What exactly is it about a sunny day that seems to bring out the best in everything? From people to plants, and of course, to birds, the entire world rejoices in the splendor of bright daylight. With the exception of plants (who take that wonderful sunlight and turn into vital life energy), perhaps no other being knows how to take advantage of those warm golden rays from above more than raptors. When the time is right (usually by late morning), raptors spread their wings and begin to test the atmosphere for warm thermal updrafts. These invisible air-elevators are created through the benign intervention of our Sun, which becomes an elusive, mythical entity during the winter months here in Northern Michigan. But on a perfectly sunny day in early spring, it may as well be Old Home Week here at Whitefish Point.
Today I am being greeted by Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald and Golden Eagles, Sharp-shinned and Goshawks. An American Kestrel zips by while first-of-the-year Turkey Vultures command the breeze and large flocks of Sandhill Cranes bugle in perfect harmony with the day. I can’t help but feel like all my old friends are finally coming home. I haven’t seen or heard from them in months, and while they have not wasted a single stray thought on me, I have not forgotten them at all. Admittedly, it’s a one-sided relationship; there is not even an inkling of an acknowledgment of my existence on their part, yet my fondness for them is all the stronger for it.
Feeling like a cheerleader on the sidewalk along the route of a marathon, I welcome them back and wish them speed and success on their journey. It’s strange to think that I live my life in service to birds who will never know me and never thank me for my hard work. Yet, even as I write these words, I know that they are not true. My thanks are brought to me on wind and wings and in knowing my feathered friends are finally back. So wake the kids, phone the neighbors, and welcome the sunshine with me; better days and more raptors are coming!
~ 2020 Spring Hawk Counter Rich Couse
If you are considering visiting the Point, please read this important message from Michigan Audubon and WPBO Field Staff.
Maneuvering the ever-changing implications of COVID-19 has necessitated constant adaptation and evaluation for us all. Michigan Audubon and WPBO have been proactive in taking measures that protect our staff, our physical community in Paradise, and the Michigan birding community, and we have found American Birding Association’s recent guidelines on birding and social distancing a useful resource for guiding bird-related travel decisions. While there are hopeful signs that we are rounding the corner with this virus, Michigan Audubon does not want to sow precocious optimism that encourages long-distance travel. Please take a minute to read these ABA guidelines, and to imagine them through the lens of the eastern Upper Peninsula, which does not have the medical resources of Michigan’s more-developed areas. Chippewa County and its adjacent counties have just three hospitals, and only one of these has more than 100 beds; they all are at least an hour’s drive from the Point. WPBO appreciates and requests your continued conscientiousness as the season’s migration begins to ramp up, and does not condone birding travel that is not local. Keep in mind that the Owl’s Roost Gift Shop and public observation of owl banding are currently closed. In the meantime, we will virtually share the Point with you as best we can until it is safe for all parties to enjoy it together. We hope that will be soon.
