It never ceases to amaze me how dependent a day, or even a week, can be on the weather. Only by spending every entire day outside can one even begin to appreciate how sheltered and comfortable our human lives are. With the exception of an unfortunate segment of our population, spending time outdoors is a voluntary option for most of us. We go from our home to our vehicle, to our office, and back without having to take the weather into consideration. Even so, we still complain about the weather and talk about the weather; I would wager that the weather is one of the most talked-about subjects in our lives. Even when there is nothing else to talk about, we can still talk about the weather. So, guess what? After a week of bad weather, I am left with sparse subject matter, so I am going to write about the weather!
For the past week, strong winds prevailing from the north have put a standstill to raptor migration, keeping daily totals in the double — and even single — digits. Highlights from the week include Northern Goshawk and Cooper’s Hawk. The winds have kept buteos largely out of the sky, but a few Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks braved a crossing of the lake before turning around. The real story of the week has been Sandhill Crane migration; these strong flyers are not so easily swayed by headwinds and have been crossing out over the lake by the thousands. They can even be heard in the dead of night, flying out over the Point. I would estimate that over 10,000 have crossed in just the past few days.
The extended forecast does not predict a change in the unfavorable winds anytime soon, so I anticipate more than a few long days of empty sky watching ahead. Still, passerine migration is on; yesterday brought in a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a flock of Fox Sparrows who treated me to a serenade outside my hawk shack, which totally made my daytime! As always, thank you for reading, and tune in next week to see what the wind has blown in.
~ Rich Couse
2021 Spring Hawk Counter
Photo by Rich Couse
You can see live updates for the 2021 Spring Hawk Count on Dunkadoo, read Rich’s weekly blog post, and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for hawk count highlights this season.
If you visit WPBO, please practice social distancing while doing so. Although not required, we encourage you to wear masks if you are in close proximity to other people, even if outdoors. If necessary, a capacity limit will be set for how many people can utilize the Hawk Deck simultaneously.
