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 [...]
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 [...]
The first Long-eared Owl of the fall season. Photo by Sarah Montalvo Howdy! Since our last update, we've banded 50 more Northern Saw-whet Owls, with our best night of the season being 22 in one night. There's been a late flight with northern saw-whets that still have juvenile plumage the past couple [...]
This past week featured the most exciting and dynamic migration activity so far this season at Whitefish Point! Pileated Woodpecker in active migration passing by the Waterbird Shack. Photo by Mike McBrien. The dabbling duck diversity is coming into full swing, with some nice flights of wigeon and pintails. This past week [...]
Greetings from the WPBO banding station! We’ve just wrapped up our first week of the 2023 fall owl banding season, and our first night (September 14/15) yielded nine Northern Saw-whet Owls, the season high so far. Our next three nights were a bit slower — we banded three Northern Saw-whet Owls on Friday night, [...]
The week started with one of the largest pushes of waterbirds so far this fall. A strong northeasterly breeze blowing down from the southern Hudson Bay brought an enormous flight of Canada Geese on Sept. 7. A few flocks were evident in the early morning. However, once 10 o'clock came around, migrant groups began [...]
This past week has been highlighted by an early fall heat wave that stretched across much of the Midwest, bringing balmy temperatures reaching almost 80 degrees on at least four days. On multiple days, the strong southerly breeze accompanying this heat wave had thwarted southbound migration, with waterbirds reluctant to spend excess energy fighting [...]
Over the past week, the waterbird count has experienced a couple slower days of migration but has also been highlighted by the arrival of several new species and a few interesting sightings. Red-necked Grebes continue moving in good numbers and have been the most prevalent species on flight days. August 25 showcased a large [...]
This past week was bookended by two strong weather fronts, each bringing an interesting array of waterbirds to the area. A powerful cold front passed across the region on the morning of Aug. 17. Down-pouring rain and a strong southerly breeze met me upon arrival at the waterbird shack. After three hours of pelting [...]
