The second week of the Raptor Count was a fairly chilly one, but productive! The largest flight of the week occurred on March 18, with a total of 40 raptors! Eagles led the charge; 15 Bald Eagles powered by, and 14 Golden Eagles spent quite a bit of time wandering up and down the Point. The kettle of 11 Goldens was the most I have ever seen together at one time! It is always remarkable to observe these northern raptors on their way to Canadian high country. The most notable non-raptors were two Trumpeter Swans moving north over the bay, a hair on the early side.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
Subadult Bald Eagle. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
March 18 also produced the first Red-shouldered Hawks of the season. These buteos can be very similar in shape to Red-tailed Hawks at a distance, but their weak, shallow wingbeats often give them away. Several adults glided closely by, with snow-covered dunes illuminating their rufous underparts. March 19 and 20 were fairly quiet, mostly due to the low-pressure snow cell that dropped a few inches on the Upper Peninsula on the evening of the 19th.
A huge thank you to Aidan Place and Skye Haas for covering the count March 21–23! The 21st ended up being a pretty nice flight, including the season’s first American Goshawk and a season high Bald Eagle flight of 19! March 24 was a return to snowy conditions, and a few birds were active in the calm morning hours before stronger NW winds picked up. Afternoons peppered with snow showers and a stray raptor or two paint a classic early spring scene at Whitefish Point! The short-term forecast looks pretty similar to the past week, with primarily northerly winds and a mix of sun, clouds, and snow. Soon, lengthening photoperiod will take over, and we should begin to see increasing numbers of migrant raptors, in addition to finches, waterbirds, and other songbirds. Hope to see you at the Point!
~ Sean McLaughlin
2025 Raptor Counter
Featured photo: Adult Golden Eagle. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
Female type Pine Grosbeak. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
You can now see the raptor count data on Trektellen! Check it out at trektellen.nl/count/view/4562.
You can keep up with the 2025 Raptor Count by reading Sean’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X). The raptor count runs March 15 through May 31.
Sean is a hawk watcher from Pennsylvania, and his passion for raptors began at an early age while visiting nearby count sites. He cut his teeth on the Appalachian Ridges of Stone Mountain and Tussey Mountain before heading to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Since 2022, Sean has conducted spring and fall raptor counts at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota. He is particularly excited to explore the other end of Lake Superior and a different array of spring migrants at Whitefish Point. Sean loves to watch visible migration of birds and has grown particularly interested in morning flight counts of migrating non-raptors. When not watching birds migrate, Sean enjoys fly fishing, gravel biking, and thinking about migration.
