Eighth Weekend of Banding 2012

October 20th, 2012

Hi All,

Here we go with my eighth report of the banding season for the weekend of October 20th, 2012.

Saturday morning I arrived at the Burger King on London Road in Duluth at 7:15 am. Trudi had stayed home to take care of our grandsons who were staying with us for the weekend. Rick was already there when Chuck and Nancy pulled in right behind me. We had a quick breakfast and headed for the campsite. Todd had come up the night before and was setting up his rig when we got in. While we were transferring the trapping gear into the mini van, Julie Lundgren drove up. Julie had been a member of my "Bird Boot Camp" group of volunteers when I worked at The Raptor Center, years ago. Her folks live in Two Harbors; she was up visiting them and decided to drop by to see if we were catching anything. She brought some fancy doughnuts for us and she gave me a nice book on the Trains of the Twin Ports. Kenny Wagner also showed up to spend the day trapping with Todd.

We had everything set and ready to go at 8:45 am. The skies were clear with no wind at all. Around 9:00 am, my good friend Sharon Stiteler, a world famous birdwatcher also known as "The Birdchick", came up to join us. Sharon writes a great blog on birding that can be viewed at http://www.birdchick.com . At 9:30 am an adult male Sharp-shinned hawk dropped in over the front net and hit the back one. Our first bird of the day! Julie got to let that one go. At 10:17 am another shin, this time a young male, came shooting in from the end of the draw and we had our second bird of the day. Sharon got to release that one.

Around 10:30 am, Bill, a friend of Chuck and Nancy who owns Bob's Cabins just up the road, brought up his daughter Hanna and her friend Chevy. They also brought along the Price family who were staying at one of their cabins for the week. The Price's (Peter, Karen and Emma) had been up to our place in 2008 along with their son Gus who is now off at college. They had just settled in when a red fox came toward us along the north edge of the field. We all got a good look at it and it seemed unconcerned with us while it kept looking for mice in the grass. Then Mike Klimas stopped up at the blind to say good-bye and thanks for letting him trap down on my land. Mike had been chosen for a Peregrine permit from the State DNR but had no luck in getting one this year. Around noon a huge fog bank rolled in and covered the field. Thinking that the fog would end the migration for the day, we all went out and did the "Wish-bird" sign for the group from Bob's Cabins (a super great place to stay on the north shore, book early!) Bill and the kids left to head back to the cabins while Peter and Karen stayed on a while. Just after the fog started lifting, another shin came in from the woods behind us, hit the back net and bounced out.

Right after that, my brother Tony Taylor brought up my great-nephew Brady Taylor and his friend Seth Nordberg, both from Aitkin, MN. Just as they made it up to the blind, we caught an adult male Sharp-shinned hawk at 1:28. As this was Seth's first time up at the blind, he got to let it go. We started seeing a few more birds and at 1:55, Chuck said he saw a Goshawk flying down near the farm pines. It banked around once and we all saw it drop straight into Todd's rig. Kenny had been sitting in with Todd all day hoping to get a nice big young female Goshawk to train. HE GOT IT! A little while later Kenny brought it up for us to measure and we all got a good close look at the gos. Around 3:00, my good friend Jen Harner from Duluth, MN came up with her friend Pete Fanaselle. Just as the three of us were heading up to the blind, 

Tim Vellie, another good friend from Duluth, showed up and joined us. We kept trapping until 5:00 but didn't get 

anything else, so we closed down for the day.

We got a total of 3 birds and 1 bounce-out on Saturday.

3 Sharp-shinned hawks.

When we got back down to the campsite, my good friends and fellow falconers Ben Ohlander and Bob Crosbie were there. They had been up trapping on Ben's site just up the shore. They didn't have any luck at their place and were quite pleased to see that Kenny had done so well at Todd's site. Ben and Bob headed for home. The Prices went back to their cabin at Bob's. Tony took the boys into Two Harbors for supper; Chuck and Nancy were invited over to Bill's for theirs. Todd and Kenny fixed their supper on the campfire while Jen, Sharon, Rick and I headed over to Emily's Lighthouse Restaurant where I ordered my 51st hot meatloaf sandwich with fried onions and mushrooms, topped off with an extra cup of gravy . . .  and, a couple of ice-cold beers! Todd had a nice campfire going when we got back to camp, where we all sat around admiring Kenny's new Goshawk.

