After last season's amazing August, in which a record 2463 raptors were recorded, this August proved more typical, with a slightly subpar total of 741 birds (a grand is about the norm). But with September came a marked increase in figures and the first ten days have produced ~3600 raptors, including a flight of 800 birds on the 8th. The overwhelming highlight was certainly the lone Mississippi Kite that glided high overhead on the 1st, as Karl Bardon had previously posted. Our first real kettles of Broad-winged Hawks (BWHA) appeared on the 8th, but in small doses, with only 20-25 birds max. Thus, without much contribution from BWHAs, the flight has been dominated by a consistent flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks (2000+), although we anticipate a sizable push of BWHAs any day now, weather-dependent. Otherwise, highlights include back-to-back days with respectable numbers of Bald Eagles on the 5th and 6th (72 and 61, respectively) and a welcome resurgence of Northern Harriers, with daily numbers as high as 38 (9/4) and 20 (9/8), including good numbers of juveniles. Last fall, juveniles were exceedingly sparse.
Karl and I have given a concerted effort to enumerate the non-raptor flight at Hawk Ridge this fall, counting simultaneously at the ridge and from a site along the shore (Lakeside) since mid-August. The major migration corridor in Duluth is well-known, but perhaps not widely known, and I've thoroughly enjoyed helping Karl to quantify this diurnal migration in the past few weeks. Our first major Canada Goose movement was on the 3rd (1021), followed by 30 Snow Geese on their heels (9/4), and a single Cackling Goose found hitchhiking with its bigger brothers on the 7th. American White Pelicans have provided nearly daily flybys throughout September, with 141 tallied so far this month. Meanwhile, Sandhill Cranes have also become increasingly regular, although in very small numbers. A September tally of 99 Northern Flickers has been steady, but trickling. The flight of Eastern Kingbirds is all but over (season total = 351), with birds few and far between these days, although August passages of 155 (8/24) and 64 (8/28) were noteworthy. Blue Jays went from nearly nonexistent to full-throttle migration in very late August and early September, with a daily September average of more than 2200 birds! Two days were exceptional - 4905 (9/6) and 4652 (9/9) - for a composite sum of just over 25,000 (and counting!). More than 30,000 Cedar Waxwings have been noted (!), with 25,000 of these ripping through in only six days (8/28 - 9/2). Since then, no significant flights have been detected. We've witnessed only three major warbler flights (8/24, 8/30, and 9/1), with none since the first (!), totaling in excess of 6500 so far. 149 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were a welcome addition, and seem much tied to the shoreline, with the bulk of that figure (51, 45) coming in just two days (8/24 and 9/1). Red-winged Blackbird numbers peaked in late August (season total = 4400), with almost none in the past week and change, just at the time when Common Grackles have picked up noticeably (1800, mostly in September). Aside from those, American Goldfinches having been persistently moving along the shore in moderate numbers since late August, with 1400 flybys to-date. All things considered, over 85,000 non-raptors have been counted so far. Passerine migration seems to be on the earlier side this fall, at least compared to last year. Interestingly, looking back at Karl's data from 2009, peak passage for Blue Jays (8 days), waxwings (9 days), and warblers (11 days) have all occurred more than a week earlier. Daily count totals of raptor and non-raptors can be viewed at www.hawkcount.org, and further information about visiting Hawk Ridge can be found at www.hawkridge.org. Karl Bardon and Cameron Rutt Hawk Ridge counters ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
