Phantoms of The Forest - Red-shouldered Hawk Study

08/25/2020

Hello everyone! Its time for another project update!

Our 2020 field season wrapped up earlier this summer. From early April through late June we endured cold and snow then heat, humidity, ticks, and mosquitoes as we visited nests within our central Wisconsin and northeastern Wisconsin study sites. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the country we managed to stay socially isolated and complete our field work.

In northeastern Wisconsin we found 33 active nests, 17 of which were successful at fledging young. 25 nestlings were banded of the 42 nestlings that were produced at these nest sites. Four adults were also banded, two of which (1 male, 1 female) were equipped with loggers.

In central Wisconsin we found 14 active nests, nine of which were successful at fledging young, and 21 nestlings were banded of the 32 nestlings that were produced at these nest sites. Six adults were also banded, two of which (females) were equipped with loggers.

All four loggers are currently reporting locations which can be used to determine summer home ranges for these four hawks. At this point in the summer the nestlings have fledged, but the adults will continue to remain on their breeding territories until October or November when they will embark on their annual southward migration.

All of our loggers are funded by generous donations from conservation groups and individuals. If you're interested and financially able please consider donating to the project by visiting our page and clicking the donate button under the pinned post.

Stay tuned for more updates!

08/13/2020

Hello Everyone! It's been a while since we've last given an update on the project, and we have some exciting information to share with you!

Earlier this year our red-shouldered hawks made their northward spring migration back to their breeding territories. We were fortunate enough to receive complete migration data from two hawks (one male and one female) equipped with loggers. Both hawks are from the northeastern Wisconsin study site. The male red-shoulder (Logger ID: 004) was originally equipped with a logger in the summer of 2018. During the winter of 2018-2019 hawk 004 migrated to and took up a wintering territory in northern Alabama. This hawk once again returned from migration in the spring of 2020 to provide us with a second year’s worth of migration data. This past winter he migrated to western Kentucky to establish a wintering territory; this is approximately 180 miles north of his wintering territory in Alabama from the previous year.

The female red-shoulder (Logger ID: 012) was originally equipped with a logger in the summer of 2019. What we found very interesting about her migration data was that not only did she remain in Wisconsin for the winter, but she remained in the Nicolet National Forest near her breeding territory all winter. This is the second instance in our study of a female red-shouldered hawk equipped with a logger remaining in Wisconsin for the winter.

Stay tuned for more updates!

-Matthew Hanneman, Gene Jacobs, and John Jacobs

10/22/2019

Hello everyone! My name is Matthew Hanneman and I am a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I will be working with Gene and John Jacobs to study the migration and wintering habitats of the red-shouldered hawk for my Master's thesis. I'm very excited to contribute to the success of this project and advance our knowledge of this state-threatened species.

06/21/2019

So far this season we've deployed four new transmitters on adult Red-shouldered Hawks (two male, two female). We are still looking to deploy two more.
I've posted a video of two nestlings (approx 30 days old) in a nest with one unhatched egg. View the link below. https://youtu.be/Ruf3t0_wq3A
-Gene

Red-shouldered Hawk chicks near fledging and egg.

04/12/2019

Red-shouldered Hawk Migration

We received some exciting news recently! One of our Red-shouldered Hawks (wearing a transmitter) checked in after returning from her trip south for the winter. She was tagged near her nest last summer a few miles north of Wisconsin Rapids, WI.

She started her migration south on 10-23-18 and arrived near Mount Vernon, Illinois on 11-19-18. Her journey south was very direct and covered 428 miles one way that took 27 days.

During her return flight, she drifted slightly to the west but was in high gear and made it back in only 8 days (3-11-19 to 3-19-19). Both migration routes were fairly close to each other, only 40 miles apart at the widest point.

Gene and John--

03/12/2019

The Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a remarkable, uncommon to rare hawk in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has classified this very secretive bird as a “Threatened Species”, so research on its basic biology is badly needed to secure its future … and it’s only possible with your help!

Your donation to Tracking the Phantoms will fund small, solar-powered GPS recording transmitters and a receiver to study the Red-shouldered Hawk at an unprecedented level. These transmitters will help us learn about its breeding home range, nesting and winter habitat use, as well as migration routes and timing.

The transmitters you’ll fund use the latest in GPS transmitter technology, which provides more precise locations points than earlier methods, and will allow managers, bird biologists and conservationist to manage and conserve this hawk’s habitat and future, better than ever. In addition, this increased habitat preservation and management will benefit the plants and animals that share the hawk’s home. And because these transmitters are designed to provide several years of data, your support will have a lasting impact.

Project details:
We'll safely capture adult and juvenile Red-shouldered hawks near their nest sites during May through July and then equip each hawk with a transmitter. We’ll share what we learn through quarterly maps right here on the "Phantoms of the Forest" Facebook site, so you can see the hawk's day to day activities and migration routes!

Our goal is to track 25 individual hawks to provide a robust sample size, attaching transmitters on five birds in 2018, 10 in 2019, and 10 more in 2020. We'll be starting the 2019 field season very soon so your gift today will help us start the 2019 season strong.
Your support of Tracking the Phantoms is more than data collection - it helps preserve the future for Red-shouldered Hawks and their connected species.

Thank you to our Major Sponsor, the Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society 501 (c)(3) in Green Bay, WI, for their partnership in this tax-deductible cause. To make a contribution online click on the "Donate" button (below), or you can mail a check to Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society, P.O. Box 1, Green Bay, WI 54305. List "Red-shouldered Hawk Study" in the check memo.

Researcher Profiles:
John Jacobs has been passionate about hawks since his early twenties, and has studied them since 1971. With a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Norbert College and a Masters of Environmental Science from UW-Green Bay, he was the Curator of Science at the Neville Public Museum of Brown County for 32 years. Retiring in 2013 allowed him to turn his spring and summer research on Red-shouldered Hawks into a full-time commitment. He and his wife of 41 years, Mary, have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren and live in Green Bay.

Gene Jacobs is a Raptor biologist and owner of Raptor Services, LLC research consulting. He has studied Wisconsin raptors for over 45 years and banded over 17,000 raptors along the way. He’s passionate about sharing raptor education: he teaches Raptor Field Techniques Workshops for the UW-Stevens Point Outreach Program, leads community Saw-whet Owl banding field trips at his Linwood Springs Research Station home, and has authored/coauthored 14 papers in peer reviewed journals. Gene and his wife of 43 years, Lorraine, have 2 sons, and live in Stevens Point.

03/10/2019

Red-shouldered hawk adults are just starting to arrive at their breeding grounds. Nests are usually built 40-60 ft up in the canopy. -Gene