Weekends at Wolf Ridge: Migration Stories

Dates

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About

Spend a glorious fall weekend on Minnesota’s North Shore gaining hands-on experience and learning from expert naturalists.

Workshops are based at the Wolf Ridge campus and nearby natural areas, with lodging and meals included. Designed for lifelong learners, the weekend welcomes both seasoned naturalists and curious beginners. Participants choose one workshop but enjoy shared meals and evening programs with others, creating a rich community of discovery.

Minnesota is home to about 444 bird species, and nearly 90% migrate. This workshop dives into the mysteries of bird migration: Why do birds travel such long distances? How do they know the routes? Do they migrate in family groups or in stages? Each species tells its own remarkable story.

Weather permitting, mornings will be spent bird banding at Sugarloaf Cove and Wolf Ridge. Participants will observe which species are moving through during fall migration and learn how to identify them in the hand — including those tricky fall warblers. We’ll also look at migration updates from Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, gaining insights into patterns, risks, and the journeys of both familiar and uncommon Minnesota birds.

Beyond banding, the group will track raptor migration along the North Shore, practice identifying birds in flight, and explore both the Lake Superior shoreline and inland sites near Wolf Ridge. Together, we’ll uncover the rhythms of the season’s great migration and the fascinating stories behind it.