Well, our streak of good weather has come to an end. The beginning of October brought enough wind and rain to keep nets closed all or part of about half of the nights this past week. Fortunately, it seems the owls are still migrating in decent numbers as we had yet another night of [...]
The term “rare bird” transcends the birding community. Defined as “An unusual or exceptional person or thing,” we refer to a wide array of the unexpected with this wordage. As far as we’re concerned here at the fall waterbird count, the rare birds we’re looking for are those birds who we don’t regularly expect to [...]
Welcome back! It’s been an exciting week since our last update. The week was full of season firsts, starting with our first Long-eared Owl! That same night (Sept. 22), we also caught our first bird with retained juvenile plumage. This particular bird was starting to show the streaky brown and white breast feathers seen [...]
It’s abundantly clear that Whitefish Point is a great spot for birds. While the geography is the central factor which steers the diversity we experience at the fall waterbird count, the habitats offered by the point play a significant role. Many birds are specialists. With roughly 10,000 known species on the planet, it’s of obvious [...]
The first Northern Saw-whet Owl banded this fall. Hi everyone! We’re Kate and Eliana, the owl banders this fall. We’d like to introduce ourselves, but first, let’s get to the reason why we’re all here: the owls. The fall banding season had an auspicious beginning with six Northern Saw-whet Owls caught prior [...]
September 15 marked one month since we started the waterbird count this fall. If you look at the data we’ve collected thus far, you might see some trends emerge. Some species have largely departed, some are beginning to show up in numbers. While a few of these changes happened quickly, like the gigantic flight days [...]
Pomarine Jaeger by cotinis on Flickr There are few words that can bring immediate focus to a group of avid birders. Typically we’re occupied with scanning the horizon, looking in every direction, actively listening for chips and chirps and in general trying to take in everything from every angle. The more eyes and [...]
...sailors take warning.” This saying tells us that under a red morning sky you can expect weather coming your way. Today couldn’t have been a better affirmation of this thousands of years old saying. A beautiful morning sky foretold the gale that came in the afternoon, shaking the waterbird shack and observers(read here for an [...]
Today was an astounding day at Whitefish Point. We had a nice variety of species, some high counts, and a few surprises. 1,413 Red-necked Grebe, 569 Blue-winged Teal, a Black Scoter, two jaegers, and a Whimbrel were some notable sightings. Looking at the forecast, today looked like it was going to be a day with [...]
The first week of the Fall Waterbird Count is approaching its end, and let me say it has been an exciting one. Before we delve into the details, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Steve and I’ll be the counter for this fall. I’m very excited to be in such a beautiful place [...]
