Despite the hot and humid weather in Duluth recently, especially today with a high temperature of 84 degrees, there was a mass migration event that stunned the counters at Hawk Ridge beginning at sunrise and continuing throughout the day. The total of 91,667 migrating non-raptors represents one of the highest counts ever recorded in Duluth, and is certainly the largest flight of birds I have ever witnessed on the North Shore in nine years as counter at Hawk Ridge. Note that this count represents a combined total from both Hawk Ridge, and morning and evening counts on the shore one mile from Hawk Ridge. My thanks to Alex Lamoreaux, Kaija Gahm, and Steve Kolbe for helping to count all of these birds today. Some of the highlights from today include the following: 28,054 Common Nighthawks (this is the third highest count for MN, and follows a flight of 13,723 on August 29th this year, bringing the 2015 season total to about 50,000 nighthawks- thanks to Steve Kolbe's diligent evening counts), Today's weather was nearly identical to the conditions during a similar mass migration of neotropical birds in Duluth on 21 August 2013 including 30,874 Common Nighthawks, but note that the majority of today's flight was actually in the morning. 9 Red-headed Woodpeckers (ties the local high count set on 26 September 1983) 45 Eastern Kingbirds 1085 Blue Jays (seems early for a count of this magnitude) 233 Catharus thrushes were seen in morning flight (following a large nocturnal migration), including 3 Veery, 1 Wood Thrush, 1 Gray-cheeked, 39 Swainson's Thrushes, and 189 unidentified Catharus sp. 12842 Cedar Waxwings (represents a new state high count, slightly higher than the 12,612 Cedar Waxwings counted at the same locations on 29 August 2010). 33,758 warblers (19 species were identified, with a majority of the flight probably American Redstarts and Nashville/Tennessee Warblers). 21 Scarlet Tanagers (high fall count) 198 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (new state high count) 1563 Red-winged Blackbirds
Daily updates of the migration at Hawk Ridge are posted at HawkCount, which can be found on links at www.hawkridge.org and www.hawkcount.org. Karl Bardon Count Director Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
