Bad weather tested the second week of the count. Drizzle, light rain, and drifting snow, coupled with strong northern and northwest winds, provided less-than-optimal conditions for observation on most days. On March 20, I had to interrupt the count because of whiteouts.

Bald Eagles were the only regularly recorded species, with a few adults and immature birds moving east and northeast along the coastline. March 22 was a good day for Golden Eagles, with five observed during a short break in the weather in early afternoon. The first Merlin (an adult female) was seen on March 23. No sightings of buteos, accipiters, or other raptors in recent days.

Fresh wildlife tracks on the morning of March 23. These were likely of coyotes, two animals traveling side by side. Photo by Michael Patrikeev

Fresh tracks of canids (animals from the dog family) were seen on the snow next to the boardwalk on March 23. A local resident asked me about wolf tracks in the area only a day earlier. Although the tracks could potentially be from wolves, I am inclined to think that those were coyotes; the paw imprints were too small for a wolf… Unless wolves are smaller in Michigan.

The 2024 Great Lakes shipping season opened on March 22, and steaming cargo ships are becoming a common sight.

~ Michael Patrikeev
2024 Raptor Counter

You can see updates for the 2024 Raptor Count on hawkcount.org, read Michael’s weekly blog post, and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X) for raptor count highlights this season. The raptor count runs March 15 through May 31.

Michael Patrikeev, M.S., is a graduate of St. Petersburg State University (Russia) and studied diurnal birds of prey for his M.S. In later years, he worked at the Lower-Svir Nature Reserve in Russia, and then headed the wildlife inventory section at the Ecological Centre of Azerbaijan. He conducted avifaunal surveys and inventories in the latter country and published “The Birds of Azerbaijan” in 2004. Michael arrived in Canada in 1992 and has since worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Parks Canada, The Nature Conservancy, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Michael is semi-retired and works in Canada and the United States for wildlife-related contracts. His private interests include the conservation of tropical birds and amphibians.