There is an active broad-winged hawk nest in a small patch of woods near Lock #1 and alongside Ford Parkway in Minneapolis.
I first observed broad-winged hawks in this area on 5/10/10, and regularly thereafter. Then Deb Diko and I located the nest when we were doing the final IBA survey of the Minnehaha Falls area about a week ago. The chicks (3) are very visible (staring down at the traffic passing on the street). Last I checked, a couple of days ago, they had not yet fledged, but I suspect will soon. As with Jim Mattson's post of the merlin nest, please use good judgment when observing. The chicks are quite accustomed to car and pedestrian traffic, but approaching the nest tree too closely may disturb them. Directions: Park at the small parking lot at the top of the driveway that goes down to Lock #1 on the Mississippi River. Walk up the shady wooded bike path a short distance to Ford Parkway. At the Ford Parkway sidewalk, walk right (towards Mpls) to a double-signed street sign (Hennepin 46) along the road that is bent. Walk away from the road behind this sign into the mowed area between Ford Parkway and the triangle of woods bordered by Ford Parkway/W. River Rd/Lock #1 driveway. Stand on the mowed grass and look north-north-west-ish to a mid-sized well-formed oak tree with branches arranged like a broccoli umbrella. The stick nest is in a main crotch of that tree, about 50 feet up. Diana Doyle S. Minneapolis ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
