Today I took the day off work to be self-indulgent. I drove up to Duluth to visit Hawk Ridge. If you like raptors and you like watching birds while several experts point out what raptors you are seeing, this is the place for you to visit. To get there, drive through Duluth and get on Hwy. 61 toward the North Shore. Take a left on 43rd Ave. East. Take a left on Glenwood Street. Take a sharp right onto Skyline Parkway for a mile or two and you are there. Drive slow because there are lots of people on the road and they're all looking up into the sky, not looking where they are walking. I stayed there for a couple 
hours and I saw 4 kestrels and about 12 sharp shinned hawks. I also saw an immature bald eagle and an immature red tailed hawk. The sharp shinned hawks are very cool (see picture). Some are only 4 months old and journeying from their northern homes to central America for the very first time - alone. The trip to the Mexican border will take a couple weeks. I watched as they flew in upward spirals, riding the thermal updrafts. The naturalist explained that the birds congregate in Duluth because they want to avoid flying over Lake Superior. The air over the lake is damp and has no updrafts. So they fly west to get around the lake before heading south again. I was told the best time to see raptors is in the fall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The raptors don't fly at night. You'll see more raptors on sunny days with a west wind, especially if it's the first sunny day after stormy weather. Hawk Ridge is make up of over 100 acres with a large buffer around that. They trap and net raptors there. The raptors are banded and released. If the raptors are in good shape - not too shocked by the banding experience - they allow the public to release them for a fee. Two goshawk were caught, banded and released. For $100 a piece, two Hawk Ridge visitors were able to adopt, hold and release the goshawks. The information about the goshawk along with a picture will be mailed to them. If their adopted goshawk is ever caught again the adoptive parents will be sent word of it. Two female naturalists held the goshawks and gave a little talk. One goshawk in particular was outraged. He looked her straight in the eye and screamed at her so loudly she couldn't be heard. I could just imagine him saying, "Unhand me you scoundrel. Let me go this instant!" She had to lay him flat in her arms and cover his eyes so he would be quiet. She was a hawk whisperer I guess. After a couple hours I was getting hungry and getting a crick in my neck from looking up so much. I continued along Skyline Parkway which led me to Seven Bridges Road. I love Seven Bridges Road. I stopped at the 2nd (or 6th depending on which way you are counting) bridge to admire the waterfall, the rocks, the trees, the entirely beautiful scene. We used to bring the kids and dogs here to swim when they were little. Good times, good times. I drove downtown and splurged on a lunch at Bellisio's (not far from Grandma's Saloon). Years ago Offspring #2 and I went here for dinner and I was served something that looked like a big bowl of lumpy algae but tasted delicious. I wanted that again. Turns out they still have it. The official name of the algae lunch is Gnocchi with ricotta cheese, blended fresh spinach, and roasted pine nuts. It was as good as I remembered. After lunch I relaxed at Park Point watching the waves crash on the shore. There is something about watching white caps pound the sand, predicting how close the water will come to my feet that puts all my problems in their true perspective.
hours and I saw 4 kestrels and about 12 sharp shinned hawks. I also saw an immature bald eagle and an immature red tailed hawk. The sharp shinned hawks are very cool (see picture). Some are only 4 months old and journeying from their northern homes to central America for the very first time - alone. The trip to the Mexican border will take a couple weeks. I watched as they flew in upward spirals, riding the thermal updrafts. The naturalist explained that the birds congregate in Duluth because they want to avoid flying over Lake Superior. The air over the lake is damp and has no updrafts. So they fly west to get around the lake before heading south again. I was told the best time to see raptors is in the fall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The raptors don't fly at night. You'll see more raptors on sunny days with a west wind, especially if it's the first sunny day after stormy weather. Hawk Ridge is make up of over 100 acres with a large buffer around that. They trap and net raptors there. The raptors are banded and released. If the raptors are in good shape - not too shocked by the banding experience - they allow the public to release them for a fee. Two goshawk were caught, banded and released. For $100 a piece, two Hawk Ridge visitors were able to adopt, hold and release the goshawks. The information about the goshawk along with a picture will be mailed to them. If their adopted goshawk is ever caught again the adoptive parents will be sent word of it. Two female naturalists held the goshawks and gave a little talk. One goshawk in particular was outraged. He looked her straight in the eye and screamed at her so loudly she couldn't be heard. I could just imagine him saying, "Unhand me you scoundrel. Let me go this instant!" She had to lay him flat in her arms and cover his eyes so he would be quiet. She was a hawk whisperer I guess. After a couple hours I was getting hungry and getting a crick in my neck from looking up so much. I continued along Skyline Parkway which led me to Seven Bridges Road. I love Seven Bridges Road. I stopped at the 2nd (or 6th depending on which way you are counting) bridge to admire the waterfall, the rocks, the trees, the entirely beautiful scene. We used to bring the kids and dogs here to swim when they were little. Good times, good times. I drove downtown and splurged on a lunch at Bellisio's (not far from Grandma's Saloon). Years ago Offspring #2 and I went here for dinner and I was served something that looked like a big bowl of lumpy algae but tasted delicious. I wanted that again. Turns out they still have it. The official name of the algae lunch is Gnocchi with ricotta cheese, blended fresh spinach, and roasted pine nuts. It was as good as I remembered. After lunch I relaxed at Park Point watching the waves crash on the shore. There is something about watching white caps pound the sand, predicting how close the water will come to my feet that puts all my problems in their true perspective. 
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