By Gary Palmer, 2018 Spring Hawk Counter

Despite the thick blanket of snow which remains at Whitefish Point, there have been some clear indications that spring really is beginning. Today the thermometer crept above freezing for the first time this season, the warm air brought in by our first southerly winds. And along with the warm air, of course, came new birds! Sunday’s new arrivals were Turkey Vulture and American Kestrel, the first falcon of the season, bringing the season’s raptor list to a total of seven species.

Both Bald and Golden Eagles continue to have a strong showing; in fact, at least one Golden has been spotted all but one of the 12 days the count has run so far! Most of the Bald Eagles seen to date have been adults, though a few lately have been in their ‘transition’ plumage, showing an interesting combination of immature and adult traits to their plumage, including a bold Osprey-like eye stripe as their head molts from brown toward the unspoiled white of an adult.

Adult Northern Goshawk, Photo Skye Haas

Sunday, March 25, saw a new overall high count of raptors for the season, with a total of 25. In addition to one each of the aforementioned Turkey Vulture and Kestrel, Sunday’s high count included four Golden Eagles, six Northern Goshawks, 11 Bald Eagles, and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks.

Finches continue to dominate the numbers. By far the biggest slices of the pie chart shown on Dunkadoo represent two nomadic fringillids — Common Redpoll and White-winged Crossbill have combined for over 90% of the birds tallied since March 15. Though the big numbers we had been seeing most mornings have diminished the past couple days, these species are notorious for their unpredictability, so I’m excited to see whether they blow up again!