have the option of attending a future owl program if openings remain. However, because of the popularity of this program and the limited number of nights it can be offered, there may not be openings available that fit your schedule. Unused tickets will be applied as a donation to support the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory bird conservation research and education programs. We appreciate your support!   

We hope to see you at the Ridge! Staff & volunteers are present daily 9am-4pm (pending weather) now through October 31st! www.hawkridge.org