As the saying goes: April showers bring May raptors. This past April brought its fair share of precipitation (in the form of rain and snow) and opposing northwest headwinds. In spite of less favorable conditions during certain blocks of the month, the raptor count was able to complete the month with an above-average monthly total of migrant raptors relative to the recent 10-year (2013–2022) average. A total of 5,952 migrant raptors were logged throughout the month compared to a 10-year average of 4,867, which includes the delayed start to the count beginning on April 8 (166 count hours this month compared to the 10-year average of 217). Of the 16 different migrant diurnal raptor species tallied from the hawk deck over April, seven species had a higher-than-average monthly total while eight had a lower-than-monthly total:
Higher-than-Average (April): Turkey Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle
Lower-than-Average (April): Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Goshawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon
April 2023 Raptor Count Totals
Turkey Vulture: 552
Osprey: 17
Bald Eagle: 108
Northern Harrier: 143
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2,573
Cooper’s Hawk: 20
Northern Goshawk: 6
Red-shouldered Hawk: 24
Broad-winged Hawk: 1,094
Red-tailed Hawk: 750
Rough-legged Hawk: 443
Golden Eagle: 34
American Kestrel: 156
Merlin: 16
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Following three slower days in the first half of the week due to a mix of precipitation and blustery northern winds, a reservoir of migrants seemed to be backed up south of the Point and came flooding north by April 28, despite light east winds. SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS were spilling over the dunes for hours, like a broken levee, following sunrise. An incessant chatter of hand clickers rang out as the procession of small accipiters was counted. By the end of the count, nearly 500 would be tallied, and this momentum carried over into the following two days (April 29 and 30). Following these three days alone, a total of 1,007 sharpies would be logged (nearly 40% of the monthly total). April 28 also saw a second SHORT-EARED OWL of the season working its way slowly up the shoreline from the south towards the Point in the final hour of the count, as well as the best OSPREY flight (9) of the spring to date. Several beautiful DARK-MORPH RED-TAILED HAWKS were spotted passing over the dunes over the month’s final days, spiraling in late-day thermals (adding to the mystique of the calurus vs. abieticola subspecies debate).
The final day of the month brought the best raptor flight of the season so far. Fortunately, it came on a beautifully sunny Sunday on the Point, with a fantastic mix of visitors who happily shared their mixed stories of visiting over the past decades. Weather conditions were less favorable at the beginning of the count; however, SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS were pushing north consistently in spite of this, with several hundred logged in just the first two hours. The cloud ceiling broke, and the sun began to warm the earth into the late morning hours, providing a buffet of thermals for buteos and vultures to ride upon. The first BROAD-WINGED HAWK kettles began appearing by 10 a.m. as incredibly distant flecks of blackish dust on the hazy southwest horizon. First, just a few hundred, but quickly amassing into a swirling, erratic mass of avian biomass as the morning progressed, until the largest single count at any given time logged 940 birds. This was an early push of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS (even if it came on the final day of April), with April 2007 being the most recent year where a larger monthly total (1,368) was tallied. Historically, the larger kettles do not begin to appear on the Point until slightly into May; however, it was a welcomed treat to those visitors on the hawk deck as groups of visitors looked skyward with quiet yet audible gasps as a sea of hawks spiraled directly overhead for hours. In addition to a great buteo flight, the final day of April also brought a fantastic GOLDEN EAGLE flight (13) while a mix of immature birds continued to appear to the south and work their way towards the northeast, crossing out onto the lake well into the final hours of the count. At times, up to four different goldens could be spotted spiraling high to the sky’s ceiling in the abundant thermals.
The first day of May brought a return of raw precipitation (rain/snow) with gale-force winds from the northwest, and no raptor count was conducted. However, April count totals instill a seed of hawkwatching optimism, and, with any luck, May will be blooming with abundant migrant raptors to enjoy.
~ Jess Cosentino
2023 Spring Raptor Counter
Featured Photo: Adult Broad-winged Hawk spirals over the dunes on April 29, 2023. Photo by Jess Cosentino
