Eighth Weekend of Banding 2013

Hi All,

Here is my eighth report of the banding season for the weekend of October 19, 2013.

On Saturday morning, October 19th, I met Rick and Chuck at the Burger King on London Road. We had some breakfast and then drove to the campsite. Trudi didn't come up this weekend as she had other things to do and Nancy was going to come up on Sunday. Todd drove up on Friday and was all ready set up that morning. Rick, Chuck and I loaded the old Dodge and drove out to the main blind. We set the nets, fake owls, and bobble crows. It was a partly cloudy day with light West winds. Everything was ready to go by 9:15. We had just settled in when our neighbor Don drove up again on his four-wheeler with a bucket of fish parts. This time, we asked him to dump them a little closer to our blind before he took off for home.

We didn't see our first raptor, a Sharp-shinned hawk, until 9:30. It passed right over without looking at us. A pair of Northern harriers took a pass through the field right after we saw the shin, but they also paid no attention to us. At 9:40 we saw a long gray-brown bird making a shallow stoop across the far end of the field towards Todd's site. As it passed in front of the farm pines, we could see it was a young goshawk! We all held our breath until we heard the distinctive call of a Goshawk in the hand. Todd brought it up to the main blind so we could band it, our first goshawk for this year, a young male Northern goshawk!

We were about to band the gos when Bill Teft drove up with a group of seven people from the Ely Community College, located in Ely, Minnesota. They were just in time to take some photos and watch Chuck band the goshawk. We did the "number game" to see who would be the lucky individual to release the gos. Anna was the winner and she sent it on its way. After taking a load of photos of the goshawk and its release, we packed everyone into the blind to look for more hawks. At 10:57 someone shouted out "Goshawk over the flat top pine". All eyes were fixed on the approaching bird as it locked on and powered right into the net. What a sight! Everyone blasted out of the blind to watch Rick and Chuck take it out of the net. Another young male Northern goshawk! Chuck banded it and everyone got in on the photo session. We did another "number game" and this time, Calvin, the senior member of the group, had the honor of releasing it. He had lived his whole life in Ely, but had never been this close to a goshawk. He did a fine job of releasing it in front of a slug of cameras.

 At 11:30, our good friend Jen Harner and her buddy Walter came up. They both live in Duluth and stopped by to see if we were catching anything. At 12:30, a young male Sharp-shinned hawk dropped in from high to the North. We all watched and took photos as Chuck banded it. We did another "number game" and this time, Josh, a young man from Ely, got to let it go. Lots of Bluebirds were coming through and started perching all around the blind. Rain and sleet started falling as the Ely group decided to head out. I went down with them to the Dodge to hand out art prints, bookmarks and I.D sheets. They took off and I went back up to the blind. Jen and Walter left for Two Harbors to check on an estate sale and Rick, Chuck and I sat in the drizzle until 3:00 when we closed down for the day. Nothing else came in for banding or the fish parts that day.

We got a total of 3 birds and 0 bounce-outs on Saturday.

2 Northern goshawks and 1 Sharp-shinned hawk.

After we closed down the blind, Rick, Chuck, Todd and I headed over to Emily's Light House Restaurant for supper. Jen and Walter also came back from Two Harbors to join us. I ordered my 59th hot meatloaf sandwich with fried onions, mushrooms and an extra bowl of gravy. After dinner, it had cleared up enough that we could build a campfire. As we were sitting around the fire, Greg Mikkelson drove in with Justin Johnson, a falconer from Winona, Minnesota. They had been up trapping on Greg's hill and came back to camp at our place. Greg had brought along a carload of oak wood to add to our camp woodpile! Thanks, Greg! Later, a pick-up truck pulled in and Kenny Wagner joined us at the fire. Even later that night, while Greg and Justin were still sitting at the campfire, a red fox came walking in, bold as you please, to see if he might grab one of Greg's pigeons. Greg took a photo of the fox and put the pigeon cage up on top of his van.

A frost was covering everything on Sunday morning as the temperatures had dipped into the 20s during the night. The skies were a cloudy pink with no wind. We noticed some Bald eagles taking off as we drove up to the blind. However, one huge immature female eagle just sat there eating fish parts as we unloaded the van and set up. She didn't seem to care at all that we were so close and banging around while getting ready. Before I drove the car back down to the base of the hill, I walked out with my camera to see how close she would let me approach. I got within 50' and didn't want to push her off her feast, so I took some shots and walked back to the van. She sat out there for another half hour before flying up to a tree a short distance from the blind. We got everything ready and started at 8:00. Justin stopped up about the same time to sit in with us for a while, before heading down to help Todd spot birds.

At 9:00 Abbey Ruppert came up with her fiancé Joe Krumrie and six interns from the Raptor Education Group Inc. located in Antigo, Wisconsin. R.E.G.I. is a non-profit organization that does wildlife rehabilitation and raptor programs. You can check out all their good work at (http://www.raptoreducationgroup.org). Abbey came up last year with a group from the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. That day we had to do the "Wish Bird" sign due to a lack of hawks. However, her luck changed this year as a young male Sharp-shinned hawk was spotted out buzzing around the fake owl at 9:40. Rick pulled the lure line and the little shin came straight in, right in front of everyone!  The group took photos as Rick and Chuck pulled it out of the net. Chuck banded it while I recorded the data. A massive photo session followed.

