The largest lake in the world was calm and clear as far as I could see across Lake Superior while walking through the elevated woods to the hawk counting point at Hawk Ridge in Duluth, Minnesota last Wednesday, September 2nd. I usually wait for peak hawk migration during mid-September to make my pilgrimage to Hawk Ridge, but surprisingly, I couldn't wait! I was there last Wednesday for the highest count of the season at that point: 790 raptors! It was also the highest count among the many American hawk count sites that day; plus there were thousands of songbirds migrating too, and the hawk count team tallies each individual of the many species of birds they see!
Sharp-shinned Hawks were leading the way last week at Hawk Ridge, with Broad-winged Hawks building in numbers toward their peak migration period – usually around September 14th, depending on the weather. Wednesday, when I was present, the hawk counters recorded 329 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 167 Broad-winged Hawks but not to be outdone, 197 Bald Eagles rallied southbound. There were also 30 Red-tailed Hawks, 29 American Kestrels, 11 Ospreys, 8 Merlins, 4 Northern Harriers, 2 Cooper's Hawks, and 1 Peregrine Falcon that passed by. I like to stand near the counters' slightly elevated platform to get notice of birds I don't see as soon as they do, and to hear a bit of the bird-related information and banter as people come and go.
No wonder I couldn't wait for peak hawk migration during mid-September to get to Hawk Ridge in Duluth, but the large number of songbirds sighted the day before was the crowning touch for my reasoning in making an early trip to Hawk Ridge. In addition to the raptors, the counters also tallied 2,021 warblers that couldn't be identified to species, but they were able to identify 14 individual Cape May Warblers, 14 Chestnut-sided Warblers, 14 Nashville Warblers, and 14 Tennessee Warblers among 12 other species warblers.
There were also 1,392 Blue Jays, 1,619 Cedar Waxwings, and 152 Common Nighthawks. Although there were 71 American Redstarts counted Wednesday, the previous day 282 were identified; and similarly, with 31 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks counted last Wednesday, no less than 164 Rosies were identified the previous day. There were 15 migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds too, and the total species of birds migrating that day was 60 species, which included 10 species of raptors. A rarer bird sighting for me was the Philadelphia Vireo that provided a few close documentary photos and a Nashville Warbler provided the closest look from the songbird contingent. For the complete list of birds identified and counted Wednesday, September 2nd, see HawkCount.
My visit to Hawk Ridge Wednesday was a remarkable time, and I realized: It's all about the experience – the woods, Lake Superior, the high montane ridge, and the parade of birds flying in your direction if you are facing north, ranging from Bald Eagles to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. It's a true wildlife experience! But Hawk Ridge is a people experience too, as created by the wonderfully friendly, helpful, and sharing staff and volunteers from the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, who provide information, answer questions, and inspire everyone – they are the best! And the parade of visitors balanced everything out and reminded me how enjoyable birders are; plus Duluth is a very special and unique city – it's all part of the always enjoyable Hawk Ridge experience.
The following day, September 3rd, the high count for the early season set while I was on hand Wednesday was broken with 865 raptors tallied, bolstered by a flight of 500 Sharp-shinned Hawks. But on Friday, poor weather including a foggy morning, limited the raptor count to just 30 birds of prey that only included 2 species. Not knowing the low count conditions at Hawk Ridge in advance of my Friday birding drive, I kept count of the raptors I observed west and northwest of the office, which totaled 28 raptors composed of 6 species – the closest I will get to matching the Hawk Ridge count out here on the open Great Plains. There were 14 Swainson's Hawks, 10 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Ferruginous Hawk, 2 Northern Harriers, 1 Merlin, and 1 American Kestrel, of which a Ferruginous Hawk or Swainson's Hawk sighting is cause for celebration at Hawk Ridge when sighted so far from their grassland habitats. The Ferrug was a cause for celebration for me too, because I haven't seen one of the big prairie hawks for several weeks.
Closer to Home: My birding drives covered the greater region surrounding my house within 40 miles in each direction, but while the avifauna was abundant and diverse, it remained quite unchanged from previous weeks. A Thursday evening birding drive provided a repeat sighting and photos of the female Ruddy Duck with her 5 downy ducklings. While it was nice to reconnect with the Ruddy family, I hope to continue to see them and document their development. Other highlights were 2 lone Sharp-tailed Grouse and 3 Solitary Sandpipers, but alas, the most recent Burrowing Owl appears to have moved on, leaving a number of unanswered questions after lingering at the closest location I have seen one of these delightful owls to date (within 15 miles).
While working Thursday morning, a unique sighting of a young Northern House Wren was followed minutes later by a young Yellow Warbler, which excited me to think there could be many more migrant songbirds, but they didn't materialize. The young warbler did provide a good minute of observations though as its slow movements across my bay window view satiated me in a nice way. Another Yellow Warbler, an adult female, showed before sunset, but I didn't notice another migrant in my yard until Sunday afternoon when a Least Flycatcher briefly appeared among sumac branches adjacent to my feeding station and a small flock of Chipping Sparrows flew in to forage along the edge of the sidewalk. Then too, a robin or 2 have appeared most days during the week.
I caught sight of the female Hairy Woodpecker Thursday and Friday when she visited the ash tree and suet feeder, but she was apparently on vacation over the holiday weekend, reappearing Monday afternoon when the female and the molting male grabbed some suet. The male is now in the final days of molting, with only a few new pin feathers showing on its nape, as revealed through a binocular view.
Friday morning revealed the arrival of a young male hummingbird, unique from the females on hand by uniformly spaced green throat feathers. By Saturday he became territorial at the feeder, and 2 tiny iridescent ruby-red feathers were evident on its lower neck among the scattering of green throat feathers. I couldn't resist slipping outside with my camera to try for a photo or 2 during the hour of best sunlight at my nectar feeder. I managed 3 photo bouts with the young male, the same number of bouts as the mosquito bites I dreaded to receive.
A Historic Count Day: By the way, just in case you might be in the Duluth area during mid-September, or want to plan a trip there to try to witness an ultimate migration experience, my best day at Hawk Ridge took place 4 years ago on September 13, 2022, when a total of 8,079 birds of prey were counted. I was able to time my visit just right in relation to weather conditions and peak Broad-winged Hawk migration, and the migration excitement was fueled by a big push of Broad-winged Hawks in the afternoon, numbering 7,196! They mostly migrating in groups of less than 25, often forming circling "kettles" high overhead. Other raptors included 585 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 97 American Kestrels, 73 Bald Eagles, 60 Northern Harriers, 24 Red-tailed Hawks, 8 Ospreys, 3 Peregrine Falcons, 3 Merlins, 1 Northern Goshawk, 1 Cooper's Hawk, and 1 Swainson's Hawk!
An amazing 4,528 Blue Jays also passed by the count station that day, along with 823 Cedar Waxwings, 1,491 Canada Geese, 134 Sandhill Cranes, 86 White Pelicans, and at least 30 more species of birds including 8 species of warblers. There were 42 species of birds observed migrating that day, including the 12 species of raptors. You can see the count summary for Hawk Ridge on that special September 13th at HawkCount, and be sure to check in on hawk count totals being reported from Canada to Colombia throughout the fall migration season at HawkCount. To learn more about the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, you can also refer to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
I hope your early migration outings are gearing up each week as migrating birds increase their movements, numbers, and variety. It's not easy to get yourself to the right place at the right time, but as I like to repeat: "Timing is everything," and any hour of any day could be just the right time to find a special bird or experience a wildlife adventure. Enjoy these beautiful September days.
Article and Photos by Paul Konrad
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