Third Weekend of Banding 2012

September 15, 2012

Hi All,

Here we go with my third report of the banding season for the weekend of September 15th, 2012.

Rick and Chuck met Trudi and me at the McDonalds overlooking Duluth near Spirit Mountain. After a little breakfast we headed down the hill and up the north shore to our land. Todd had come up on Friday night with Nick and his friend Chris so they were already set up by the time we got there. Nancy drove up a little later with their dog Maggie. We loaded the gear in my old mini-van and set off for the main blind. We were ready to go at 8:00 am.

Skies were clear and the wind was light out of the southeast, not a good wind for migrating birds in our field. So, we scanned the horizon for a while, saw nothing, and then checked out Lovey Dovey, who was sporting some new pigeon feathers to make her look even more realistic. Then I checked on my bobble crows (two decoy crows with hollowed out bellies and small plastic caps hot glued to their inside backs so that they balance on a sharpened stick) to see that they were moving freely in the breeze. I use them as confidence birds and lots of crows come in, land next to them, and then walk around them trying to figure out what they are. Then I went out to see that our fake owl was properly positioned. We put a red pushpin with streamers made from strips of white plastic bags on his chest to attract the attention of passing raptors and make him look like he is eating something. Works pretty well, but only if there are hawks about. After all that, I went back and stared at the clear blue sky like everyone else, not seeing ANY hawks! Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes. At 12:30 we were all sitting out in front of the blind, when we looked up and saw a young male Peregrine falcon circling low and right overhead. Dratt!!!! It was too late to even try for him.

At 1:00 on the dot, Bill Teft and Scott Mehus pulled up in a van with their group of 12 Road Scholars (a group of seniors that used to be called the Elderhostel Group). I went down to greet them and gave my little hawk talk, and then we all hiked up to take a tour of the banding station. I got them all comfortably situated along the tree line near the blind to wait and see if we could catch anything for them to release. We started seeing some Eagles, Turkey vultures, a couple Ospreys and a few smaller hawks but nothing came in while they were there. We did our best to entertain them with hawk stories so they wouldn't get too bored until they had to leave to go back to Duluth for the evening activities of the big Hawk Weekend. We got everyone lined up for a group photo and sorry to say, we had to do a "Wish-Bird" photo (“Wish-Bird” sign is given by crossing your thumbs and flaring your fingers to look like the bird you wish you had in your hands to release!). Right after the “Wish-Bird” photos were taken, I walked the group back down to the van and handed out my usual packet to each member. I give them each a “Raptors of the Midwest” identification sheet, a bookmark with one of my drawings over a list of the thirty-one species of raptors in this area and a signed print of some of my artwork.

The rest of the day was spent looking at an empty sky so we closed down at 5:00.

We got total of 0 birds and no bounce-outs on Saturday.

First Skunked Day of the year!!!

When we got back to the campsite Greg from Duluth, MN stopped by to go to dinner with us. Frank Nicoletti had sent him over to see us because Greg is interested in falconry and Frank told him I knew a little bit about that subject. I found out that Greg recently retired from the Duluth, Messabi and Iron Range Railroad, the same road that I have a whole room dedicated to, modeled in "O" gauge at home. Guess who is going to be my next best friend when I start finishing the details on my layout? So, Greg, Rick, Nancy, Chuck, Todd, Trudi and I headed over at the Lighthouse Restaurant for supper. I really needed some “Comfort Food” after such a slow day, so I ordered . . . what else? A hot meatloaf sandwich with fried onions and mushrooms, topped off with an extra cup of gravy. That was my 47th hot meatloaf sandwich for those of you who keep records.

Sunday morning, Rick, Nancy, Trudi, Chuck and I headed up to the blind and were ready to go at 7:30 am. The skies were clear and the wind again was light and out of the southeast. A few crows and shins were moving but not much else.

At 9:00 am Bill and Tricia Grape came up with their daughter Giada who was less than a year old when they were up last year. Tricia also brought her other two daughters Madison and C.J. along to see what we do. Last year they were so impressed with the north shore area that they bought 10 acres just up Highway 61 and off on Hawk Hill Road. We all got settled in thinking things were going to be pretty boring for the kids, when all of a sudden a Merlin comes streaking into the field hunting small birds. It zoomed around a bit down on the other end of the field and then came up to take a shot at the owl. Rick pulled the lure line and it barreled right in to the net! Our guests were able to see the whole thing unfold right out in front. WOW!!! Our first bird of the weekend, a young female Merlin! We took a bunch of pictures and then let C.J. have the honor of letting it go. We had an adult male Cooper's hawk come in slow and almost grab Lovey Dovey, but we couldn't get him to hit the net. Just as we were about to start packing up for the day, another Merlin, this time a young male, started chasing a Kestrel around out in front. As it pulled up from a fast pass at the Kestrel, Rick pulled the lure line and we had Merlin number two for the day. We took another load of pictures and then had Madison release it. At noon we decide to hang it up and head for home.

We got two birds and no bounce-outs on Sunday.

2 immature Merlins.

Total for the weekend was 2 birds and no bounce-outs.

2 immature Merlins, 1 male and 1 female.

Grand Total for the year is 29.

Please help hawks by supporting these organizations.

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (www.hawkridge.org)

The Raptor Center (www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu)

The National Eagle Center (www.nationaleaglecenter.org)

Keep your eyes on the skies.

Frank & Trudi Taylor

01. Trudi, Nancy, Chuck and Rick ready to spot some migrating raptors.

Third Weekend 2012.

02. This weekend we made improvements to "Lovey Dovey" by adding some pigeon feathers to accent her wings.

Third Weekend 2012.

03. Trudi doing her imitation of "Lovey Dovey"

Third Weekend 2012.

04. Our "bobble crows" used as confidence decoys. They lure in a lot of crows that will come in and land next to them. The breeze causes them to spin and bow.

Third Weekend 2012.

05. Our fake owl that we put up in a bush out in the draw.

Third Weekend 2012.

06. I added streamers made of strips cut from a plastic bag. Helps attract attention to the owl.

Third Weekend 2012.

07. As the morning drew on we kept scanning the sky to see a hawk.

Third Weekend 2012.

08. This was the view through our binoculars all morning. Do you see any hawks or even a cloud up there? Neither did we!

Third Weekend 2012.

09. Rick checking the inside of his eyelids in case there might be a hawk flying by in his dreams.

Third Weekend 2012.

10. Bill Teft from the Vermilion Community College in Ely, MN and Scott Mehus from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN brought up a group of Road Scholars (Senior Group) around 1:00 that afternoon. I start out my little hawk talk by telling everyone how I became interested in hawks way back in third grade. And, how I started doing drawings of them at that time. Then, I show a poster with some samples of my raptor artwork done when I was a little older.

Third Weekend 2012.

11. I talk about why this area is so important to raptor migration and why so many can be seen in the fall along the north shore of Lake Superior. Then I ask them what direction do migrating raptors go when they leave the Brooks Mountain Range in northern Alaska. Most people say south. But, if those birds headed strait south, they would end up drowning in the Pacific Ocean. Then I show them my globe with a line drawn going strait east. That line will go across North America under Hudson Bay, over the Great Lakes, down the east coast, across the West Indies and strait on to the center of South America.

Third Weekend 2012.