1st Weekend of Banding 2016

Hello Friends,

Well, here we go, starting another year at the banding station. This is my first report of the 2016 season, covering the weekend of September 3rd, 2016.

THIS SEASON MARKS OUR 47th CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF TRAPPING HAWKS 

AT THE MATTSON FARM.

My last report was in early November of 2015, since then Trudi and I have had an interesting year. In November, I attended the North American Falconers Association meet in Hutchinson, Kansas, with Dr. Patrick Redig. Seeing old friends and making new acquaintances is always the highlight of each meet. However, this year held an extra bonus, as I saw Whooping cranes in the wild for the first time ever! At the end of November, I took a trip out to Montana with Ken Wagner to go hawking with Mark Bolton and Jeff Redig. While we were out flying the trained falcons, a huge wild female Gyrfalcon came in to check us out. I managed to get some slow motion shots of her flying around us. In December, we started our eleventh hunting season with Mim (my Red-tailed hawk). This year Trudi took some great slow motion clips of Mim in action. You can view the films of Mim, the Gyrfalcon and the Whooping cranes on a new You Tube site that I created this spring. Go to You Tube and search Frank Taylor Films or click on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4sdI11-TvxPaQ5nO3PsKKA and then scroll to View All.

In March, Trudi and I drove to Florida to visit family and friends and in April we took our annual Amtrak train trip from Kansas City to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet friends in Phoenix. In mid-August, members of the Minnesota Falconers Association did our 35^th annual Game Fair in Ramsey, Minnesota. This year we were moved to a higher profile location, marked with a huge new banner.

The 2016 banding season started a little earlier for me this year. In July, I banded five young American Kestrels that were being raised in a box built and placed by the Minnesota Falconers Association near New Prague, Minnesota.

Saturday morning on the 3rd of September, Trudi and I met Nancy, Chuck and Rick at the McDonalds on the hill above Duluth. We had a short breakfast and headed off to Hawk Harbor. Todd had come up on Friday and was already there when we arrived. After setting up camp at Hawk Harbor, we loaded all the banding gear into Rick's truck and drove up to the blind. We weed whipped, swept cobwebs, sorted out seats, placed the fake owls, strung up the nets and settled in to catch some hawks.

Skies were clear with a light wind blowing out of the South. We were set up and ready to start banding at 11:00 am. But, even before we were set up at the main blind, Jesse, Todd's daughter, and her boyfriend Matt, who had just arrived, came trudging up the field with a young female Sharp-shinned hawk. Todd had caught it down on his trapping site at Hawk Harbor, just minutes before. A bird in the bag before we even got started! At noon Todd called up to say he saw a young Black Bear come out of the woods and start walking towards his nets. He yelled and it took off.

It was a beautiful day up on the North Shore but not many raptors were moving. We saw some eagles, some harriers, a few shins, some kestrels and a Merlin but nothing seemed to be interested in our set up. Around 1:00, Matt's father Greg Carlson and his grandfather Irv Carlson, who is 85, stopped up to see us. A few hawks made close passes, but none committed to the lure. At 3:37 a young female Sharp-shinned hawk came swooping in from straight out in front, but it barely touched the net, threw it off, and got away. Aargh! First bird at the main blind and it bounced out! At least Irv got to see a bird's eye view of the approach; we had him sitting on a chair out in front of the blind. He thought that was pretty cool!

At 4:05 we saw a young male Peregrine falcon come zooming in from the woods on the north side of our field. It made one close pass and kept going south. The rest of the day was nice but no raptors were migrating so we closed down for the day at 5:30 pm.

Todd, Jesse and Matt cooked their supper on the grill that night, while Trudi, Nancy, Chuck, Rick and I went in to Two Harbors and had pizza at the Do North Pizzeria. Todd had a nice campfire going when we got back to Hawk Harbor.

We got a total of 1 bird and 1 bounce-out on Saturday.

1 Sharp-shinned hawk.

Sunday morning was bright and clear with no wind at all. Trudi fixed some hot chocolate for everyone down at Hawk Harbor and then we headed up to the blind. The nets were reset and we got in the blind to start looking for birds at 7:50. What a beautiful site to see the sun coming up and the morning dew making spider webs look like beaded jewelry hanging all across the field. We topped that off with some of Nancy's famous chocolate chip cookies and some delicious Zucchini bread she made with pineapple.

The first bird of the day was a young male Sharp-shinned hawk that came in from out over the fake owl. It plowed right into the middle of the net at 8:55. Yeay!!! Our first bird up at the main blind! Chuck banded it, we took some photos and Rick let it go. At 9:07 another very small young male Sharp-shinned hawk came in from out front. It hit the center of the net hard and pulled it down. We though it was a sure thing. But, when it hit, it had its wings in a full tuck and one toe ready to push it right through the net mesh. Never seen that before! At 10:43 another shin popped in from the north, went over the front net, hit the back net and bounced out. Rats!!!! One more shin came in at 12:35, shot over both nets, went back and sat in a tree behind the blind for a few minutes and then made a second try but bounced out of the back net.

