October – When Large Birds Soar workshop – Oct. 19 & 20
The North Shore of Lake Superior is one of the premier migratory routes for raptors and song birds in North America. Hundreds of thousands to millions of birds migrate via this route, and many of them pass directly over Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Once October rolls around at Hawk Ridge, we begin to see the large birds of prey in greater numbers including Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, as well as more unusual Rough-Legged Hawks and Golden Eagles.
In this workshop on location at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, we will explore the background of how this corridor developed and the forces behind such an exceptional migratory route. Participants will have the opportunity to observe the migration in motion, learn from expert staff members about specific types of birds, their life histories and adaptations, follow daily trends on how the 2016 migration season is progressing, and observe the research efforts in place at Hawk Ridge, which may include the passerine, raptor and owl banding stations. What an opportunity for up close views of a wide variety of bird species!
Join us for the experience of a lifetime. This is a very busy and hands-on class, so class size is limited to 12 participants, a minimum of 7 registrants will be required to conduct the class. Course will take place rain or shine- beware Mother Nature isn’t always totally cooperative, and a tight fall calendar will not permit rescheduling of the course, so the show must go on regardless of the weather.
Schedule is subject to change and the weather, but the course will begin at 1:00 pm on the 16th, perhaps with an experience back at the Raptor Banding station, take a break for dinner, then we will plan to spend some time at the Owl station in the evening. On the 17th, we will begin with Passerine banding in the morning at 7:00 am, and the course will conclude at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Pre-Registration Required
Course fee is $120 for Hawk Ridge Members and $150 for non-members. (Course fee will cover materials and resources.)
Cancellation Policy
100% refund one month prior to the workshop
75% refund less than one month, if your spot can be filled from a wait list, 25% will be retained as an administrative fee.
No refund if cancellation occurs less than two weeks prior to the start of the workshop.
In the case of illness or injury, and the participant cannot attend the field trip, refund is 100% if notification is more than one month in advance, and 75% refund if less than one month retaining 25% as an administrative fee.
Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory reserves the right to cancel, if registration is too low to make it economically feasible, or for other reasons, including weather, safety, unavailability of trip leader, etc. In such cases Hawk Ridge will refund registrants’ fee in full. Hawk Ridge also reserves the right to make changes to an advertised itinerary as circumstances require.
Course Instructor: Margie Menzies and other Hawk Ridge Staff.
One part educator, two parts naturalist, and two parts bird nerd! Who says slow and steady wins the race? After years in the formal classroom, this educator has abandoned the indoors for the great outdoor classroom. Margie Menzies has been a naturalist at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory for 5 fall seasons, and has worked with songbird banding for more than 25 years. She is the naturalist at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center up the North Shore in Schroeder, MN where she provides programs, bands birds and camps through the summer and teaches Master Naturalist classes. During the rest of the year she is a freelance naturalist and education consultant working on a variety of projects, and supervises student teachers for UMD. She has a BA from Bethel University, and a MA from University of St. Thomas. Providing naturalist programming for the general public furnishes many colorful and meaningful experiences with every day on the job. She loves birds, loves learning, and loves sharing the natural world with people of all ages.