The shift into the third week of the spring raptor count was characterized by a consistent block of north winds and precipitation, yielding 548 raptor migrants (compared to the previous week of 1,933). The first two days (April 18 and 19) saw blustery northwest winds churning in off of the lake with minimal raptor movement into the headwind. April 20 had a heavy band of precipitation land on the Point by mid-morning, ending the count for the remainder of the day as rain fell steadily into the early evening. The following day (April 21) brought a return to southerly winds, and raptor migrants seemed to respond to those recent several days of less favorable conditions, as 11 different species were counted from the deck. A pair of immature GOLDEN EAGLES spent several minutes spiraling directly over the platform while mixing in with the small kettles of buteos above, providing excellent comparative looks from below. By the end of the day, the first triple-digit day count (152) of the week was tallied, comprised largely of RED-TAILED HAWKS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, and the first OSPREYS of the spring count from the hawk deck.
A pair of immature Golden Eagles circle together over the deck on April 12. Photo by Jess Cosentino
During the welcomed respite from poor winds coupled with rain, a second consecutive dry day (April 22) of southwest winds followed, prompting the best flight of the week (288). SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS were pouring over the dunes at treetop level throughout the first hour of the count, with well over 100 being tallied before noon and continued onward throughout most of the day. Meanwhile, a single large group (53) of TURKEY VULTURES lifted off in the morning hours yet seemed to linger around the Point for a while before pushing out. As the morning progressed, a large north-to-south band of precipitation was slowly moving in from the east, and it seemed as though raptor migrants were actively attempting to get a jump ahead of the leading edge of the storm, pushing northward quickly to cover as much ground as possible before the impending rain arrived. As the sun warmed the air, distant kettles to the south quickly began to materialize on the horizon like wisps of smoke. The first larger group of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS of the spring came gliding in together (all birds so far this season being individuals), joining together with the variety of raptor species on the move. At one point in the afternoon, a multi-species kettle of eight different raptor species (including four buteo species) spiraled together as the ominous wall of rain continued to crawl westward. Birds continued to push north into the late afternoon hours leading up to the arrival of the first raindrops on the hawk deck at the end of the count.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk migrating over the deck on April 13. Sharp-shinned Hawks were moving consistently on April 21 and 22, with 220 being tallied over the two days. Photo by Jess Cosentino
Coming off of this good push of raptor migrants, a return to raw, blistering northwest winds settled into the Point, with only 52 combined birds passing over the final two days of the week. We woke up this morning (April 24) to a blanket of fresh snow, several inches crunching below winter boots while ascending to the hawk deck. A wall of chunky white flakes dropped from a low cloud ceiling with minimal visibility in all directions as the call of a GREATER YELLOWLEGS rang out into the sky above the deck, followed shortly by a pair of SNOW BUNTINGS — two very different migratory bird species on very different migratory journeys over these next few weeks, converging briefly here at the Point. While conditions were less than favorable for most raptor migrants, a mix of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continued to appear out of the misty snowbank, like apparitions, quickly disappearing again into the curtain of white.
The current forecast calls for continued precipitation (snow and rain) persisting a bit into tomorrow, with both northwest winds and more chances of rain extending well into next weekend. This may not bode well for raptor movement north; however, any momentary breaks in less favorable conditions could yield pushes of birds. The first large kettles of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS of the spring are still on their way, with several already being reported just south of the Point in recent days. By the end of this upcoming week, the count will cross over into May, which often yields the majority of the spring count’s raptor migrants, so make the trip up to the Point to catch some great raptor migration days still ahead.
~ Jess Cosentino
2023 Spring Raptor Counter
Featured photo: Sharp-shinned Hawk. Photo by Jess Cosentino
