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Join us next week 9/16 at 3pm at the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the new accessible trail at Hawk Ridge! This trail is the kick off to future improvements within the Hawk Ridge Facilities Improvements Plan for accessibility, safety, & education. We appreciate the grant funding for the trail provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the LCCMR.Come celebrate with us! The City of Duluth, MN Government and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (HRBO) invite the public to a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 3 p.m. to celebrate the newly constructed, universally accessible trail at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve.Immediately following the ribbon cutting, the public is invited to join an HRBO Naturalist to explore the new trail, while learning about birds, plants, and other species along the route! We hope you’ll join us! Read the complete press release here: duluthmn.gov/web-subscriptions/View-press-release/?prid=8513Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve is located at 3980 E Skyline Pkwy.
Did you know that we catch more American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) than any other species of songbird in the fall at Hawk Ridge? This photo shows adult male (left) and immature female (right) American Redstarts.These birds are one of the most dramatic examples of sexual dimorphism among warblers seen migrating through Hawk Ridge. A species is considered “sexually dimorphic” when the males and females have differences in size, color, or other physical characteristics.Generally, male warblers in the genus Setophaga have more colorful plumage than females during the breeding season, but replace their feathers in the fall to be more camouflaged. Adult male American Restarts, however, keep their colorful plumage year-round. American Redstarts can be seen foraging through the trees in the early morning at Hawk Ridge, generally within the first hour after sunrise. Our accessible nature trail is an excellent place to see them!
August is in the books, and it has been a record start to the season at the count! We have counted 3,047 raptors since August 15th, more than any other August in count history! Highlights from the month include six days of 100+ Broad-winged Hawks, an early American Goshawk and migrant Merlins recorded every day of the count. Hopefully, this momentum will carry into September and the hawks keep on coming! Hope to see you at the Ridge soon.Broad-winged Hawk, photo by Sean McLaughlin
See the number, speed, direction, and altitude of the birds cruising through the darkness on spring and fall nights by visiting BirdCast.
