Sharp-shinned Hawk in Flight

Accipiters

Hawks are divided into two separate genus, Buteo and Accipiter. The difference in the two genus is in their anatomy. Buteos posses an opening in the front of their coracoid shoulder bone. This opening is called a procoracoid foramen. Accipiters lack this opening. However this difference is not something that you can use to distinguish between the genus' when you are out in the field watching birds.
So here are some tips to help you identify Accipiters when you are out bird watching. Accipiters generally prey on other birds so they have several adaptations that help them to catch their food. First off they have short wings and a long tail which helps them to be more maneuverable. They also have long legs, which are good for sticking into bushes to catch a hiding bird, and long toes, similar to those of falcons, so that they can wrap them around a bird in mid flight. Another thing that can sometimes help ID an Accipiter is the color of their eyes. Accipiters have brightly colored eyes. They start out bright yellow when it is a first year bird, turn orange in the second year and red by the third year. This is a good way to tell the age of some of the younger birds. Here in Minnesota we can see three different species of Accipiters. The smallest is the sharp-shinned hawk, first picture. Sharpies are forest hunters that often ambush their prey from a hidden perch. This sharpie was photographed migrating over Hawk Ridge. The second photo is of a Cooper's hawk. Coop's are mid sized Accipiters whose population seems to be on the rise in cities where they like to hunt at bird feeders. The largest of the Accipiters that we see in Minnesota is the northern goshawk. These birds migrate down from Canada, where they breed, and spend the winter in the southern part of the state. Out of the three Accipiter species that we see this is the only one with a diet that includes a substantial amount of mammal included with birds as prey. The northern goshawk is circumpolar so they are also found in northern Europe and Asia. This one was banded and photographed at Hawk Ridge.

Hawk Weekend

This weekend was Hawk Weekend, which is the big celebration up at Hawk Ridge. So I spent most of my time volunteering up at the ridge or driving to and from Duluth. All in all it was almost 24 hours between the two days which made for a long, but very fun weekend.

Both days started out foggy in the morning but cleared up and got sunny and warm as the days progressed. I decided not to bring my big glass with because it gets heavy carrying it around all day and besides it can get in way when I am volunteering so I just carried around the 100 to 400 both days. So with out the big glass I did not do much in the way of flight shots so it was a good thing that the banding stations where hopping both days. We had 30 adopted birds on Saturday and 35 on Sunday, which is good because the adoptions are the main way that the HRBO pays for all of the programs. Most of the adopted birds where either merlin falcons, like the one in the first pic, or sharp-shinned hawks like the one above.

Once in a while we did get something different from the banding stations, like this mature sharp-shinned hawk that had a very unique eye. If you look carefully you notice that both eyes do not look the same. The right eye is the way that mature sharp-shinned hawk eyes are supposed to look. The left eye appears to have an extra large pupil. The bird was checked and it seemed to be able to see out of the eye so it was banded and released.

Another interesting bird was a coopers hawk. Coopers hawks are also accipiters, like sharp-shinned hawks only larger. Coopers hawks are not uncommon in Minnesota, we have a population that is healthy down in the Twin Cities, but Duluth is at the northern portion of their range so they are not as common up at hawk ridge, only 33 have been counted so far this season compared to 4212 sharp-shinned hawks. We did have a coop banded and adopted each day this weekend.

Red-tailed hawks are very common in Minnesota, as well as most of North America, but they don't usually begin migrating past Hawk Ridge until later in the season. However it is common for immature birds to begin migrating before the adults so we have counted a couple hundred of them so far this season. This was the first one that has been banded when I have been around so far this year.

We did see a number of American kestrels fly by this weekend also. Kestrels used to be much more common but their numbers appear to be on the decline, at least in my area. The numbers of kestrels counted each season up at Hawk Ridge has been decreasing and the number of kestrels admitted to The Raptor Center has also been decreasing. That is why the counting and banding work that is done by the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is so important. The statistical data that they have collected can let us identify trends, like the one that we are currently seeing with the kestrels, and then look for reasons and solutions before all of the kestrels are gone.

That is why the Membership and Adopt a Raptor programs at Hawk Ridge are so vital because with out the funds the important research that is being done up at Hawk Ridge may end and then where will we be? Besides where else can you have a precious memory like the one above!