We were getting it handed to us by the hawks so we decided to take a break and eat lunch. My favorite, Blind Burgers (Ritz crackers with sliced summer sausage), Cheetos and a cool can of diet Pepsi. Nancy and Chuck try to keep us healthy by bringing fresh picked tomatoes, snow peas, provolone and wheat thins. Rick brings the Cheetos and adds a dessert of waxy doughnuts (Sweet Sixteen mini chocolate doughnuts).

Just after lunch, Jackie and Marc Rude came up to see us and a little while later Randy Burington and his daughter Alyssa arrived.

At 1:05, we were all watching a large adult Bald eagle coming in close from the north, when a young Red-tailed hawk dropped straight down from above the blind. It hit the front net and bounced out. Aargh!!! At 1:23 a young female Sharp-shinned hawk was spotted flying low over the far end of the field. Rick pulled the lure and it came right in. We banded it, took some photos and Alyssa got to let it go. Our last bird of the day was a young male Merlin. We banded that one and Jackie got to let it go.

The weather forecast was for thunderstorms that night and rain all day Monday so we decided to close down for the weekend at 5:00 pm. That night Trudi, Nancy, Jackie, Marc, Chuck and I went to Culvers in Two Harbor for supper. I was missing my Light House Restaurant hot meatloaf sandwich, so I ordered their Chopped Steak Dinner, which includes a dinner roll, two ground beef patties (a close enough substitute for meatloaf) topped off with fried onions, mushrooms and gravy. It also includes a side of mashed potatoes smothered in brown gravy and a side of really good coleslaw. I have had many of these before at other Culvers, so I won't be keeping a tally. Everyone else headed home while Trudi and I went back to Hawk Harbor to ride out the storm. We packed up and left for home on Monday morning.

We got a total of 3 birds and 4 bounce outs on Sunday.

1 Merlin, and 2 Sharp-shinned hawks.

Total for the weekend was 4 birds and 5 bounce-outs.

1 Merlin and 3 Sharp-shinned hawks.

Adding in the 5 Kestrels banded in July,

our Grand Total for the year is 9.

Remember also, to go to You Tube and search Frank Taylor Films or click on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4sdI11-TvxPaQ5nO3PsKKA and then scroll to View All.

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

01. Four Whooping cranes I saw out in Kansas.

First Week of Banding 2016

02. Large female Gyrfalcon out in Montana.

First Week of Banding 2016

03. Mim and I starting our eleventh hunting season.

Photo by Trudi Taylor

First Week of Banding 2016

04. The new location and banner for the Minnesota Falconer's tent at Game Fair 2016.

First Week of Banding 2016

05. Banding American Kestrels in July.

First Week of Banding 2016

06. Todd and Jesse with his new camper at Hawk Harbor.

First Week of Banding 2016

07. All set and ready to start the new season.

First Week of Banding 2016

08. Our first bird of the season, a young female Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

09. Rick, Nancy, Jesse, Chuck, Matt and Trudi holding the Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

10. Matt and Jesse about to release the Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

11. Matt and Jesse releasing the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

12. Matt, Jesse, Irv and Greg watching for hawks.

First Week of Banding 2016

13. Trudi making hot chocolate at Hawk Harbor on Sunday morning.

First Week of Banding 2016

14. Chuck and Rick with our first bird caught for the season at the main blind.

First Week of Banding 2016

15. Chuck and Rick showing us the Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

16. Chuck banding the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

17. Nancy, Rick, Chuck and Trudi with the Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

18. Rick about to release the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

19. Rick releasing the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

20. Shin sitting in the tree behind the blind.

First Week of Banding 2016

21. My favorite lunch.

First Week of Banding 2016

22. Young Red-tailed hawk looking back at the net he just bounced out of.

First Week of Banding 2016

23. Randy, Chuck, Rick, Alyssa and Marc getting a hawk out of the net.

First Week of Banding 2016

24. Rick, Alyssa, Chuck, Randy and Marc with a Sharp-shinned hawk.

First Week of Banding 2016

25. Randy and Alyssa ready to release the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

26. Randy and Alyssa releasing the shin.

First Week of Banding 2016

27. Young male Merlin.

First Week of Banding 2016

28. Young Merlin.

First Week of Banding 2016

29. Jackie and Marc about to release the Merlin.

First Week of Banding 2016

30. Marc and Jackie releasing the Merlin.

First Week of Banding 2016

31. Trudi reading her book by the Dodge-My-Haul at Hawk Harbor.

First Week of Banding 2016