For those of you who missed it, this past Saturday was International Migratory Bird Day, and with strong north winds once again bringing migration to a halt, I had plenty of time for reflection. Once upon a time, hawk migration season meant it was time to go out and shoot as many hawks as possible. It is a shameful part of our past that is largely unknown to the general public. Even if mentioned in conversation, it quickly gets dismissed and filed under “It Couldn’t Be That Bad.” But, it was that bad, and there are pictures to prove it. I don’t feel it is my place to share those pictures in a blog that is not entirely my own, but I can describe them, photos of proud men with guns standing by heaps of dead hawks, larger raptors strung up by their legs, hanging limp and lifelessly. But seriously, who are we to judge? As humanity evolves and becomes more enlightened, we will unerringly look back on the past and view the innumerable atrocities committed with horror. Were these hawk hunters bad men? I really don’t think so. What I do think is that they were people of their time. All I can really say about the whole thing is that I am glad times have changed, at least where raptors are concerned. Well, almost, there are still people in our country who will shoot anything. In my own career, I have followed a transmitter I put on an Osprey only to find a gunned-down bird. Unfortunately, in our time, violence against wildlife continues. That is why it is so important to have a day of recognition and celebration if only to see how far we have come and how far we have yet to go.
Here at Whitefish Point, I have been staring at an empty sky all week. A sky that has given me time to wonder if the wholesale slaughter of hawks had been allowed to continue, is this what it would be like every day? Thankfully, I know that is not the case. Through the hard work of conservationists that have come before me, we now watch hawks with reverence, not rifles. It has been those darn winds from the north! I honestly have nothing significant to report. There have been a few stalwart Sharpies and Harriers pressing on, but largely, birds are scarce. Even passerines are few and far between. It has been a silent spring. I do choose to remain optimistic, though, so I predict that the first day with southerly winds will have the potential to be the biggest day of the season. And, that my friends, is also what a day like International Migratory Bird Day celebrates. I will just be celebrating several days later than the calendar intended.
Peace.
Author: Rich Couse, Hawk Counter Spring 2020
ALERT: Michigan Audubon’s Birdathon is coming! On the weekend of May 23-24, WPBO field staff will be counting birds to raise money to help continue our various projects. If you would like to donate to the cause, every little bit helps. You can do so by visiting my fundraising page by clicking HERE
Thank you!
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.
