Birders can monitor migrating Bald Eagles as they wing northward at the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory’s West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth, Minnesota (photos by Paul Konrad). This spring has seen an increase of Golden Eagle sightings at Duluth, with numbers recorded to date already surpassing last year’s spring total of Goldens.

Early spring raptor migration has reached the west end of Lake Superior, and you can see the results in real time as biologists at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory’s West Skyline Hawk Count have initiated the spring count, which now totals about 1,600 raptors, mostly Bald Eagles. As of Tuesday afternoon 1,438 Bald Eagles passed along the ridge overlooking the great lake at Duluth, Minnesota, along with a somewhat surprising 103 Golden Eagles, followed by 23 Rough-legged Hawks and 23 Red-tails – and that’s just the beginning!

One recent note of excitement came last week when an observer posted “355 Bald Eagles, and a respectable dose of 33 Golden Eagles!” Last spring, eagle watchers counted a total of 7,727 Bald Eagles, although that total was eclipsed by 13,334 Broad-winged Hawks that migrated north during April and May. The total raptors counted last spring numbered 30,904, so there’s many more to come. In addition to raptors, all other birds are counted, which have been limited to American Goldfinches, American Crows, Canada Geese, Common Ravens, and Trumpeter Swans – but the avian diversity will increase dramatically soon.

The spring migration excitement at Duluth has just begun, so check in periodically to see how the Northwoods action is progressing in real time at https://dunkadoo.org/explore/hawk-ridge-bird-observatory/west-skyline-hawk-count-spring-2020

You may also want to check on spring raptor counting sites in other states and provinces, which you can do at the Hawk Migration Association of North American’s website at http://www.hawkcount.org/

Some sites are experiencing high volume vulture migrations, but few compare to Duluth’s raptor numbers at this time of the year. Even so, a couple eastern count locations are seeing interesting numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks, along with Red-tails, including the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch in Ontario, Presque Isle in Pennsylvania, Derby Hill Bird Observatory in New York, and Bradbury Mountain State Park in Maine.