Among the variety of hawks and abundance of individual raptors during a memorable hawk migration day, an immature female Cooper’s Hawk in flight is emblematic. During migration, Broad-winged Hawks often circle higher in rising air columns in what is commonly referred to as a “kettle” of hawks.

We are in the midst of International Hawk Migration Week, which runs through Sunday, and during this peak period of hawk migration I tentatively planned to visit one of the best count sites to witness a big migration surge. Hawk Ridge, located on the northwest tip of Lake Superior at Duluth, Minnesota, is a special place for birders where a mid-September push of thousands of migrating Broad-winged Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks is possible when weather conditions are right. The same migration weather brings a variety of other migrating birds south too, including thousands of Blue Jays.

I was due for a return to Hawk Ridge, having visited the site 3 years ago during an epic day of raptor migration but, unfortunately, the weather forecast indicated it would be overcast and rainy with a south wind during my Wednesday-Thursday window of opportunity, which spoiled my travel plans. That said, I want to share how exciting a visit to a hawk count site can be. In fact, during my 2022 Hawk Ridge pilgrimage I was on hand early morning to witness a remarkable migration day, when a total of 8,066 birds of prey were counted! That was on September 13, during a beautiful blue sky day with temperatures steady at about 70 degrees – and the sky was alive with the flights of a variety of raptors, geese, and songbirds – what fun.

The migration excitement was fueled by a big push of Broad-winged Hawks in the afternoon, numbering 7,196, mostly in groups of less than 25. 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, 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 migrating that day, including the 12 species of raptors. Unlike most raptor counting stations, Hawk Ridge staff count all species observed, which adds a great deal more to the information provided daily and throughout the fall migration season.

It was fun to be in the company of other birders, and while there were only 4 other birders on hand when I started my personal observations, numbers of birders steadily increased and probably peaked at about 40 enthusiastic observers by early afternoon, with a number of Hawk Ridge staff members and volunteers providing information and answering questions. I stood at a favored viewpoint for the first few hours, walking a bit from time to time, eager to see the next hawk or flock of jays fly into view above the surrounding forest. Eventually, I found a comfortable rock on the edge of the ridge to sit on while continuing to enjoy the show from one horizon to the next. The woods were changing colors with yellow, gold, orange, and red leaves breaking through, and the view to the east revealed the top of the extensive urban forest of Duluth stretching to the western edge of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. What a wonderful setting during perfect early fall weather in the Northwoods.

How impressive was the day’s migration count of 8,066 birds of prey? During the work week, the other daily totals of raptors were 401 Monday, 108 Wednesday, 24 Thursday, and 0 Friday when it rained throughout the day. It’s all about timing and weather when it comes to migration, and after that memorable Tuesday, rainy weather to the north really dampened or stopped the migration. On a national scale, raptors migrating past Hawk Ridge far outnumbered all other hawk counting stations north of Mexico that day. If you would like to learn more about Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, you can refer to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, you can see the count summary for Hawk Ridge on Monday at HawkCount, and be sure to check in on hawk count totals being reported from Canada to Colombia at HawkCount.

Article and Photos by Paul Konrad

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