Northern Goshawk At Bonney Butte Banding Station

Today was the chance of a lifetime, and I'm so happy that my husband was up for the adventure...and an adventure it was! I had seen a post on Facebook about a week ago from the "Eagle Man", Dennis Manzer (the fellow who headed up the eagle nest observations this last summer). His recent post about the Bonney Butte Raptor Banding Station on Mt. Hood gave me goosebumps and quickly I decided it was something I wanted to see. When my sister visited last weekend we really mulled around the idea of going up there, but Dennis explained the difficulties of the road, and we both chickened out. But I was still so focused on the idea, and time was running out as the season goes from Aug to end of October, weather permitting.

So I posed the idea to my husband, and he was as intrigued as I was, so as soon as we knew we had a break in the rainy weather, we talked about going. Well, today was the day...we woke up to clear skies, put our stuff we needed together, and headed up to the mountain. Just let me say, the road is terrible, and you definitely need a 4wheel drive, and even at that you can plan to be jostled around quite vigorously. There is a 1/2 mile walk uphill at an altitude above 5000 feet, so I was a bit winded at the end, but the view from the top is spectacular.

As soon as we got to the top, I recognized none other that the "Eagle Man" himself, Dennis Manzer, who had decided to come up for a week, and camp out at the nearby Bonney Butte FS Campground. What a nice surprise!! We quickly met one of the raptor banding team members, Dustin Maloney, who graciously shared his knowledge with us throughout the day. Shortly after we arrived he offered to hike up to the next ridge where they actually capture the raptors in nets at a blind, and bring back one of the raptors to show us. After a short wait, he arrived with 2 raptors! One was a juvenile sharp-shinned hawk and the other was a cooper's hawk. He carefully removed them from their tubes, one leg at a time, and then carefully sliding them out.

It was so amazing to see these magnificent creatures that I had photographed, up close and personal. He even let me hold the cooper's hawk and release it---what a thrill! Although no photos were taken, the memory ranks right up there with the best of the best!! Thank you Dustin:)

A little later in the afternoon, Dustin went back up to the "capture blind" as a Goshawk had flown in, and he brought that back for us to see also...she was huge and very fiesty. It took Dustin a bit of time to remove her from the tube, and he freed her immediately...what a sight to see her fly off, although she flew to a snag directly north back to the ridge where she was captured and banded...she sat there preening for over an hour.

It was interesting to sit there all afternoon, watching the raptors fly by...the speeds they reach are amazing, and it is difficult to photograph. It takes young well trained eyes to see them, and quickly identify them for the count...I could barely keep up with the observers, but got a few shots of passing raptors. We even had a few eagles, and a flock of bluebirds.

Here is some information taken from the Hawkwatch International's Webpage...great background information on the project...
HWI has been monitoring the fall raptor migration at Bonney Butte on the southeastern flanks of Mt. Hood in northcentral Oregon since 1994. This ongoing effort monitors long-term trends in populations of raptors using this part of the Pacific Coast Flyway through the Cascade Mountains. The project runs from 27 August through 31 October each year. Annual counts typically range from 2,500-4,500 migrant raptors of up to 18 species. The most commonly seen species are the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and Golden Eagle, but this site is noted for relatively high numbers of Merlins (up to 100 or more per year).

HWI has also been banding migratory raptors at Bonney Butte since 1995. HWI's banding operations provide additional valuable information about migratory routes, breeding and wintering distribution, and the variations and health of individual raptors. Currently, 250-400 raptors are banded each season at Bonney Butte, with up to 12 species represented.

The information gathered in these studies enables us to better understand the life histories, ecology, status, and conservation needs of raptor populations in North America. Because raptors are top-level predators, occupy large home ranges, inhabit most ecosystems, and are sensitive to environmental contamination and other human disturbances, they serve as important biological indicators of ecosystem health. Moreover, due to the remoteness and widespread distribution of most raptor populations, migration counts likely represent the most cost-effective and efficient method for monitoring the regional status and trends of multiple raptor species.

In addition to gathering important scientific data, the Bonney Butte project provides opportunities for the public to learn about the ecology and conservation needs of raptors through on-site environmental education and interpretation conducted by a full-time on-site educator. This educational effort is the key to long-term success in securing public understanding and action on behalf of raptors and the ecosystems upon which we all rely.

The Bonney Butte study site is located within the Mt. Hood National Forest, approximately 6 miles southeast of Government Camp, Oregon. The public is always welcome to visit Bonney Butte during the season to take advantage of the environmental education programs and the great hawkwatching at the site.

Also you may enjoy reading Dustin Maloney's write-up on the Hawk Watch International Blog.

For photos from the day, check out my flickr set