Second Weekend of Banding 2019

Hello Everyone,

This is my second report of the 2019 banding season, covering the weekend of September 7th, 2019.

(Scroll to the bottom of this report to see photos.)

THIS SEASON MARKS OUR 50th CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF TRAPPING HAWKS AT THE MATTSON FARM ! ! !

Friday, September 6th

Trudi and I drove up Friday morning to get our place ready to host the annual North Shore meeting of the Minnesota Falconers Association at Hawk Harbor. Later that day, Rick, and Todd with his family arrived along with several falconers who were going to camp out with us for the weekend. Nancy and Chuck decided to stay home that weekend, to make more room for the falconers who would be camping with us at Hawk Harbor. No trapping on Friday, just a nice campfire with good friends.

Saturday, September 7th

Saturday morning, Trudi fixed hot chocolate for all those who were awake, as Rick and I packed his truck with the banding gear. Trudi stayed at Hawk Harbor to welcome guests, while Rick and I drove his truck out to the banding station. Skies were partly cloudy with light Northwest winds. Several falconers joined us while we were setting up and at 7:45 we were ready to start.

We didn't have to wait long as a Merlin came shooting into the field, chasing some small birds out in the draw. It missed them and then popped up for a look around and saw our lure. With no hesitation, it came in low and fast, right into the front net. 8:03, and we had our first bird of the weekend! We banded it, took some photos, and had Dale release it.

A Sharp-shinned hawk was the next bird to come blasting out of the draw, at 8:34, hitting the front net. Joe got to release that one. For the next two hours, we saw a lot of birds starting to move and several more people came up to the blind. Our next bird didn't come in until 10:35, when a shin made a long, descending stoop from way out over the road. Amber, who was up last year (when we didn't catch anything during her visit), was selected to release this shin.

We then had a couple bounce outs and caught a two more shins. We banded them, took photos, and did the releases. A few more club members showed up and at 11:55, we caught our first Red-tailed hawk of the year. The Red-tail locked on way out high from the Northeast and made a long gliding approach. After catching only Sharp-shins and Merlins so far, this bird looked like a huge bomber as it came down, getting bigger and bigger, until it slammed the front net. We banded it, took more photos, and Eric released it.

Just after noon, we caught another shin that Melissa released and then came the BIG surprise. A large, young, female Northern Goshawk caught sight of our lure from high up in a thermal, folded her wings, and came roaring into the front net. We usually don't catch these until later in the year. What a great stoop! This bird had one talon that was pure white! We banded her, took photos, and Brynn came up just in time to release her. Don Mattson, whose farm we trap on, brought us up some beautiful freshly dug potatoes and got to see the goshawk. Don had just left, after telling us how the ground squirrels had been raiding his vegetable garden, when one of the little devils crawled out of the woods to grab some of the corn that we put out in front of the blind for the Blue Jays!

At 12:40, Todd caught a shin, but it bounced out and then things quieted down until 3:03, when we had a Merlin bounce out at the main blind. We were seeing a lot of Merlins hunting the field and, at 3:08, we caught our second one of the day. Danton, a new member of the club, got to release that one.

Around 4:00, a small Buteo was circling up North of the blind when Rick pulled the lure. It came stooping down but landed in the trees above the blind. Rick pulled again and it dropped down on the ground behind the front net. Rick dashed out and scared it into the back of the front net. It was a small, young, male Broad-winged hawk! We banded it, took photos, and Theo, a member whose late grandfather was Del Hogen (an MFA founding member), let it go. We banded one more bird that day at 4:15, a Merlin that Todd caught down at Hawk Harbor. Jenny and Jessie brought it up to the banding blind, we banded it, and Sue, Theo's Mom, released it.

We closed down the blind at 4:30, and everyone headed down the hill to Hawk Harbor for the Minnesota Falconers September meeting and cook out. We caught a total of 5 species and hosted 30 visitors, by my count, at the banding station and Hawk Harbor that day. A great feast, a short meeting, and a gathering of friends around the campfire ended a very fun day!

We got a total of 11 birds and 3 bounce-outs on Saturday.

