Tuesday, May 9, the big Sharp-shinned Hawk push happened. That day, your friendly neighborhood raptor counter tallied 1,443 sharpies. I believe it is safe to say that I look forward to the big sharpie day more than any other day during migration; it is simply chaos on wings. The counting is continuous, complex, and challenging, with hawks zipping right past your face while hundreds more dot the sky to the limit of your binoculars. Among all the other birds I attempt to keep track of — falcons, buteos, harriers, eagles, and everything in between — I also try to age the sharp-shins. The aging identification is basic, trying to estimate the ratio of adult to immature birds. This aging process allows me to gauge what stage their population is at in the migration time frame. The more immature birds seen, the closer we are to the end of migration. On this day, the young birds outnumbered the old nearly 6 to 1.
A week later, almost all the sharpies I am seeing are immatures. Perhaps it is no coincidence that passerine migration is only kicking in now. The Blue Jays arrived en masse along with large flocks of Black-capped Chickadees, and maybe they instinctively know these young raptors are less effective hunters than the experienced adults. While these little bird-eating hawks may be less effective, they are no less deadly. From the woods, I can hear the death cries of jays, prolonged and painful. It seems that the youngsters still like to play with their food. The young predators have still not quite perfected the art of the quick kill, and I have seen more than a few birds escape their less experienced talons. Still, while the sharpies are here at Whitefish Point, even though larger, stronger avian predators are patrolling the air, with their sheer numbers, it is the smallest among our accipiters that rule the skies.
As always, thank you for reading!
~ Rich Couse
2022 Spring Raptor Counter
Featured photo: Sharp-shinned Hawk with Blue Jay. Photo by Rich Couse
Support WPBO’s Research During Birdathon on May 28
Our skilled team of bird counters and volunteers at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory will set out on a mission to count as many bird species as possible in one day on May 28, 2022, as part of an annual fundraising event supporting the amazing work happening at WPBO! In 2021, a whopping 152 species were counted and the event brought in $6,826.65! Let’s hope this year is just as successful.
This is where you come in! Because our work is 100% donor-funded, Birdathon provides all of our supporters with an opportunity to make a significant impact on our work by making a pledge or direct donation to Birdathon (even after the event). Any amount is helpful, but have some fun with it and consider letting your donation or pledge be inspired by a per-species amount.
Learn more about Birdathon and find links to donate at wpbo.org/birdathon.
Thank you so much to everyone who supports the work being done at WPBO!