Hawk Ridge

Yesterday I did my first volunteer shift up at Hawk Ridge up in Duluth, MN. Since it is about a two and a half hour drive for me to get there I took an afternoon shift which ran from noon until they shut down at 4:30. It was a beautiful day with mostly clear skies. The wind was from the south west and we had consistent sighting through out the time that I was there.

Most of the birds coming through right now are the smaller raptors like American kestrels, merlins and sharp-shinned hawks. While the counters where busy up on the ridge the banding stations were busy capturing and banding raptors as part of Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory research programs. Many of these birds were brought up to the ridge where visitors could get a close up look and learn more about these fascinating birds. Visitors then had the opportunity to adopt the birds, for a small fee that helps to fund all of the programs at Hawk Ridge, and release them back into the wild. I always love to look at the expression on the face of a visitor who has just released a bird, that expression says it all.

Not all the birds migrating through now were small raptors though, we did see a couple of osprey go through. Since osprey eat primarily only fish they are pretty quick to start on the journey south before the water begins to freeze up. Many osprey spend the winter down in South America so these birds still had quite a long trip ahead of them.

We also saw a number of bald eagles flying through. Eagles are partial migrants, meaning that they will only go as far south as they need to so that they can find food, that is why we see large groupings of eagles where ever we have open water during the winter time. The other large birds that we saw up at the ridge while I was there were turkey vultures, which are currently classified as raptors, and one red-tailed hawk. As the migration continues into October and November the number of larger raptors flying over Hawk Ridge will increase.

The highlight of the day was when a peregrine falcon meandered by the side of the ridge at near eye level. This was unusual because peregrines usually zoom by the ridge hardly giving you more then a glance where this peregrine gave us all a great look. It was also unusual because this was a tundrius peregrine falcon which is an Arctic variety.

A few minutes after the peregrine passed by we heard from the counters that it had headed over near one of the banding stations. We all waited anxiously by the radio and a few minutes later the staff and volunteers exploded in excitement as we got word that they had captured the falcon. tundrius peregrines are smaller and lighter in color then the local peregrines in this area, which are typically of the anatum subspecies. tundrius peregrines do migrate through Hawk Ridge each year on their way to wintering grounds, which are along the Gulf Coast, Baha California, Central and South America, but this is very early in migration to see this type of bird.

It was determined that this was an immature female who was probably on her first migration, which might explain some of the unusual behavior. I was hoping to get the opportunity to adopt the bird, and already had my money out, but there is a waiting list to adopt peregrines at Hawk Ridge, many people adopt birds over the Internet and peregrines are very popular. Since the person adopting the bird was not present to release the bird Sarah, who was the naturalist on duty on Sunday, did the honors after we let all of the visitors present get a good close up look at a bird that many people will never see in their lifetime. Next weekend is Hawk Weekend which is the big celebration weekend at Hawk Ridge. I have signed up to work several shifts and if the weather cooperates I hope to post a lot more raptor pics next week.

The Final Answer to the Quiz

The final image (E) in the quiz was kind of a trick question. This is due to the fact that it comes from the same species as the eye in image B
Both the eye above and the one below both belong to sharp-shinned hawks, despite the obvious difference in color.

The reason for the difference is the age of the bird. Sharpies are born with yellow eyes. As the bird matures the eyes darken to red. So a first year sharpie has yellow eyes, a two year old would have orange eyes, like the one below, and a three year old or older would have red eyes like those above.

Hawk Ridge counts and bands many sharp-shinned hawks each fall. In 2008 12,608 sharp-shinned hawks were observed flying over Hawk Ridge During the fall migration. This is down from 2007, when 15253 were counted, and is below the average of the last five years of the survey, which is around 14,000.
Many Ornithologists believe that the lower count numbers, at various hawk watches during the fall migration, are not so much an indication of a decreasing population for the sharp-shinned hawk as much as it is a result of more availability of food for the sharpies. The increase in available sharpie food is a result of more people taking an interest in birds and putting out feeders to attract song birds. The feeders provide food for the passerines so that they do not have to head south to find food and this in turn provides a valuable food source for the sharpies and Coopers hawks allowing them to stay further north.

Answer B: Sharp-shinned Hawk

Debbie did very well on the eye quiz. She was correct that this eye (B) belongs to a sharp shinned hawk. This sharpie was banded and photographed at Hawk Ridge on October 18th.
Sharp-shinned hawks are a member of the genus Accipiter. Accipiters have rounded wings, like other hawks, but their wings are shorter and their tails are longer. These adaptations help to give Accipiters more maneuverability.

