Hi All,
Here is my ninth report of the banding season
for the weekend of October 26, 2013.
Chuck and Nancy
stayed up last weekend and banded on Monday and Tuesday, October 21st and 22nd,
and then Chuck came back on Friday, October 25th. On Monday, they caught 11
Red-tailed hawks and no bounce outs. On Tuesday they caught 2 Red-tailed hawks
and no bounce outs. On Friday Chuck didn't catch anything at the main blind,
but Todd was up on that day and caught a Rough-legged hawk, so, Chuck banded
that one. A very nice total for three days of "extra effort"!
Midweek total
was 14 birds and 0 bounce-outs.
1 Rough-legged
hawk and 13 Red-tailed hawks.
On Saturday morning, October 26th, Trudi and I met Rick at
the Burger King on London Road. We had some breakfast and then drove to the
campsite. Chuck had been trapping on Friday and Nancy was going to stay home
this weekend. Todd also had been trapping on Friday and was already there.
Trudi, Rick, Chuck and I loaded our gear into Rick's truck and drove to the
main blind. Chuck had everything set up, so we got started early at 8:45. It
was a partly cloudy day with light Northwest winds.
We had just started when a red pick-up truck pulled up. In
it was lucky Morris Jorgenson, a falconer from Iowa. I say "lucky",
because Morris had obtained a non-resident permit to take a goshawk. He came up
on Friday thinking he might have to spend as much as a week of trapping with
Todd to see if he could catch one. On Friday, Randy Burington, a falconer from
Cotton, MN, got a call from his neighbor saying a big old hawk was in his
chicken coop and had eaten one of his chickens. Instead of killing it, he
called Randy to see if he could use his falconry skills to get it out. Randy
called the MN DNR right away to get permission to remove it from the chicken
coop. He also asked if it was OK to give it to a licensed falconer if it turned
out to be a bird that someone might want. Through a series of phone calls, he
found out that Morris was up there and looking for a young female goshawk. The
"chicken hawk" turned out to be "a young female goshawk"
and the story came to a very happy ending. Morris stopped by to show us the
bird before heading back down to Iowa.
At 10:40 we saw a large bird pumping its wings hard and
coming straight at us from out over the owl. We got our first bird of the day,
a young male Northern goshawk. After we banded it and had a brief photo
session, Chuck let it go. Todd got the second bird of the day at 1:55, an adult
Red-tailed hawk. Kenny Wagner had come to sit in with Todd, so he and my
younger brother Mike, who was up for the weekend, hiked up with that bird, to
have us band it. At 2:40 we saw an adult Red-tailed hawk start a long shallow
stoop from way out to the North and carry on over the farm and straight on with
legs hanging down, into Todd's station. WOW!!! What a show!!!
Later, we watched some shrikes out hunting in the draw while
lots of Blue birds were passing by. Mike Klimas stopped in to see how we were
doing. He stayed only a short while and left for home. Around 3:50 we saw a
young male goshawk shooting in from high out over the owl. It pumped its wings
all the way in, straight as an arrow, until it hit the center of the net. We
banded it, took some photos and I got to let that one go. Todd got the last
bird of the day, another young male goshawk. We watched from our blind as it
made a long fast pumping stoop across the farm pines and down into Todd's
place. Joe Fahey had also stopped up earlier to see Todd and brought that bird
up for us to band. Joe got to let that one go. We closed down for the day at
5:00.
We got a total of 5
birds and 0 bounce-outs on Saturday.
3 Northern goshawks and 2 Red-tailed hawks.
After we closed down, Trudi, Rick, Chuck, Todd, Joe,
Mike and I headed over to meet Greg, Curt and Bobbi at Emily's Light House
Restaurant for supper. Curt and Bobbi were up trapping with Greg on his hill
for the weekend. After showing off to the others that the owners had placed the
tall ship photo I had given them in a place of prominence in the main dining
room, I humbly ordered my 60th hot meatloaf sandwich with fried onions,
mushrooms and an extra bowl of gravy. After dinner, we all went back over to
our campsite for our traditional campfire and to tell tall tales of the day's
activities with a brew or two.