5 Sharp-shinned hawks, 3 Merlins, 1 Broad-winged hawk, 1 Red-tailed hawk and 1 Northern Goshawk.

Sunday, September 8th

After the usual Hawk Harbor morning gathering, with hot chocolate and waxy donuts, a bunch of us headed back up to the blind. We set up and had everything ready to go at 7:45. It was a cloudy day with strong winds out of the East-north-east. We started seeing our first American Kestrels of the year. At times, we could count seven of them at once flitting around and hovering over the field. Every once in a while, a shin would come in and cork screw around chasing them, or a Merlin would make a long fast pass at them. We also saw a bunch of Turkey Vultures getting up and quite a few Bald Eagles heading south. Some other shins were passing over high. Sadly, however, nothing at all seemed to be interested in our lure. We closed at noon, marking it down as our first "Skunked Day" of the season.

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

0 Birds - "A Skunked Day".

We got a total of 11 birds and 3 bounce-outs for the weekend.

5 Sharp-shinned hawks, 3 Merlins, 1 Broad-winged hawk, 1 Red-tailed hawk and 1 Northern Goshawk.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped to make it a success. On our way home, Trudi and I stopped in at the Two Harbors depot to see the DM&IR Steam Engine No. 332 that we had heard chugging and whose smoke we had seen, as it went past Homestead Road all weekend. Time spent on the North Shore with Trudi, friends, hawks, trains and ships going by . . . it doesn't get any better than that !!!

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)

Midwest Peregrine Society (https://midwestperegrine.umn.edu/)

Raptor Resource Project (https://www.raptorresource.org/)

Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch (http://ospreywatch.blogspot.com/)

Keep your eyes on the skies!

Trudi & Frank Taylor

01. Trudi getting Hawk Harbor set up for the Minnesota Falconer's weekend.

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02. Rick, Joe, Dale and Mattie with the first bird of the weekend, a Merlin.

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03. Young Merlin.

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04. Dale releasing the Merlin.

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05. A young female Sharp-shinned hawk.

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06. Joe releasing the shin.

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07. Another Sharp-shinned hawk.

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08. Rick, Melissa, Joe, Amber, Dale, Mattie and Curt with the shin.

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09. Amber releasing the Sharp-shinned hawk.

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10. Another Sharp-shinned hawk.

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11. Joe and Melissa holding Sharp-shinned hawks.

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12. Melissa releasing a shin.

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13. Frank banding our first Red-tailed hawk of the year.

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14. A young male Red-tailed hawk.

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15. Nice looking Red-tail.

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16. Mattie, Amber, Dale, Rick, Eric, Melissa, Joe and Trudi with the Red-tailed hawk.

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17. Eric and the young Red-tailed hawk.

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18. Eric releasing the Red-tail.

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19. Our first Northern Goshawk of the year.

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20. Melissa, Eric, Holly, Brynn, Joe, Mattie, Don, Dale and Rick posing with the Goshawk.

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21. This Goshawk had one white talon.

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22. A young female Northern Goshawk.

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23. Brynn releasing the Goshawk.

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24. A Franklin's ground squirrel coming in for some corn 

that we put out in front of the blind for the Blue Jays.

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25. Rick showing our second Merlin of the weekend to the group.

Left to right: Eric, Mattie, Dale, Theo, Danton, Brynn (behind camera), Ben, Bob and Rick.

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26. Nice looking Merlin.

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27. Danton releasing the Merlin.

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28. Rick holding a young Broad-winged hawk.

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29. A young Broad-winged hawk.

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30. Theo releasing the Broad-winged hawk.

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31. Our third Merlin of the day.

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32. Theo and his mom Sue with the Merlin.

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33. Sue releasing the Merlin.

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34. Trudi and Jenny getting all the food ready at Hawk Harbor.

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35. Mattie and Bob working the grills.

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36. Everyone joining in on the feast.

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37. Jessie and Matt waiting to get in line.

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38. Group photo with Jackie's new Peal's Peregrine on the block.

Left to right: Melissa, Brynn, Joe, Holly, Ben, Curt, Eric, Bob, Greg,

Frank, Jackie, Danton, Mattie, Trudi, Dale, Jenny, Jessie and Todd.

Rick, Dave, Amber, Sue, and Theo are not shown in this photo.

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39. Sitting around the fire pit after the meeting.

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40. Frank and Trudi, happy to host such good friends at Hawk Harbor.

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