After deploying all of our Michigan units this past April we have been patiently waiting for our birds to check back in and provide us with breeding locations. Luckily, fall migration has begun for adult Red-tails here in the East, and because of that we now have information on 2 more of our birds. Normally the peak movement of adult Red-tails here in the East is mid-October so more birds should be on the move soon.
Our first MI bird to provide us with information is Rowan. This bird bred on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Ontario about 12 miles Northeast from the town of Marathon. Rowan departed his breeding grounds on September 23rd to begin his migration. He crossed the straits area at almost the exact same spot from spring which is amazing to see (See map below). He is currently stopped over in Roscommon Red Pine Natural Preserve in Michigan. We can’t wait to see where he spends the Winter.
Our second bird to check in was Patagium a gorgeous adult Red-tailed hawk of the abieticola subspecies. This subspecies is also known as the Northern Red-tail. Patagium also bred in Ontario but this bird decided to settle on a patch of boreal forest North of Lake Abitibi close to the border with Quebec. She currently is hanging outside of a town called Villebois in Quebec about 12-15 miles Southeast of her summer breeding territory.
Be sure to stay tuned as migration picks up and we continue to get more data from our other tagged birds and be sure to check out the The Red-tailed Hawk project https://redtailedhawkproject.org/ and my fellow collaborators to keep up with all of the other research being done on this incredible species.
