This last week has been quite successful! For one, we were able to be out in the field every single day, only opening late once due to rain showers. Several days had East winds which kept the numerous kettles of raptors near our blind. This led to back to back 8 birds days followed by an 11 bird day later in the week. We are starting to see fewer adult Red-tailed Hawks (RTHA) now and more juveniles along with sizable numbers of Broad-winged Hawks (BWHA). The adult birds tend to migrate through first in the spring as they make their way towards their breeding grounds. They want to ensure that they arrive in enough time to snag an optimal breeding territory for the season. As spring moves along, the juveniles make their way up. These birds will not be breeding for a few more years, so they are not in as much of a rush to get North.
Speaking of juvenile RTHA: we deployed our fifth transmitter of the season this week! This RTHA was in great condition overall and had a minimal louse load, which is just what we like to see.
Note: at the time of these pictures the transmitter had not been attached yet.
Pictured above: our fifth transmitter of the year went on this second-year RTHA
A very exciting bird we banded this week was an adult Broad-winged Hawk (BWHA)! Last year was the first time an adult BWHA was banded for MSRW, so to be able to do so again this year was a nice surprise. BWHA generally predate on small rodents and amphibians which is the primary reason as to why we do not capture many. These small buteos are truly stunning and fierce for their size. The adults can often be identified in flight by their banded tail. Check it out below.
Pictured above: an adult BWHA
Last but not least: today we celebrated Ed’s birthday! Ed is one of the cofounders of MSRW and has helped teach so many folks about raptors and their migration through the straits. He taught Nick and myself how to trap and band raptors, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without him. Today, we took a few minutes to celebrate him. Happy Birthday Ed!
Pictured above: Evan, Nick, myself, and Ed having a small birthday celebration
As we move on to the next week, we expect to see an even greater push of juvenile birds making their way through the straits. We are crossing our fingers that we will get to put out a few more transmitters this week!
Our totals for the season are as follows:
Red-tailed Hawks: 54
Red-shouldered Hawks: 1
Broad-winged Hawks: 1
Northern Harriers: 7
Cooper’s Hawks: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawks: 51
Merlins: 4
American Kestrels: 1
Total: 124
