Sixth Weekend of Banding 2023

Hello Everyone,

Here is my sixth report of the 2023 banding season, covering the weekend of October 7th, 2023.

Saturday, October 7th

Rick and I were the only ones of the banding crew who were able to go up this weekend. We met my sister Margie and her boyfriend Jim who had been camping at Hawk Harbor for a few days before we got there. The weather was cool with slight Northwest winds and mostly clear skies. It was 8:30 by the time we had the blind and nets set up. Lots of birds started moving. Turkey Vultures filled the sky and hundreds of them passed over all day. We also saw large numbers of migrating Sandhill Cranes, and for the first time ever, we saw a flock of wild turkeys out in the far end of the field.

We didn't have to wait long for our first bird, as an adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk came busting in from the South. We banded it, took photos, and Jim let it go. We caught 2 more adult males right away. We banded them and had Margie and Jim do a double release before they left to go sightseeing. After they left, a fourth adult male shin came in and landed in the trees above us. It sat there for a while scoping the situation and then took a shot at the lure and got caught.

Around noon, a young Red-tailed Hawk started circling up from the North side of the hayfield. Rick pulled the lure and it came straight in! We caught 3 more red-tails at 15 minute intervals for the next hour. Then it seemed like it became a game - Shins versus Red-tails - with the score tied 4 to 4! Over the next few hours, we caught 2 more red-tails, then one more shin, then one more red-tail, and then another shin. At 3:45, a shin that would have tied up the score hit the front net, knocking it down, and then bounced out of the back net! Arrrgh! It looked like the red-tails would win it with a 7 to 6 score. Then at 4:30, a young male shin started chasing a Blue Jay around a bush out in the draw, gave up on the jay, saw our lure, and shot right in to tie the score for the day at 7 to 7!

Joe Mattson, Don Mattson's son, stopped by for a while. He remembered being at the blind many years ago when he was very young. It would have been nice to have him release a bird, but no more came in that day and we closed down at 5:00.

We got a total of 14 birds and 1 bounce-out on Saturday.

7 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 7 Red-tailed Hawks.

Sunday, October 8th

Rick and I headed back out to the blind around 7:00 Sunday morning. The sky was very overcast and the forecast was for rain starting about 1:00. By 7:30, we had all the nets set and the blind ready for birds.

The first bird on Sunday was an adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk that was chasing a Blue Jay around a bush out in the draw! Déjà vu! Rick pulled the lure and it came right in just after 8:00. We banded it, took photos, and let it go. About an hour later we caught another shin that came straight down the tree line from the North. Our last bird of the weekend was a shin that was out behind us in the woods chasing another jay around. Without even seeing that shin, Rick pulled the lure and "Bango!" it piled into the back of the back net! Around 10:30, the skies were completely cleared of all birds! It was like someone had just turned off the bird spigot! Also, rain clouds started gathering so we closed up shop at 11:15, and headed for home.

We got a total of 3 birds and no bounce-outs on Sunday.

3 Sharp-shinned Hawks.

17 total birds for the weekend.

90 total birds for the season.

Please help hawks by supporting:

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (www.hawkridge.org)

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

National Eagle Center (www.nationaleaglecenter.org)

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

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

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

Keep your eyes on the skies!

Trudi & Frank Taylor

01. A Sharp-shinned Hawk coming in.

02. An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk.

03. Frank, Margie, Jim, Rick, and a shin.

04. Jim releasing a shin.

05. Margie and Jim with shins.

06. Jim and Margie doing a double release.

07. An adult shin.

08. Rick holding a shin.

09. Rick releasing a shin.

10. A young Red-tailed Hawk coming in.

11. A young red-tail.

12. Rick holding the red-tail.

13. Frank banding the red-tail.

14. Another young red-tail coming in.

15. A young red-tail.

16. Frank holding the red-tail.

17. Frank releasing the red-tail.

18. A young red-tail sitting in the trees above the blind.

19. Another young red-tail coming in.

20. A young red-tail.

21. Rick holding the red-tail.

22.  Rick holding the red-tail.

23. Which one doesn't belong?

24. A young red-tail coming in.

25. A young red-tail coming in.

26. A very light young Red-tailed Hawk.

27. Frank holding the red-tail.

28. Frank releasing the red-tail.

29. An adult red-tail coming in.

30. An adult Red-tailed Hawk.

31. Rick holding the red-tail.

32. Rick releasing the red-tail.

33. Another young red-tail.

34. Another young red-tail.

35. Frank holding the red-tail.

36. An adult male Northern Harrier made a pass.

37. A young red-tail.

38. Rick holding the red-tail.

39. A young Red-tailed Hawk.

40. Rick releasing the red-tail.

41. A young shin.

42. A young shin.

43. Frank holding a shin.

44. Rick holding and adult shin.

45. Rick releasing the shin.