2013 Hawk Weekend at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

By Cory Ritter

HRBO's annual Hawk Weekend Festival runs during the third full weekend in September, so it starts tomorrow (Friday, September 20th) and runs through Sunday. Since September started on a Sunday this year, the September 20th start date is the latest since 2002. I've been worried that the festival may be a little too late to catch the Broad-wing migration, so I looked into the hawkcount.org data for the past ten years to see what we can expect for this weekend.

Over the last ten years (1993-2012), seven of the biggest days came on September 14th (4) and September 15th (3). Another came on September 16th, making the middle of the month the most likely to see the big day. The final two big days were outliers, one on September 20, 2006 and one on September 9, 2012.

During this time, there have been 53 days with over one thousand Broad-winged Hawks counted from the Ridge—averaging 5.3 days with over one thousand Broad-wings per season. Of those 53 days, 16 (30.2%) were on or after September 20th.

With that being said, September 20th is a bit late in the season for the Broad-winged Hawk peak, but they have peaked this late in the past. Also, we have only had two 1,000+ Broad-wing days this season—against an average of 5.3. Furthermore, we have had a week of unfavorable winds from the south or east and a couple days of fog and rain. This weather is supposed to clear out for the weekend, and leave us with favorable west or northwest winds—just in time for Hawk Weekend.

With the good weather headed our way and a history of some big Broad-wing days around this time of the season, this weekend looks like it is shaping up to be a good one! Here are some birds that are coming through right now, and you can expect to see them at the Ridge this weekend.

Broad-winged Hawk, 16 September 2013

Sharp-shinned Hawk, 11 September 2013

Palm Warbler, 12 September 2013

Merlin, 16 September 2013

American Kestrel, 13 September 2013

Canada Goose, 11 September 2013

American Kestrel, 13 September 2013

Broad-winged Hawk, 13 September 2013

Merlin, 11 September 2013

American Kestrel, 17 September 2013

American White Pelicans, 16 September 2013

American Kestrel, 17 September  2013

All photos were taken at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, St. Louis County, Minnesota.

Rain Day - Wisconsin Point Jaegers Strike Back

By Cory Ritter

We had a rain day on Monday the 9th, so Karl and I checked out Wisconsin Point. We had two Parasitic Jaegers, one sub-adult and one juvenile. While the sub-adult kept its distance, the juvie made a few good passes.

All photos taken at Wisconsin Point on September 9, 2013.

Sharpies and Kestrels - Hawk Ridge Update

By Cory Ritter

While Bald Eagles and Ospreys have been coming though in reliably good numbers as of late, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels just kicked into gear on Friday, September 7th. As it turns out, it was our best day of the season for total raptors (554), and our biggest day for Bald Eagles (98), Sharp-shinned Hawks (375), American Kestrels (31), Merlins (6), and Peregrine Falcons (3).

The raptors are picking up, and diversity is high (12 raptor species on the 7th). It won't be long before the broadwings make their big push!

Sharp-shinned Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 6 September 2013

Osprey; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 3 September 2013

Broad-winged Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 4 September 2013

Broad-winged Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 4 September 2013

Broad-winged Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 4 September 2013

Northern Harrier and Cedar Waxwings; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 5 September 2013

Turkey Vulture; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 6 September 2013

American White Pelicans; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 3 September 2013

American Crow with white wing patches; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 5 September 2013

Cedar Waxwing; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 5 September 2013

Bobolink; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 7 September 2013

Raptors of Hawk Ridge: Early Birds

By Cory Ritter

The fall count season at Hawk Ridge officially began on August 15th, but, as the assistant hawk counter, I didn't start until the 31st. While the days are still quite hot and slow, we are most grateful for two things: rare raptors, and Bald Eagles.

Early in the count-season is the best time to see both Mississippi Kites and Swainson's Hawks here at Hawk Ridge, and both are a welcomed reward for standing out in the heat all day—not to mention a lister's nightmare to time correctly. We've already racked up a few rewards this season, as we have two Mississippi Kites (August 27th and September 4th) and one Swainson's Hawk (September 2nd) on the official count—all of which were out of range for photographs, as luck would have it.

Bald Eagles, on the other hand, are far from rare. Instead, they are one of the most consistent migrants from the first to the last day of the count at Hawk Ridge, and we average more than 4,400 per season over the past five years. We are very thankful for Bald Eagles because they help keep the sanity on the count platform when there would otherwise be no raptors flying. Yesterday, for example, we counted 67 raptors among four species, of which 42 were Bald Eagles.

Now, a collection of photos from my first day on the job last Saturday. Sorry, there are no photos of Mississippi Kites, Swainson's Hawks, or even Bald Eagles—yes, even after all of that blathering.

Sharp-shinned Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Sharp-shinned Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Sharp-shinned Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Northern Harrier; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Northern Harrier; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Northern Harrier; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Merlin; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Merlin; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

American Kestrel; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Red-tailed Hawk; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

Turkey Vulture; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

American Crow; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013

American Crow; Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory; St. Louis County, MN; 31 August 2013