On Sunday morning we were treated to a bonus goshawk. One of
the falconers had caught a young male gos and decided to have us band it and
release it. The light was still too low for photos so we banded it and let it
go right in the campsite. My brother Mike was fixing hot chocolates and coffee
for all the campers. After a nice "cuppa" to warm us up, we loaded
the gear back into Rick's truck and headed up to the main blind. We were all
set and ready to start at 8:30 with one goshawk already in the book. The sky
was clearing with a light wind out of the Southwest.
At 9:00 Roberta Ryan, President of the University of
Minnesota's Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Club, drove up with
eight members. We gave them a tour of the banding station and packed as many as
possible into the main blind with the rest of the group sitting in the overflow
area. Around twenty years ago, Heather Gast, who is now a
"world-renowned" falconer living in Montana, came up to the blind
with her high school class and was so inspired by her visit that she dedicated
her life to falconry and all that goes with it. Heather sent me a message on
Friday saying her cousin Sophie was going to Hawk Ridge that weekend and was
going to contact me to see if she could stop by our place. I hadn't heard from
Sophie, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Sophie was indeed a
member of this group. What a nice thing it is to have such a wonderful
connection that has come around again in a new generation.
The migration seemed to be moving a little slow that
morning, with a bird or two soaring up here and there. When, at 10:30, a member
of the group called out, "Look! Over there at the owl!" An adult male
Merlin was taking a shot at our fake owl and pulled off as soon as it saw the
lure. Jaws dropped as it flew hard and straight into the net. Everyone leaped
off their seats and ran out to see Rick and Chuck take it out of the net. They
all watched as Chuck banded it in front of the blind and then held it up for
photos. We conducted a "Lucky Number" game and Anna was the winner
for the Merlin release. Some of the group got into the photo op area while the
others lined up to "help" Anna release the bird.
I was explaining to the group that banding was a lot like
fishing and not knowing what to expect or when it might happen, when at 11:20,
a young Red-tailed hawk that must have been way up to the South of us, leveled
off from a terrific stoop and blasted into the net. Another excited rush
followed to see Rick and Chuck take that one out of the net.
Chuck banded the red-tail and held it up for a photo shoot.
We did the "Lucky Number" game again and this time Roberta won the
red-tail release.
At noon we all walked down to the Dodge van so I could do my
little migration talk and hand out bookmarks, I.D. sheets and art prints. The
group thanked us for the fun time at the blind and headed off for Hawk Ridge.
After the group left, Trudi, Rick, Chuck and I were sitting
in the blind when, at 12:24, we noticed a "big gray bird" with a steady
wing beat heading along the tree line to the North of us. As it closed the gap
to the net, we could see it was a big adult female Northern goshawk. Wham!!!
Right into the net! Chuck banded it and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.
At 12:25 we saw an adult Red-tailed hawk make a long shallow dive into Todd's
rig. Kenny Wagner brought that one up so we could band it. The red-tail had
what looked like a molt interruption in its center tail feather. I have never
seen anything like that before. At 12:29 we were all standing outside the blind
with the two hawks in hand when a young female Northern goshawk stooped in from
high to the North with a terrific whoosh of its wings and hit the net. We
didn't even have time to get in the blind! We banded all three birds, took
loads more photos and released them. Chuck released the young goshawk, Trudi
released the red-tail and I got to release the adult goshawk (after taking just
a few more photos). We closed down the blind at 1:30 and after packing
everything up at the campsite, Trudi and I drove up to see Greg's hill were he,
Bobbi and Curt were still trapping.
We got a total of 6 birds and 0 bounce-outs on Sunday.
1 Merlin, 2 Red-tailed hawks and 3 Northern goshawks.
Total for the weekend was 11 birds and 0 bounce-outs.
Grand Total for the year is 125.
