Hawk Ridge is a nature reserve and bird observatory renowned for its autumnal

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

migrations. The

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

describes Hawk Ridge as "one of the premier sites in North America". P. B. Hofslund, one of the first

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

s to conduct research there, pronounced it "one of the great hawk flyways of the world". Twenty-thousand birdwatchers visit Hawk Ridge each year to view the migration. It is an important site for

ornithological Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

research.

History

The area was originally frequented by hunters. "Hawk hill", as it was known, was a favorite location for shooting birds of prey. However, because the site was within the city limits of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, the Duluth Bird Club (which later became the Duluth chapter of the Audubon Society) succeeded in having an ordinance enforced there prohibiting the discharge of firearms within city limits. Hofslund and the Duluth Bird Club helped to popularize the location as a site for bird watching. In 1972 the Duluth Audubon Society received a loan from the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

to purchase land at the location. The Duluth Audubon Society then donated the funds to the city of Duluth's parks and recreation department which purchased 135 acres at the highest part of the ridge. This land and an additional 200 acres became the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. Duluth Audubon and the city of Duluth created a nonprofit trust to manage the reserve, the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.

Geography

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

is a natural barrier for migratory birds of prey coming south from Canada. Rather than cross the lake, birds of prey follow the coast south. Between the bluffs of the

Duluth Complex The Duluth Complex, the related Beaver Bay Complex, and the associated North Shore Volcanic Group are rock formations which comprise much of the basement bedrock of the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota in central North America. The ...

on one side and the coastline on the other, the raptors are funneled south until close to Duluth. Here, at Hawk Ridge, the concentration of migratory birds crosses the ridge and continue their migration.

Ornithological research

The concentration of migratory raptors makes Hawk Ridge a valuable site for conducting ornithological research. Hofslund and the Duluth Bird Club began annual bird counts in 1951. Banding started in 1972 and has taken place every year since. From 1972 to 2009, researchers and volunteers banded 99,505 raptors; the most numerous raptors banded are

sharp-shinned hawk The sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus'') is a small hawk, with males being the smallest hawks in the United States and Canada, but with the species averaging larger than some Neotropical realm, Neotropical species, such as the tiny hawk. ...

s and saw-whet owls. According to ornithologists, the data provided from decades of counts and banding as well as the numbers of birds banded and the variety of species make Hawk Ridge an unrivaled location for the field study of raptors.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Hawk Ridge ObservatoryHawk Ridge, City of Duluth Parks and Recreation
Nature reserves in Minnesota Birdwatching sites in the United States Geography of Duluth, Minnesota

History

Geography

Ornithological research

See also

References

External links