Sunday morning Rick, Nancy, Chuck and I were set up and ready to go at 7:45 am. The sky was clear with a light wind out of the west. Sharon came back up to sit in with us at 8:30 am. Lots of ravens were moving and a few shins flew over. One Merlin came directly towards us from the north but just kept streaking past. Then we started to see Rough-legged hawks getting up and coming over. Around 9:00 am, my friend Chad Bouchet came up with his daughter Taylor. Chad was one of my falconry apprentices many years ago. We saw a couple shrikes, some eagles and a few more rough-legs, but nothing looked interested. At 11:30 am, I was eating some of Rick's waxy chocolate doughnuts (our usual morning snack) and making fun of the idea that I would buy a pair of Swarovski binoculars for my retirement in a couple  of years, when we saw a big female Goshawk, not too high, and coming straight towards us across the field. It got halfway up the field when all of a sudden it banked to the left and started a long stoop right into Todd's set up. We noticed the gray color of an adult bird as it passed down and in front of the farm pines. WOW!!! Always exciting to see a gos making an attack, even if it was from the side. We brought it up to the main blind for banding and took a load of photos. Thanks, Todd! That was the only bird we got all day; you saved us from a skunk day. This was Taylor's first time up to the blind so she got to release the Goshawk.

We didn't see any other birds at all after the gos, so we packed it in at 12:30 and took off for home.

We got 1 bird and no bounce-outs on Sunday.

1 Goshawk.

Total for the weekend was 4 birds and 1 bounce-out.

1 Goshawk and 3 Sharp-shinned hawks.

Grand Total for the year is 82.

To see the photos for this report, please scroll down.

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. When we got up to the site to set up, Chuck and Rick narrowly missed getting caught in a huge net that some raptors had set in an effort to catch and band some hawk trappers.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

02. Adult male Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

03. Rick, Julie, Nancy, Chuck and Sharon (aka The Birdchick) with the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

04. Sharon with the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

05. Sharon reps Swarovski products so a little advertising was in order.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

06. Sharon's reaction to trying out a brand other than Swarovski.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

07. Julie holding the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

08. Close-up of Julie holding the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

09. Julie releasing the shin (shutter was too slow, use your imagination).

Eighth Weekend 2012.

10. A young male Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

11. Chuck and Rick taking a shin out of the net.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

12. Young Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

13. Hangin' with my Buddy, the Birdchick, and a shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

14. Sharon releasing the shin (shutter was too fast this time).

Eighth Weekend 2012.

15. Fog rolling in over the hay field.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

16. Rick, Sharon, Emma, Peter, Karen, Hanna, Bill, Chevy, Nancy and Chuck doing a premature "Wish-bird" sign, thinking the fog would shut us down. It stayed a while and then lifted.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

17. An adult male Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

18. Peter, me, and Karen with the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

19. Adult Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

20. Brady and Seth coming up to watch Rick and Chuck take a shin out of the net.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

21. Brady and Seth watching Chuck band the shin.

Seventh Weekend 2012.

22. Seth, me, and Brady with the Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

23. Adult Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

24. Here I am showing Brady how to hold the hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

25. Brady holding an adult Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

26. Adult Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

27. Seth holding the hawk with Brady.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

28. Close-up of Seth holding the hawk with Brady.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

29. Seth was chosen to release the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

30. Seth holding the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

31. Seth getting ready to release the shin with Peter, Karen and Brady.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

32. Seth releasing the shin.

Photo by Sharon Stiteler, The Birdchick.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

33. Adult Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

34. Red fox hunting along the north edge of the field.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

35. Kenny and his new Goshawk that he caught down at Todd's rig on my land.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

36. Kenny with his young female Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

37. Kenny brought the gos up so we could measure it.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

38. Kenny showing Seth and Brady his new Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

39. Seth, Brady and Kenny with his new Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

40. Kenny and his new hunting partner.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

41. Me, Jen and Pete.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

42. Our good friend Jen from Duluth.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

43. Pete, Jen, and Tim up at the blind.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

44. Jen hanging out with the falconers.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

45. Jen and the falconers; Rick, Chuck, Ben, me, Bob, Kenny and Todd.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

46. Todd, Jen, Rick, Tony, Kenny, Brady and Seth enjoying the campfire.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

47. Sunday morning, eating waxy doughnuts and dreaming about the Swarovski 10 x 50 binoculars I'm going to buy myself as a retirement present.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

48. Look what I saw staring back at me through the waxy doughnuts.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

49. Nice adult Goshawk that Todd caught down at his site.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

50. Chad, Taylor, Chuck, Nancy, Rick and Sharon with the gos that Todd caught.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

51. Thanks, Todd, you saved us from getting skunked today!

Eighth Weekend 2012.

52. Chuck banding the gos.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

53. If you are only going to catch one bird for the day, THIS would be that bird!

Eighth Weekend 2012.

54. Adult Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

55. Sharon (aka The Birdchick) and her favorite bird.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

56. A little more Swarovski promotion.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

57. Adult Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

58. I love catching Goshawks.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

59. I can't get over how beautiful they are.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

60. Me, posing with the gos.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

61. Goshawk!

Eighth Weekend 2012.

62. Chad checking out the gos.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

63. Chad and his daughter Taylor, with the Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

64. Chad and Taylor holding the gos.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

65. The Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

66. Taylor getting ready to release the Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

67. Taylor releasing the Goshawk.

Photo by Sharon Stiteler, The Birdchick.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

68. Adult Goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2012.

69. Adult Goshawk doing the "Are you looking at me?" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2012.