Spring Migration Celebration Weekend! April 25-26
Migration is in full swing and this weekend on the calendar usually provides some of the greatest diversity of birds seen flying by on their way north to breeding territories. Did you know that the West Skyline Hawk Count ranks as one of the top sites in the US for numbers and diversity of raptors during the spring migration? Late April is likely to provide a wide variety and ages of raptors traveling through on their way north, as well as plenty of other species of birds. We invite you to join us for a wonderful weekend of birding and celebrating the spring migration! The weekend will have morning field trips to great local birding spots (pre-registration required, limited spots), as well as an assortment of migration education activities happening at the West Skyline Hawk Count with special programs at 11am and 1pm each day.
Field trips will be led by Margie Menzies, Hawk Ridge Education Director, and assisted by other Hawk Ridge staff/volunteers, and other potential experts present through the weekend.
What to bring: Dress in layers for weather, hiking shoes/boots, binoculars (note: we will have loaner binoculars available for use), water/drink, and other optional items might include field guide, camera, spotting scope, snacks, and portable chair for the sessions at the West Skyline Spring Count.
REGISTRATION INFO
The morning field trips are the only programs that require registration and have limited space (up to 12 participants). You will need to register separately for each field trip, if you’d like to attend both Saturday and Sunday morning trips. Registration links are in the schedule below.
Further information regarding logistics is in trip details below under Schedule of Events. General visitor viewing at the West Skyline Spring Count takes place daily through May 31 (visiting the site is free of charge and does not require registration – you can just show up and enjoy the migration with us!). For more information, click on our Spring Count Visitor’s Guide HERE. For other questions, contact Margie Menzies at mmenzies@hawkridge.org
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, April 25- 6:30-8:30 AM
Park Point Field Trip
Join us bright and early Saturday morning for birding at Park Point and discover who’s on the lake, who’s in the harbor, and who’s present on the land between. Park Point is one of the great birding destinations in Duluth during migration. A wide variety of waterfowl can be seen here- unusual loon species, shorebirds, and plenty of songbirds as well. Many birds migrate over the length of the point as they move through the area, which can be breathtaking!
LOCATION: Plan to meet at Park Point Recreation Area in the main parking area across from the restroom building and community sailing dock.
COST: $25 for Hawk Ridge members, students and Master Naturalists, $35 for non- members.
Saturday, April 25- 11-11:30 AM
Count & Connect!
Come to the count and connect with others all while watching the spring migration at the West Skyline Spring Count! Borrow a pair of binoculars, look through a naturalist’s spotting scope, and learn about the wonders of migration with us. Coffee and treats will be available until they’re gone!
LOCATION: West Skyline Spring Count (click HERE for directions to the spring count sites – location either below Enger Park or below Thompson Hill depends on winds – you can see what site count is being held at day of by clicking HERE and looking in comments.
COST: Suggested $5 donation to help support the West Skyline Spring Count & Education. No registration required
Saturday, April 25- 1-1:30PM
Taxonomy Soup Program
We are constantly learning more about birds and having to regularly adjust our ways of thinking about them and who is related to who? How come the taxonomists split the Goshawks into two species and why did they leave the Sharp-shinned Hawks all alone as the only Accipiter remaining in North America? Huh? Join us to hear about other family disturbances – some already have taken place and others still pending? And what do you think a Cooper’s Hawk should be called?
LOCATION: West Skyline Spring Count (click HERE for directions to the spring count sites – location either below Enger Park or below Thompson Hill depends on winds – you can see what site count is being held at day of by clicking HERE and looking in comments)
COST: Suggested $5 donation to help support the West Skyline Spring Count & Education. No registration required
Sunday, April 26 – 6:30AM-Noon
St. Louis River Field Trip at Indian Point & Waabizheshikana: The Marten Trail
Indian Point will be our first destination this morning. This is a great location for exploring the arrival of early passerine species along the woody hillside that surrounds the public campground area. Wetlands and waterfowl also surround the campground area. From here depending on where the birds are we will continue on to other potential destinations which could include: Slag Point, Mud Lake, Boys Scout Landing and Chambers Grove Park. Specific directions for these locations will be provided.
LOCATION: To reach the parking for Indian Point Campground take Grand Avenue from I35 and travel southwest from the highway. Watch for the Willard Munger Inn on the left side of the road and take the left turn just past the Inn. Within about half a block you’ll cross over railroad tracks and the parking area will be to your left right after the tracks. Field trip limit to 12.
COST: $40 for Hawk Ridge members, students and Master Naturalists, $50 for non-members. Field trip limited to 12.
Sunday, April 26- 11-11:30AM
Migration Mysteries Program
Did you know that Minnesota hosts more than 400 hundred species of birds through the course of a year- but that only about 56 species are found here year-round? So there’s a whole lot of migration going on, and some incredible stories. Where are they going, how long does it take them to get there? Some achieve incredible feats greater than most athletes have ever attempted- how many of them can run the equivalent of 5 minutes miles for 24-48 hours straight non-stop? There are birds that do this! Join us for some to learn more about some super migrants! Guaranteed to blow your mind!
LOCATION: West Skyline Spring Count (click HERE for directions to the spring count sites – location either below Enger Park or below Thompson Hill depends on winds – you can see what site count is being held at day of by clicking HERE and looking in comments)
COST: Suggested $5 donation to help support the West Skyline Spring Count & Education. No registration required
Sunday, April 26- 1-1:30PM
Wings Over West Skyline Program
Join us at the West Skyline Spring Count for an intro program to learn about the count and the amazing diversity of birds coming back in the spring! Find out why our two spring count sites are on the west side of Skyline Pkwy vs the east side at Hawk Ridge, what makes the spring count different from the fall count, and which species do we see in greater numbers during spring than the fall. All sorts of fascinating variations to explore between the seasons!
LOCATION: West Skyline Spring Count (click HERE for directions to the spring count sites – location either below Enger Park or below Thompson Hill depends on winds – you can see what site count is being held at day of by clicking HERE and looking in comments)
COST: Suggested $5 donation to help support the West Skyline Spring Count & Education. No registration required
Margie Menzies is a lifelong naturalist, educator, and lover of birds, rocks and all things of the natural world. She spent years in the formal classroom as a science teacher but abandoned the indoors for the great outdoor classroom. Margie Menzies joined Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in 2011 as a fall naturalist and is currently the full-time year-round Education Director at Hawk Ridge. She has a passion for birds and helps lead the songbird banding at Hawk Ridge during fall migration as well as two MAPS stations studying summer breeding birds at Hawk Ridge, Sugarloaf Cove, and assists at the Wolf Ridge station when she can. She recently added coordinating birding tours for Hawk Ridge to her job, exploring the diverse world of birds with fellow travelers in incredible international locations. She has served as the naturalist at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center up the North Shore in Schroeder, MN and served as an adjunct member of the University of Minnesota Duluth, Education Department, and has long been an instructor in the UMN Extension Minnesota Master Naturalist certification program. She has a BA in Biology from Bethel University and a MA in Education from University of St. Thomas and was recently awarded the Minnesota Association for Environmental Education 2023 Non-formal Educator of the Year Award. Learning is a lifelong pursuit and sharing the wonders of the natural world with people of all ages is Margie’s happy place. mmenzies@hawkridge.org or 218-428-8722.