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1, 100, 1,000 owls!Last night, the owl banders caught the 1,000th new Northern Saw-whet Owl of the season at Hawk Ridge. The 1st owl was caught on opening night, the 100th owl five nights into the season, and now the 1,000th 10 nights ahead of last year! In addition to this exciting benchmark of the season, we also doubled our Long-eared Owl total last night, going from 4 to 8. We cannot wait to see what the rest of October brings to the Hawk Ridge owl banding station.
While Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is known for its excellent fall migration of raptors, it hosts a diversity of life outside of birds. Meet some of the other animals that call Hawk Ridge home.Red-bellied Snake - Growing up to 16 inches in length, the red-bellied snake is perfectly at home under a rock or log. If you are lucky, you might also see this snake in your backyard where it feeds on pesky slugs. Did you know instead of laying eggs this snake gives birth to live young?Franklin’s Ground Squirrel - This plucky little rodent is a regular guest of Hawk Ridge’s bird feeders. Instead of climbing trees, this squirrel prefers to live in underground burrows. Fairly soon they will be nestled up for winter hibernation. We have seen them as late as November at Hawk Ridge.Spring Peeper - Have you ever heard a bird that Merlin couldn’t identify? It might be because it’s not a bird - it’s a frog! These fingernail sized frogs are named for their surprisingly loud chirping call. Though peepers breed in the spring, they can be heard calling well into the fall. Photo credit: Jedda
See the number, speed, direction, and altitude of the birds cruising through the darkness on spring and fall nights by visiting BirdCast.
