"It's just beautiful," said Barry Bast, who came from Manitowoc, Wis., with his wife for the annual Hawk Weekend Festival.
This weekend marked the height of the annual bird migration that brings 75,000 raptors and 200,000 birds of other sorts to Duluth's skies, a treat for birders or anyone with an avian appreciation.
Duluth marks a good stopover point for many traveling birds looking to ride some thermals before they continue soaring south for the winter. The lake acts as a net, catching bald eagles, broad-winged hawks, sharp-shinned hawks and lots more.
The observatory has a few real nets, too, and just before noon Sunday a crowd gathered to see a recently banded red-tailed hawk get released back to the skies.
It was Bast who gave the bird a gentle toss, letting go of the talons and eliciting some oohs and ahhs from spectators as the hawk spread its wings and grabbed some warm air to glide on.
Though Bast said he and his wife can see red-tailed hawks in their eastern Wisconsin backyard, the appeal of Hawk Ridge was too strong to keep them at home.
Obviously, it's not just birds who migrate through the Twin Ports this time of year, as the hundreds of folks passing along the hillside show.
