The first week of April is a time of great anticipation. If the weather cooperates, massive early raptor flights can occur; if the weather does not cooperate, it can be reminiscent of March. This year, we were somewhere right in the middle, with a couple of days of decent flight and a few early spring storms.
April 1st was a great start to the month, headlined by 3 American Goshawks and 11 Bald Eagles. Thermal development is really starting to increase on sunny days, and several of the Bald Eagles arrived late in the day as sky-high specks that effortlessly glided out over the lake. April 2nd was a bit of a dud after a morning liftoff. A large rain/snow cell to the south seemed to clog the pipeline, and the count ended a half hour early when the precipitation arrived.
Adult American Goshawk by Sean McLaughlin
Adult Bald Eagle by Sean McLaughlin
The weekend arrived with some promise with southerly winds. The first waterfowl are beginning to arrive, notably Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Northern Pintail, and American Wigeon. These days with southerly winds were also decent for passerines, with a significant uptick in American Robins, blackbirds, and several triple-digit Redpoll flights. Along with the non-raptors, Red-tailed Hawks really showed up with 26 on 4/4 and 33 on 4/6! Kettles were high and distant in the deep blue sky, but it was sure nice to see swirling masses of birds.
Raptor flights are also diversifying. Sharp-shinned Hawks are on the rise, alongside Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers. Keep an eye on some upcoming southerly winds this week and next weekend for some big Rough-legged Hawk flights! I am hoping to keep this energy going into mid-April, and before we know it, the raptors will be as thick as clouds up here. Hope to see you at the Point!
Sean McLaughlin, 2025 Spring Raptor Counter
Featured photo: Hawk Deck at Sunrise by Sean McLaughlin.
Adult Red-tailed Hawk 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 who has enjoyed watching birds migrate for over 15 years. A lifelong birder and naturalist, Sean has counted raptors at Stone Mountain and Tussey Mountain hawk watches in PA, before moving to the shore of Lake Superior. He has led the count team for four seasons at Hawk Ridge and three at the West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth, Minnesota, instilling a deep love for the Great Lakes. In Duluth, Sean also conducts morning flight counts of passerines and other migrants. Outside of the world of watching migration, Sean has studied American Goshawks in the mountains of Oregon, breeding birds in northern Minnesota, and instructed courses at Hog Island Audubon Camp. He is excited to return to eastern Lake Superior for a second spring at Whitefish Point, particularly for the epic Sharp-shinned Hawk and Common Loon flights.
