When I get my first triple-digit Bonaparte’s Gull flight of the spring, that’s a harbinger: time to start going out for night flight. Today, May 10, 499 Bonys, delicate and ternlike, traveled north during the day’s count. I kept my word, loaded up around 8:30 p.m., walked down the beach towards the tip as the sun was settling into the jack pines. The body protested — it begging for more sleep than it’s been getting — but my heart won. I’m glad it did. There was a great sunset, a few White-winged Scoters, an American Bittern, a couple of Black-bellied Plovers to whistle to, and two little packs of Bonaparte’s that were so lovely. The synchrony of their flight, the white wingflash, the trim black hoods — so beautiful over Superior at sunset.

The setting of my first night flight of this spring (May 10, 2023). Photo by Alison Világ

Today was one of spring’s best at the waterbird count so far: the first Common Tern of the season (traveling with a Bonaparte’s flock), another Harlequin Duck, my biggest Long-tailed Duck (120) and Red-throated Loon (65) flights of the spring so far; a Swainson’s Hawk overhead, and a Boreal Chickadee in with the Black-capped Chickadee flock were all enjoyed, and the Common Loon flight keeps flowing: I counted 517 today, and the season total is already at 3,970! Right now, this is the highest spring count since 2013 and the second-highest in 20 years.

Shorebirds are surprisingly sparse at the waterbird count so far this season, but a Marbled Godwit on May 5 was a nice find. Piping Plovers are back on the beach; the last two mornings, wonderfully still, plover courtship has been a dominant sound out at the shack, softening the sting of the really bad hours that migration enthusiasts like us keep at this season. Nothing else is sleeping, it seems — so why should we?

Piping Plovers are back at WPBO’s beach! Photo by Alison Világ

As always, thank you for reading. 

~ Alison Vilag
Spring 2023 WPBO Waterbird Counter

Featured photo: Pack of Bonaparte’s Gulls passing the Point on a night flight in 2019. Photo by Alison Világ

You can see live updates for the 2023 Spring Waterbird Count on Dunkadoo, read Alison’s weekly blog post, and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for waterbird count highlights this season.