Hawk Ridge

Overlooking Lake Superior first thing in the morning

As the weather starts to change, migration starts. Here in Minnesota is one of the top raptor migration sites in North America - Hawk Ridge (hawkridge.org). Due to several factors, thousands of raptors pass over this ridge on the way south due each year. The first factor is the numerous thermals that are formed on a nice sunny day. This allows the raptors to soar and glide south rather than flap the whole way. The second factor is Lake Superior. Birds of prey generally won't fly over large bodies of water. These, along with a few other factors, funnel a large number of birds from Canada over this single ridge.

First year Sharp-shinned Hawk

The key to Hawk Ridge is weather. If the weather is rainy, you might as well stay home since the birds are not going to be moving. On nice sunny days, you get a respectable number of birds migrating though. The best weather for raptor migration is the first sunny day following a couple rainy days. On those days, you can see tens of thousands.

Broad-winged Hawk

Today was a good day to be at hawk ridge. After a few showers early in the morning, the clouds started to break up and thermals started to form. We started our raptor watch with a tour of the banding station. While we were there, they caught and banded 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks. Others, narrowly escaped the net. It was a treat to see all the action. Many of the birds they band are first years. They are still figuring out how to hunt and therefore tend to be a bit hungry. Because of this, they are more likely to be attracted to the lure used to bring them down to the net.

When we returned to the top of the ridge, the action in the sky was just getting underway. In the hour and a half or so that we were there we probably saw several hundred raptors. Our species included: American Kestrel, Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk and a Turkey Vulture.

Not a bad morning!

Training and Other Happenings

I have been rather busy the past few weeks. The new interns have arrived and we have had several groups on site. My time has been split between working in the barn, helping to train the newbies and working with the groups that are on-site.

Last week, there was an Elderhostel group on-site. I drove a the group for a day and got to tour two local museums: The Hinckley Fire Museum and the North West Company Fur Post. For me it was a bit of a treat because it broke up my normal work routine and I hadn't been to either yet. Spending the day with a group of seniors is always interesting. I think I told my life story about a dozen times but had a good time. I also got to talk about cranes for a few minutes when we drove by 4 in a corn field!

 Ricing demonstration at the Fur Post

Hinckley Fire Memorial

In addition to the groups on site, I have been getting to know the six new interns. All but one is from the midwest (not a lot of diversity this year). The other is from Cameroon. It is interesting getting used to all the new noises and faces in the house. During work hours, I have been helping train the new folks in on classes and team building exercises.

A majority of the education team doing team building!

Myself, Jess and Jane on the course!

Besides working a TON of hours, nothing else much has been happening. I am looking forward to everybody getting settled in and gearing up for the upcoming school year!

What a Week!

The past week has been insane! We had the Ways of Wildlife Camp with 18 campers and many field trips connected to animals.

On the first full day of camp, my half of the group went to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. We got a behind the scenes tour and got a glimpse into what it takes to run an aquarium. It was lots of fun and we saw a bunch of fish. As a special bonus, the tall ships were still in the Duluth Harbor when we got there. 

My group in with the scuba diver in the sturgeon tank!

Me and a moose

Tall ships in Duluth

The next day we went back to Duluth to be a zoo keeper for the day at the Lake Superior Zoo. Here we went behind the scenes and cleaned the kangaroo enclosure. Then we got to explore the zoo before rushing back to the center for a Wildcat Sanctuary program. As part of this program we made enrichment for the cats which basically means we used cardboard boxes and paint to make giant cat toys!

Campers in front the the 'roo exhibit

(notice the matching t-shirts we made!)

Me showing my arm span!

The awesome cat toys!

On Wednesday, we learned about wildlife rehab. We took out a bunch of salvage animals and learned how to do a physical and bandages on an injured animal. It was a great lead in to our afternoon at an animal hospital. We took a tour of the vet clinic and rehab facilities in Garrison. Afterward, we took our picture by a huge Walleye (Minnesota's state fish)!

Me in front of the giant walleye!

On Thursday, we started the day in the barn. Half the group did kestrel handling and the other half did barn chores. It was fun to see how excited the kids were to gut the food or feed a herp. That afternoon, we drove down to the Wildlife Science Center. We saw the wolves, bears and other critters that they house.

Four wolves checking out our group!

Friday morning was a repeat of Thursday and then the campers got picked up after lunch. All in all this was a crazy week. It was exhausting because I worked nearly 90 hours but it was fulfilling at the same time. Through the week we got to see alot of critters and the campers learned how much work goes into caring for animals. It was great to see the kids get so excited to see, touch or feed an animal!

Wildlife Science Center

This is a little bit late but I couldn't find my camera cord....

On the 18th, I drove a bunch of kids down to the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake. It is a place primarily known for its captive wolves but it also has other large mammals and a few raptors. (http://www.wildlifesciencecenter.org/)

At one point, a cop car drove by with its siren blaring and all of the wolves began to howl. It was one of those moments that gives you goose bumps. Below are a few pictures - I apologize for the poor quality but the chain link makes it tricky!

