September brings a wealth of Bald Eagles that migrate along Hawk Ridge, where birders will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of fall raptor migration counts (photo by Paul Konrad). Broad-winged Hawks are on the move over Hawk Ridge, often soaring on thermals (photo by William Clark).

Birders are convening in Duluth, Minnesota, September 22 thru 25th to participate in the celebration of 50 years of fall raptor migration counting and banding during the Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary Event and Festival. Located on the elevated ridge above the southwest point of Lake Superior, the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve was established in 1972, which was also the first year of full-time standardized fall raptor counts and hawk banding studies by the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, the management entity of the nature reserve.

Anyone can appreciate the celebration and support of the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve and the bird conservation efforts today and for the future when the statistics amassed over the years and day by day are reviewed – often totaling in the thousands daily. Lake Superior funnels raptors and other birds migrating south from nesting areas in Canada and northern Minnesota along the north shore of Lake Superior, with the greatest concentrations passing by the lookout at Hawk Ridge, a premier raptor counting location in North America.

To get more information about the Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary (1972-2022) Event and Festival, and to register to attend, see Hawk Ridge 50th Anniversary Event Sept 22-25, 2022 : Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

Even before the celebration begins, the peak of migration began last weekend with the advent of Broad-winged Hawk migration, with 1,520 Broad-wings counted Sunday along with 415 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 153 American Kestrels, 97 Bald Eagles, and 8 other species of raptors with an overall total of 2,242. For a look at monthly raptor count totals for the month of September at Hawk Ridge, see HawkCount

Of course, other birds migrate through in big numbers too – Sunday’s totals included 5,009 Blue Jays, 681 Cedar Waxwings, and 115 other species to date. You can see totals for all migrants counted at Hawk Ridge minute-by-minute, literally, at Migration Count Fall 2022 - Dunkadoo

And if you would like to do a little shopping to supplement your birding apparel, take a look at the variety of designs available on the Hawk Ridge online shop at Hawk Ridge Observatory Apparel | Big Frog Duluth | powered by OrderMyGear (itemorder.com)