Duluth's Hawk Ridge observatory draws birders from across the globe
DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota is home to one of the world's premier bird observation sites.
This time of year, the airspace above Hawk Ridge on the western edge of Lake Superior draws tens of thousands of hawks, falcons and osprey as they migrate south.
Sitting or standing, birdwatchers scan the skies from the scenic overlook in Duluth spotting and photographing hawks and other birds of prey.
"I would like to see an eagle," said Mary Prouty, a first-time visitor to the observatory from Harvey, North Dakota.
Between mid-August & November, 60% or more of migrating birds take the Mississippi Flyaway, a bird highway from central Canada to near the Gulf of Mexico.
Most follow the shore of Superior, making Hawk Ridge an internationally known place to watch heavy bird traffic.
On the third full weekend of September, there's an annual festival where tens of thousands of visitors flock to see the migration.
"It hopefully coincides with the push of the broad-wing hawk migration, which is the raptor that we're counting in the largest numbers," said Janelle Long, executive director of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
"Every year, 60,000-75,000 raptors come through and hundreds of thousands of other birds," said Margie Menzies, education director of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
Staff and volunteers of the nonprofit observatory have been counting the birds for over 50 years. Among them is lead counter Sean McLaughlin, who first visited Duluth from Pennsylvania four years ago specifically to watch hawks.
"There were like 4,000 nighthawks that night. I was like, 'this is sweet,' so I stayed," McLaughlin said.
The count is about more than numbers. Hawk Ridge collaborates with other hawk watches to better understand how the birds are doing.
"Looking at accumulations of things like mercury in the feathers. Where is that coming from? How much is there? Forever chemicals, PFAS," Menzies said.
The observatory catches and bands nearly 3,000 raptors each fall, and the education staff allows visitors to release them.
"The more we can get people interested in what they're seeing outside in their natural world, the more they're going to notice when things start going missing," Menzies said.
The Hawk Weekend Festival starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Bird migration viewing, hikes and other programs are happening each day at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. Some events require registration. Learn more on their website.