Hawk Weekend Festival 2021

Calendar
When:
September 17, 2021 all-day
2021-09-17T00:00:00-05:00
2021-09-18T00:00:00-05:00

Come and celebrate the fall bird migration with us! Hawk Weekend is the annual festival held by the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase one of North America’s best places to experience the fall bird migration at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. There will be a variety of field trips, hikes, programs, and activities for all ages!

Registration for the Hawk Weekend Festival is now open! Registration link and the schedule of events can be found below. Festival events (field trips, workshops, evening programs) require pre-registration with wristband and additional costs. Many are limited in capacity, so be sure to register early! Daily wristbands ($5) will also be available for purchase during the festival at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, if you are only planning on attending the on-site daily public programs.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

Friday, September 17th  

  • 9am-4pm: Bird Migration & Programs at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (click  HERE  for public program schedule) 
  • 3pm Academic Biology Seminar at University of Minnesota Duluth, Life Science Building Room 185 (LSci 185) (click HERE for parking map). Raptors and contaminants – a tragedy of circumstance in 5 acts presented by Dr. Matt Etterson, Research Ecologist with the US Environmental Protection Agency. As top predators of the food chain, birds of prey have proven to be uniquely vulnerable to exposure to environmental contaminants. Dr. Etterson will present case studies of raptor exposure to and consequent effects of five contaminants, DDT, organophosphate pesticides, diclofenac, methylmercury, and polyfluoralkyl substances, including data from Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory here in Duluth. Recent developments in ecotoxicology will be reviewed and the potential role of organizations like Hawk Ridge to identify and respond to future contaminant crises. Please note UMD also has an indoor mask mandate in effect, so masks are required for all. 
  • 6:30-8:30pm (social/cash bar/tour aquarium 6:30, speaker 7:30pm): Join us for this NEW welcome social event with guest speaker at the Great Lakes Aquarium. Starting at 6:30pm, a cash bar will be available and the aquarium will be open to tour, including the featured Raptor Ridge Exhibit. Dr. Gerald Niemi, retired Professor of Biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth, will present at 7:30pm on his research “The Future of Boreal Birds in Minnesota”, which is included as part of the new book “Art on the Edge of the Boreal Forest: Alternative Futures for the Birds, Trees, and Insects.” (books will be available for sale/signing). 

Please note – the Great Lakes Aquarium has an indoor mask mandate in effect, so masks are required for all. 

  • 9:30pm Evening Owl Program (PROGRAM IS FULL) 

Saturday, September 18th  

  • Early morning: Birding Field Trips (click HERE for field trip schedule & details) 
  • 9am-5pm: Bird Migration & Programs at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (click HERE  for public program schedule) 
  • 7pm: Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Annual Meeting at University of Minnesota Duluth, Life Science Building Room 185 (click HERE for parking map) 
  • 7:30pm: Evening program at University of Minnesota Duluth, Life Science Building Room 185 (click HERE for parking map).Flap-flap-glide into the Future: Ongoing Migration Research at Hawk Ridge presented by University of Minnesota Duluth Graduate Students, Emily Pavlovic, Allie Pesano, and Hannah Toutonghi. Since 1972, banding and counting of raptors at Hawk Ridge has occurred consistently throughout the fall migration season. This compilation of nearly 50 years of annual data is extremely valuable for understanding species variability and population dynamics unique to fall migration at Hawk Ridge. Migratory connectivity, plumage variations, and irruptive species are three areas of research that we are currently exploring. University of Minnesota Duluth graduate students Emily Pavlovic, Allie Pesano, and Hannah Toutonghi will discuss these topics in relation to their own graduate research projects.
  • 9:30pm Evening Owl Program (max 10 participants) 

Sunday, September 19th   

  • Early morning: Field Trips (click HERE for field trip schedule & details) 
  • 9am-4pm: Bird Migration & Programs at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve (click HERE for public program schedule) 
  • 1pm: Post-Festival Workshop begins (max. 12 participants) 
  • 7pm: Evening Owl Program (max. 10 participants) 

Sun. Sept. 19th (starts 1pm) & Mon. Sept. 20th (ends 3:30pm) 

  • Post-festival workshop “The Science and Wonder of Bird Migration” (click HERE for more details). 

 

Cancellation Information

  • Full refund (less $5 processing fee) is available if participant cancels more than two weeks prior; Full refund (less processing fee) if cancellation occurs less than two weeks prior with notification and can be filled by wait list (no-shows do not apply); No refund if cancellation occurs less than two weeks prior and cannot be filled by wait list.
  • In the event of illness or injury or family emergency with prior notification, full refund will be given (less $5 processing fee).
  • If Hawk Ridge needs to cancel the program, you will receive 100% refund.
  • If you need to cancel, you must contact us at mail@hawkridge.org or 218-428-6209

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION 

If you have not visited Hawk Ridge, we recommend you reading our Visitor’s Guide. 

Water, soda, and light snacks are available for purchase in our merchandise trailer. While we strive to have food trucks available at our event, we can’t guarantee lunch food for purchase. There are many restaurants within a 5-10 minute drive of Hawk Ridge.  

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