While we were out taking photos of the shin, a Rough-legged hawk (the first one we've seen this fall) landed on top of a spruce tree North of us. We all crowded back into the blind, hoping to lure it in, when at 10:20 another rough-leg came gliding along past the first one and stooped straight in. Everyone ran out to watch Rick and Chuck take it out of the net. We took a whole lot more photos and did the "number game" to determine who would release each bird. Eric Schirmer won the shin release and Dale Temple won the rough-leg release. After that, the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to drizzle. Around noon the R.E.G.I. group decided to head up to Hawk Ridge, since many of them had never been there before. On the way down to the car, where I would hand out art prints, bookmark and I.D. sheets, the entire group walked right up to the tree that the "tame" Bald eagle was still sitting in and took some more photos.

As I was saying good-by to the R.E.G.I. group, Nancy drove up with four of their friends. Chuck, Nancy, and their friends were going to keep on trapping that day. Rick and I packed up and went home. I heard from Chuck that later on Sunday, they caught a Northern harrier, our 100th bird of the year! Way to go, Chuck and Nancy!

We got a total of 3 birds and 0 bounce-outs on Sunday.

1 Sharp-shinned hawk, 1 Rough-legged hawk and 1 Northern harrier.

Total for the weekend was 6 birds and 0 bounce-outs.

Grand Total for the year is 100.

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. Our first Northern goshawk of the year.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

02. Young Northern goshawk doing the "Are You Lookin at Me?" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

03. Rick and Todd with the Northern goshawk Todd caught.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

04. Showing the Northern goshawk to the group from Ely, MN.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

05. Young male Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

06. Kate, Calvin, Julie, Sherry, Les, Bill, me, Anna and Josh holding the first Northern goshawk of the year.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

07. Young male Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

08. Bill holding the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

09. Young male Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

10. Calvin holding the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

11. Northern goshawk doing a "Hollywood" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

12. Calvin, Julie and Sherry with Anna, getting ready to release the first Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

13. Calvin, Julie and Sherry watching Anna release the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

14. Second Northern goshawk of the day in the "Coming In" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

15. Ely group watching Chuck and Rick16. Chuck and Rick with a young male Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

16. Chuck and Rick with a young male Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

17. Chuck banding the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

18. Julie, Bill, Sherry, Kate, Chuck, Josh, Anna, Calvin, Les and Rick holding the second Northern goshawk of the day.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

19. Immy Northern goshawk in the "Coming In" pose.    

Eighth Weekend 2013.

20. Calvin, the second "lucky number" winner, getting ready to release the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

21. Julie, Kate and Sherry lining up to help Calvin release the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

22. Julie, Kate and Sherry watching Calvin release the Northern goshawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

23. Little blue friends coming in to see what we are up to.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

24. Eastern bluebird checking out the area inside the nets.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

25. Young male Sharp-shinned hawk in the "Are You Lookin' at Me?" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

26. Ely group with Jen and Walter watching Chuck and Rick take a shin out of the net.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

27. Chuck showing the group a Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

28. Young male Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

29. Me, Jen and Walter with the Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

30. Josh, Anna, Sherry, Julie, Kate, me, Bill, Jen, Les, Calvin and Walter with a Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

31. Josh, the third "lucky number" winner, about to release the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

32. Josh releasing the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

33. Late night visitor to the campfire.

Photo by Greg Mikkelson

Eighth Weekend 2013.

34. Frosty morning Bald eagle with bobble crow decoys.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

35. She let me walk up very close to her to take this shot.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

36. This very tame Bald eagle sat content in the tree, a short distance away, while I took this photo.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

37. I walked right up under her in the tree to take this shot and she stayed there all morning.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

38. Young male Sharp-shinned hawk in the "Coming In" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

39. R.E.G.I. group watching Rick and Chuck take a shin out of the net.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

40. Chuck showing the group how we band the hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

41. Chuck reading off the band number to me.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

42. Photo ops with the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

43. Young male Sharp-shinned hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

44. Rick, Abbey, Joe, Kelsey, Chuck, Eric, Lauren, Dale, Autumn and Amanda from

the Raptor Education Group Inc.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

45. Amanda and Eric about to release the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

46. Amanda and Eric releasing the shin.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

47. Young Rough-legged hawk in the "Coming In" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

48. R.E.G.I. group watching Rick and Chuck take the rough-leg out of the net.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

49. Chuck and Rick with the Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

50. Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

51. Chuck showing the group the rough-leg's leg.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

52. Feathers all the way down to the toes.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

53. Checking out the feather pattern of the Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

54. Rough-leg doing the "Turkey" pose.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

55. Abbey and Joe with the Rough-legged hawk.

Congratulations on your Engagement!

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

56. Kelsey, Rick, Abbey, Joe, me, Eric, Dale, Lauren, Autumn and Amanda with a Sharp-shinned hawk and the Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013.

57. Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

58. Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

59. Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

60. Dale about to release the Rough-legged hawk.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

61. Dale releasing the rough-leg.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

62. The R.E.G.I. group taking photos of the very tame Bald eagle.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

63. The very tame eagle.

Eighth Weekend 2013. 

64. A mushroom coming out with all the rain, down at our campsite.

Eighth Weekend 2013.