Hey birders,

 

Hawk Ridge is always going to have lots of Golden Eagles, but there seems to be quite a few passing through Mankato this fall for some reason.  Today we had our 14th of the season at the Bethany Hawkwatch (2x our highest season count in 16 years of counting) .  Interestingly, all but two have been adults so far and we typically see more of this species in November than October.  I also received a photo record of a juvenile west of Minnesota Lake in Faribault County from Friday.

 

I’m not sure if it is related to the early snowfall in the Dakotas but that does seem to be the outlier in the weather patterns this fall.  Anyway, keep an eye out for this species.

 

Happy birding!

 

Chad Heins

Mankato