I woke up this morning and brewed my coffee extra strong. My head was still reeling from a whirlwind weekend of raptors and visitors brought up to Whitefish Point by sunny skies, favorable winds, and warmer temperatures that reached way up into the 40s! Yet, before I even opened my eyes, I was seeing Rough-legged Hawks. I could hear a light rain pattering on the tin roof outside my bedroom window. Pulling a pillow over my face, I blocked out the gray light of dawn while plumage variations between light morph rough-legged males and females danced in my head. After having such a great weekend, it was no surprise that I had raptors on the brain. However, from the cast of dim light and the sound of wind and rain outside, I could tell things were returning to normal just in time for Monday morning.

Eventually, I let my curiosity get the better of me, and I started my day the way I imagine every migration counter starts their day — by checking the weather app. The rain was not going to last, and in fact, it was over before I finished brushing my teeth, but the misty fog would remain, so I mentally prepared myself for a long, raw day of cold, damp weather. I took my time, letting my freshly ground coffee beans steep in my French press longer than usual, allowing the steaming hot water to extract every last essential oil from the grinds, and then filling my Yeti thermos to the brim. I leave no room for cream or sugar; my beverage is dark, bold, and bitterly beautiful. Its aroma hits all the pleasure centers in my brain, and this is what will sustain me as I nurse it throughout the morning as I make it last as long as possible.

During the misty morning hours, I reflect on the past week and I couldn’t be happier. There was a good reason why my first thoughts of the day were on raptor identification. If you have been reading my blog since the beginning of the season, you know migration has been a long time coming, but at long last raptors are moving in good numbers. On April 28, we had 319 Broad-winged Hawks, and on April 29, we had 984 Sharp-shinned Hawks. Young eagles have also been on the move, and in the past week, we have counted 69 Bald Eagles and 13 Golden Eagles. However, this past weekend, the highlight on the hawk deck was an immature, dark morph Swainson’s Hawk (pictured above) that also happened to be our second Swainson’s Hawk of the season! This raptor is native to the Great Plains and open country of the western United States, making it a rare visitor to points east of the Mississippi River and a special treat for the lucky people standing on the hawk deck here at Whitefish Point watching it share the sky with its more common brethren.

While the forecast for the next couple of days looks poor for raptor migration, at this time, it does look to be clearing up towards the end of the week. So, until then, I will keep drinking my hot coffee and hoping for warmer, sunnier days more suitable for the month of May. As always, thank you for reading, and keep your eyes on the skies.

~ Rich Couse
2022 Spring Raptor Counter

Featured photo: Swainson’s Hawk. Photo by Rich Couse