Spring Waterbird Count 4/15-4/22- Week 1

Hi everyone, I am Martina Nordstrand, and I’m the Spring 2025 Waterbird Counter for Whitefish Point Bird Observatory! I’m excited to spend this spring counting at the point and seeing some great visible migration over Lake Superior. I am originally from North Carolina, so when I arrived in Paradise last week, it was definitely a change of pace from the southeast! While the season officially started April 15, the work really began on the 12th, when we moved the waterbird shack out to its location on the beach. It took us a couple of hours, but we successfully moved the shack without any major issues. Many thanks again to the volunteers that made this possible!

I had quite the first day on the 15th. The lake welcomed me to the UP with a strong nor’wester, with temperatures remaining steadily at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, 28mph northwest winds that increased to 35mph by the afternoon, and constant snow squalls. I was extra thankful for the shack! The first waterbird of the count was American Herring Gull, followed shortly by a hen Long-tailed Duck headed north. While waterbirds will move through poor weather, it was a fairly slow day with only a few species moving. The highlight for me was a Short-eared Owl being harassed by American Herring Gulls, which forced the owl into the dunes.

The waves of Lake Superior by Martina Nordstrand

By comparison, April 16 was an absolutely beautiful day. While the winds were still out of the north and moderate, it was clear and sunny which made the cold much more tolerable. Waterbird movement was still quite slow, but at sunrise I had my first Common Loons of the season (soon to be many more!) and an American Wigeon shortly after. A sleek adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was also flying above the harbor, but unfortunately didn’t settle with the rest of the gull flock. In the afternoon, there was some Sandhill Crane movement with a few small flocks winging their way north. The main bird highlight of this day was also a non-waterbird; a Black Vulture made an appearance over the point, the 6th record for Whitefish Point on eBird. I was especially pleased to pick out this familiar southern species!

Black Vulture by Martina Nordstrand

April 17th was the first day of southerly winds, which was a welcome change. It was beautifully clear and breezy, and the birds were moving! I got many first-of-season species, including Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, and Wood Duck. Killdeer was the first shorebird of the season, unsurprisingly. After the first few hours of the day, waterfowl movement really slowed, but Sandhill Cranes started to push as the day got warmer. I ended with a solid 412 cranes, with many more to come.

Sandhill Cranes by Martina Nordstrand

April 18th and 19th were both foggy days, with favorable SE winds on the 18th and less favorable NW winds on the 19th. Regardless, several species were first of season; Horned Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Greater Yellowlegs, American Black Duck, and Green-winged Teal were new on the 18th, and Northern Pintail was added on the 19th. On the 19th, I was visited by a great ornithology class from Northern Michigan University who also found 2 Short-eared Owls on the beach! One of the non-waterbird highlights were the swarms of Dark-eyed Juncos that took over the Point during these dreary days. At one point, I had a flock of over 80 around the shack. 3 juncos entered the shack and one even landed on my tablet!

Common Loon in flight by Martina Nordstrand

April 20 was a clear and pretty day, with only one new season addition- a male Ring-necked Duck that traveled with a female Common Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser. I was a bit surprised to see such a diverse little flock, but it was fun! Waterfowl movement was pretty slow, but at least it was a gorgeous day. The real highlight came in the last hour and a half of a count, when I gained 1030 Sandhill Cranes in less than 90 minutes! It was an incredible sight to pan to the southwest and see hazy lines upon lines of cranes heading to Canada. This day the birds were committed, and all the birds I counted crossed the bay. What a treat!

Migrating Sandhill Cranes by Martina Nordstrand

The weather continued to switch, and on April 21 it was a dreary and drizzly day. Louie Dombroski filled in on my day off, and he managed to get a couple of FOS birds- Northern Shoveler and Redhead!

April 22 was perhaps the most pleasant weather day of the week, and marked 1 week since the count began. Unfortunately for counters, typically nice weather days don’t mean big waterbird movements, and that was mostly the case for the 21st. The wind was lighter NW and it was nice and sunny, to the point where I could finally shed some layers. I was pleased to see a few Red-necked Grebes moving, even if I only counted 11. Similar to the 20th, in the afternoon hours more Sandhill Cranes moved, with 318 being counted.

I’m looking forward to the coming week, which has a few days of promising south winds. Be sure to follow the count on Trektellen at https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4209/. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see some of you out there at the shack!

Martina Nordstrand, 2025 Spring Waterbird Counter