Please
help hawks by supporting;
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
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01. Chuck, Morris and me with his "Chicken
Coop" Goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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02. Trudi holding Lady, Morris's four-month-old Dachshund.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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03. Young male Goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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04. Rick, Chuck and me taking the gos out of net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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05. Young male Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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06. Chuck banding the gos.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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07. Young male Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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08. Rick, Chuck and Trudi with the gos.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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09. Chuck releasing the young male Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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10. Adult Red-tailed hawk in the "Coming In"
pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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11. Chuck banding the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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12. Adult Red-tailed hawk in hand.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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13. Adult Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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14. Red-tail's tail with no barring.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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15. Chuck, Kenny, Mike, Trudi and Rick with red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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16. Chuck releasing the adult Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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17. Second adult Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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18. Holding up adult Red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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19. Heavily barred tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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20. Adult Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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21. Joe and me holding up the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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22. Joe releasing red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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23. Young male Northern goshawk in the "Coming
In" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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24. Chuck and Rick taking the gos out of the net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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25. Young male Northern goshawk in the "Yearbook"
pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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26. Young male Northern goshawk in the "Are You
Lookin at Me?" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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27. I got to release this gos.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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28. Rick, Joe and Chuck with gos that Todd caught.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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29. Young male Northern goshawk in the "Are You Lookin
at Me" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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30. Joe about to release the gos.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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31. Joe releasing the gos.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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32. Joe, Mike, Rick, Trudi, Todd, Greg, Curt, Bobbi and
Chuck at Emily's Light House Restaurant.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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33. Nice campfire.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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34. Sunday morning Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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35. U. of M. Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Club members
watching Chuck and Rick take the Merlin out of the net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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36. Chuck and Rick taking an adult male Merlin out of
the net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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37. Chuck showing the Merlin to the club members.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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38. Adult male Merlin in hand.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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39. Adult male Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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40. Chuck showing the group how we band the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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41. Adult male Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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42. Me and Roberta, the club President, with the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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43. Jake, Anna, Gwen, Molly, Michael, Roberta, me,
Sophie, Shana, Alex and Chuck with the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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44. Adult male Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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45. Me and Sophie (Heather Gast's cousin) and the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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46. Anna was chosen to release the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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47. Michael, Jake, Sophie, Shana, and Molly helping Anna
who is about to release the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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48. Anna getting help releasing the Merlin.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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49. Young Red-tailed hawk doing the "Coming
In" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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50. U. of M. F. W. and C. B. Club watching Rick and
Chuck take the red-tail out of the net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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51. Young Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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52. Chuck banding the red-tail in front of the group.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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53. Rick, Molly, Michael, Roberta, Sophie, Alex, Chuck,
Shana, Anna, Jake and Gwen with the Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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54. Young red-tail doing the " I Am Smiling"
pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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55. Roberta was the "Lucky Number" winner to
release the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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56. Sophie, Molly, Shana and Michael lining up to help
Roberta release the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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57. Sophie, Molly, Shana and Michael helping Roberta
release the Red-tailed hawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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58. Doing my little migration talk and globe demo for
the group.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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59. Handing out bookmarks, I.D. sheets and art prints to
the group.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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60. Adult Northern goshawk doing the "Coming
In" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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61. The Three Amigos, Rick, Chuck and Frank, with the
goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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62. Northern goshawk in the hand. Still has lots of immy
feathers.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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63. Goshawk!
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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64. Chuck banding the goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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65. Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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66. Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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67. Adult Red-tailed hawk that Todd caught and Kenny
brought up to the main blind.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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68. Chuck holding the goshawk and Kenny holding the
red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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69. Showing feather pattern of the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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70. Tail pattern with badly molted deck feather.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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71. Odd groove in red-tail beak.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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72. Red-tail doing "Are You Lookin at Me?"
pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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73. Young female Northern goshawk doing the "Coming
In" pose.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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74. Goshawk about to hit the net.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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75. Young female Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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76. Young female Northern goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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77. Comparing young and adult goshawks.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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78. Chuck, Frank and Rick with goshawks and red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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79. Chuck getting ready to release the goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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80. Chuck releasing the goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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81. Trudi getting ready to release the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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82. Trudi releasing the red-tail.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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83. Frank releasing the adult goshawk.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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84. Trudi, Greg, Curt and Bobbi up on Greg's hill.
Ninth Weekend 2013.
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