The week of April 23 to 29, we had highs and lows. As many as 1,024 raptors (most of them Broad-winged Hawks) were observed at the Point on April 25, and as few as nine on April 29. Wind direction seems to be the decisive factor on most days. For example, on April 27, it rained on and off, but the prevailing winds were from the southeast. During two short breaks in the weather, over 400 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 137 Northern Harriers flew over the Point — between 4 and 5 p.m., there were 10–15 harriers in the air at times! The foul weather was followed by sun and clouds and seemingly ideal flight conditions on the 28th, but only about 100 raptors were seen; northern winds are the likely culprit.

~ Michael Patrikeev
2024 Raptor Counter

Featured photo: Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight. Photo by Michael Patrikeev

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.