Duluth Harbor and Aquarium
On September 20th, we drove to Duluth and visited the Harbor and Aquarium. Rain had been forecast for the day and just as we arrived at the Aquarium the heavens opened. We had heavy rainfall night.
Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve
Hawk Ridge gives a fantastic view of lake superior. The weather for our visit was ideal for hawk migration – clear,, sunny and brisk winds from the North West. We could see hundreds of birds kettling to gain altitude before heading South. Most of them were tiny specks in the sky, but a few came close enough to be identified in binoculars and photographed at high magnification. We also saw large flocks of Canada Geese, Cranes and Blue Jays, all heading South
Official counters are in place from August through November. They also have bird banders so we saw several sharp-shinned hawks in hand.
McQuade Harbor
From the Ridge we followed the Amity Creek down to the coast and McQuade small boat harbor where we found the Northern Water Thrush, Lapland Longspur and American Pipits. There were also various warblers and white throated sparrows all feeding. They were all at a stop-over on their migration south.
Skyline Drive
We traveled the full length of the Skyline Drive and had fantastic views of Duluth and the St. Louis River. We then headed North to Fish Lake and Island Lake Reservoir, and then back South to check out Hawk Ridge one more time.