Black Bear

Wolf

Banning by Snowshoe

Today at work I got the chance to go play in the woods - literally. Shayna, Clarissa and most of the interns went on a snowshoe hike in Banning State Park. For those of us taking Hamline courses, this was considered a class. This meant I did have to pay attention and take some notes while having fun.

Our hike followed the creek beds and was close to 3 miles. The rock around here is sandstone which is a rather soft rock - this makers for some interesting rock formations and views as it weathers. Along the way we saw some animal signs like coyote tracks and scat, bits of deer remains, mouse homes and some woodpeckers. We also came across some amazing views and frozen waterfalls (as you can see behind us in the picture).

We stopped, built a fire and ate lunch over looking one of the creeks. The steep incline also provided a perfect hill for sliding. Which we did...several times while exploring other inlets in the area. Its not often that we all get off site so when we do, we are sure to make the most of it. After smores, we headed back to the cars. All in all, not a bad day at the office!

~*~ aquarium fun ~*~

Yesterday, I got the chance to go up to Duluth and see the Great Lakes Aquarium. This aquarium has primarily freshwater fish native to the great lakes area. Right now, they have an exhibit on seahorse which was fun to see. Who doesn't like seahorses?

The visit was great because for the most part, the aquarium was empty. This meant that I could meander around at my own pace and have full view of the tanks :) In addition, I got a behind the scenes tour of the filtration and some of the holding tanks. One of the neatest things of the entire trip was watching the SCUBA divers feed the sturgeon. It looked really fun and is something I hope to try someday!!

lichens-r-us

This weekend, the interns had a trip up to northern Minnesota to visit Wolf Ridge RELC. The center is located on the north shore of Lake Superior. We drove up to have a look at another center that is similar to the Audubon as well as fit in a couple activities for our Hamline classes.

First up was lichen hunting. We learned the basics about lichens and then headed out to a nearby state park to find some lichens. I have been taking photos of lichens and fungus for awhile now and it was neat to finally learn some basics. A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus, bacteria and/or algae. I had lots of fun taking photos and trying to identify some species while enjoying the amazing view of Lake Superior.

Lichen Hunting at the state park

My favorite lichen picture!! A water droplet on several kinds of lichens - one of which is possibly a reindeer lichen.

Amazing View!!

The next day we went to a farm that is completely off the grid. They get almost all of their energy from various renewable energies. This was neat to and its neat that they can run an entire farm this way. After this we headed back to Wolf Ridge to observe a class. I watched Trees and Keys which is a class about identifying trees. It was kind of interesting and gave me the chance to explore the trails there a little bit.

Overall, a nice quick weekend trip!!

FIELD TRIP!!!

Today, the interns got the chance to go to the Raptor Center and Como Zoo in the cities.

First stop was the Raptor Center where we got the chance to see the education facilities, including many of their birds. We also got the chance to talk to someone who has worked in the wildlife field for a while and pick her brain. Below are 2 of the birds - a barn owl and great horned owl.

Next up was the Como Zoo. A nice small zoo near the raptor center. I had lots of fun taking pictures of plants in the conservatory (see below). In the cafe, I got a delicious mint chocolate coffee. I must admit that it was Caribou Coffee which makes it that much more amazing that I enjoyed the drink. (For those of you who don't know this, I am a Starbucks girl and usually hate Caribou drinks)

Overall, it was a good day. I learned a thing or two while I got some good coffee, a trip to the zoo and the chance to see some birds. Definitely cant complain!!

Charter School Visits

I have spent the past three days visiting 3 of the charter schools that the Audubon Center sponsors. It was quite the road trip with lots of time in the van and lots of time observing different teaching methods.

The first school we went to was in Minnesota City. I did not get to observe the teaching styles here but did teach a lesson of raptors. I taught the first hour after lunch (I always hate teaching the first class after lunch because so many kids go into a food coma). This class was of 9th/10th graders and pretty much unresponsive to my raptor lesson. We got the chance to talk with the director of the school and watch a board meeting which was interesting to see.

We got up super early the next day and drove to our second school - La Crescent Montessori. At this school we only observed classes. It is a Montessori school - so there are no lessons in the traditional sense. Each child in the class works on different lessons so there is lot of hands on activities and no lecture. To an outsider it often looks messy. It is a interesting teaching style and have no idea how I feel about it.

That same evening we got back in the van and headed to our last school - Cannon River STEM School. We spent the evening at the school in the living room of the staff housing. The school is situated on the campus of a boarding school so it really has a campus feel to it. This school was my favorite. It has an emphasis on science and technology so the kids learn alot about nature and science through projects. All of the teachers had really good rapport with the students so it was a positive learning environment. I observed for most of the day and then helped teach the Kindergartners about owls.

Overall, I learned a lot about various teaching styles and have a better understanding of the schools that come visit the center. The trip was exhausting though and I am happy to back in my own room!