Maneuverability is very important for sharpies since most of their prey is small song birds. Often a sharpie will be forced to chase a passerine a short way, maneuvering through trees and brush, before it catches its prey. To help avoid a lengthy chase the sharpie often will use cover to allow it to get close, with out being detected, and then it will ambush the prey.

Camera Critters: Sharp-shinned Hawk

The sharp-shinned hawk is the smallest member of the genus accipiter found in North America. Accipiters have rounded wings, like the est of the hawk family, but they have relatively shorter wing and a longer tail.

Accipiters use these adaptations to help them maneuver in flight, particularly while they are hunting small birds. The other members of the genus accipiter that can be found in North America are the Cooper's hawk and the northern goshawk.

Each year many sharp-shinned hawks migrate south from Canada and can be seen at hawk watches in the US such as Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN, where all of these sharpies where caught and banded. Not all sharpies migrate south however, since the number of people who have put up feeders has increased so has the number of sharpies that have stayed further north.

Since the sharpies are mainly eating birds, feeders attracting song birds in the winter become a convenient feeding ground for sharpies, and Cooper's hawks as well.

You can tell the ages of the birds pictured above by the color of their eyes. The first bird pictured is a hatch year bird. When sharpies first hatch they have yellow eyes which darken with age. So the bird in the second and third pictures would be a second year bird, since its eyes have changed from yellow to orange. The bird in the final pic is at least a third year bird. As you can see the eyes have become completely red. Once they reach this point the eyes will no longer change, so it is pretty much impossible to tell a sharpies age, once they reach adulthood, just by looking at the eyes.

Accipiters and Buteos at Minnesota Valley NWR

On Tuesday the 22nd I had my usual couple of hours free time between my full time job and my part time job so I decided to forgo a nap and headed over to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge visitors center in Bloomington, MN. I have had several opportunities, in the past, to photograph a sharp-shinned hawk who has been hanging around the feeder station and spicing up my bird watching. When I arrived on Tuesday the sharpie was not around but while I was setting up the birds all scattered and I knew that I would get more sharpie pics.
The sharpie came flying in over the visitors center and perched on a branch above the feeders.
All of the smaller birds had already vacated the area but the sharpie decided he wanted to take a closer look so he moved down to stand on the feeder itself.
Sharpies are members of the genus accipiter. Accipiters have shorter wings and longer tails then other hawks, who are members of the genus buteo. The compact wings help these forest dwelling hawks to navigate through the trees. The long tail acts as a rudder helping to provide the hawks with extra maneuverability. This maneuverability is important since a main part of their diet comes from smaller birds.Sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and goshawks are all members of the accipiter family that live in North America. All other North American hawks belong to the genus buteo. Buteos have longer wings. They use their long broad wings to soar over open fields where they hunt mainly for rodents, rabbits and squirrels. While I was at the Minnesota Valley NWR that afternoon I also spotted a buteo. Red-tailed hawks have proved to be very adaptable to living around man. While other species have declined, as their habitat has been destroyed by a continually growing society, the red-tailed hawk has thrived. You can often see them perched on poles on the side of the road. The roadsides are a haven for rodents, who feed off of the garbage thrown from cars. These rodents are a favorite prey of the red-tail. Some red-tails have adapted so well to mankind that they now look at the world in a different way.After all who needs binocular raptor vision when you can have closed circuit TV vision instead. LOL

The first weekend in January

Here are some miscellaneous pictures that I took on the first week end of January.
This is one of many white tailed dear that I saw on a quick trip through Fort Snelling State Park on the 7th. I am hoping to get some good fawn pics at Fort Snelling this spring.The sharp-shinned hawk that has been hanging around the feeders at the Minnesota valley NWR visitors center was back again for a while on the 7th.I have begun to see starlings again. They have been mysteriously absent this winter until lately.The female northern cardinals are much more interesting then the male cardinals are. Fortunately there are usually some of each hanging around the Minnesota Valley NWR visitors center.This little opossum came up to eat some of the seeds on the ground under the feeders at the Mn Valley NWR on the 5th.I love the little pink toes. They are really cute but you think that they would get cold.A lot of woodpeckers hang around the Mn Valley NWR visitors center. Most are downy or hairy but there are usually a couple of red-bellied woodpeckers around too.I shot this red-tailed hawk on the side of the freeway while I was on my way home from the Mn River Valley NWR on the 7th. It is a bit blurry because the truck was still moving a bit.