This past week was quite interesting and fun at the waterbird shack; it featured two heavy waterbird flights on Oct. 20 and Oct. 25, with lighter days of waterfowl migration in between. However, among those lighter days, the Point experienced two potentially record-breaking days for passerine migration. The forecast for Oct. 20 looked good [...]
This past week, we had our biggest flight of the fall season so far. On Oct. 18 and 19, we were closed due to weather. When we reopened on Oct. 20, we banded two Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) and one Barred Owl (BDOW). One of the NSWO weighed in at 108 grams, which is [...]
It was a fairly slow start to the week, with waterbirds continuing to trickle through the area following the strong front on Oct. 8. The weekend forecast looked quite interesting, with a strong north-northeasterly flow across the region wrapping back around behind a low-pressure system and cold front passing well to our south. The [...]
The first Boreal Owl of the 2023 fall season. Photo by Liv Ridley It's been a very busy week here at Whitefish Point! Migration is in full effect. We've been getting lots of birds, mostly Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) but also Barred, Long-eared, and Boreal Owls. On October 11, we banded 16 [...]
This past week featured the strongest week of migration so far, and each day brought a different mix of waterbirds. On Oct. 5, a weak rain front passed over the region in the predawn hours. This was the same morning as the historic fallout across Chicago and the southern Lake Michigan area, widely broadcast [...]
Howdy! We've had nets closed most of this week due to rain and strong winds. However, last Thursday, there was a great flight before the storms blew through this weekend. It was our fifth double-digit night! We also got our second encounter of the season, a Northern Saw-whet Owl. We're still trying to determine [...]
The week got off to a slow start on Sept. 28 and 29 with a continuing, unfavorable, southeasterly breeze. Luckily, this was followed by the three most productive days of the season so far! The forecast for Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 did not seem very optimistic, with high pressure, pleasant temperatures, and a [...]
Hey there, folks! It's been a steady week here at the banding station. Wednesday and Thursday night, each brought seven Northern Saw-whet Owls. Friday was busier; we hit double digits for the third time this season, banding 11 Northern Saw-whets and one Barred Owl. The pace slowed slightly on Saturday night — we only [...]
