This past week has been quite interesting. Visitors to the Point, including Michigan Audubon’s September tour participants, were treated to incredibly good weather for the last week of September. While the weather and temperatures have been unseasonably pleasant, this prolonged stretch of east-southeasterly breeze has essentially stalled much of the major pushes of waterbird migration. This weather pattern has spanned nearly two weeks (the last front was Sept. 16), and the end is just barely in sight, with this forecast continuing at least through next week.
Even with the less-than-favorable wind direction, a slow and steady trickle of migrant waterfowl keeps things lively. Both species of loons continue showing off their breeding plumage and have begun to push through in good numbers. Over 200 loons (70 red-throated and 136 common) migrated past the Point on Sept. 23 alone. In addition, the first Pacific Loon of the season passed on the morning of Sept. 27.
A Common Loon (still in breeding plumage) migrating directly over the waterbird shack. Photo by Mike McBrien
Good pushes of American Wigeons and Northern Pintails continue, and diving duck numbers continue to build, with Greater Scaup making up the majority this past week. Red-breasted Mergansers and Surf Scoters have also started pushing through in small numbers while we still await the first Black Scoter of the season.
We are also entering an interim period between the end of the biggest Common Tern pushes and the beginning of late fall Bonaparte’s Gull migration. Our resident gull species (ring-billed and herring) have been noticed to be moving in small numbers over the past week, and those numbers should be expected to increase as we move into October.
Among other highlights, Pine Siskins have been irrupting into the Upper Peninsula over the past three weeks. They began migrating through Whitefish Point in very strong numbers this week, beginning on Sept. 22. Sept. 23 was complete finch mayhem, with over 7,000 Pine Siskins migrating past the Point. This eclipsed the previous high count for the Point by nearly double. The flight was still going strong even into Sept. 24. The Harris’s Sparrow continued around the feeders through Sept. 23. Warblers are still moving through but have begun tapering off, and now the sparrows are in!
A juvenile Northern Harrier delights observers at the Point over the weekend. Photo by Mike McBrien
~ Mike McBrien
2023 Fall Waterbird Counter
Featured photo: A flock of Red-breasted Mergansers migrating past the Point during a slow week in migration. Photo by Mike McBrien
