Spring Waterbird Count 5/13-5/19: Week 5

Hi everyone! The 5th week of the waterbird count has flown by! I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but like other weeks, it was a mixed bag of exciting days and quiet moments.

This is unfortunately my last full week as your waterbird counter. My last day of counting will be May 24th, just in time for WPBO’s Birdathon. I will be leaving early for my summer position in Jackson, Wyoming. It is definitely a bittersweet feeling; in the month and a half that I’ve spent at the Point, I’ve fallen in love with the spectacle of migration that occurs here. I will miss Whitefish Point, but for now let’s focus on this past week!

Dunlin by Martina Nordstrand

After the scoter frenzy of May 12th, the 13th was a much more typical day with some waterfowl movement, primarily White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser. This day was the first day we reached a triple digit day with Bonaparte’s Gulls, with 113 counted. A surprise Yellow-headed Blackbird overhead in morning flight was a great spot by one of our visitors! A few new waterbirds were counted for the season- Black-bellied Plover and Spotted Sandpiper.

Yellow-headed Blackbird by Martina Nordstrand

With fog and southerly winds in the forecast, I was excited to see what would fly by on the morning of the 14th. This was the first morning in which I had heavy fog throughout the day. Visibility was rough, and as such I had very slow days. The fog did drop in a few shorebirds on the beach- Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin, and Least Sandpiper.

Semipalmated Sandpiper by Martina Nordstrand

Similarly, I struggled to detect waterbirds on the 15th, but had a slightly more diverse day. The fog never truly burned off, but in the afternoon visibility rose enough for me to count a few Bonaparte’s Gulls, White-winged Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers. I also had my first Monarch butterfly of the season flying out over the lake to Canada!

After a couple of days of feeling rather glum about my counts and the weather, I had low expectations for the 16th. But this morning became one of the most fun and diverse mornings I’ve ever had in my birding career. Dense fog filled the first hour, but it began to lighten quickly as the sun rose. This stirred birds to move, and warblers began to lift off over the point behind me while also many flew in off the lake in front of me. The lake retained some fog throughout the day, but visibility was much better. This lingering fog appeared to confuse a few waterbirds, and I picked up my first Gadwall for the season as well as a few other random dabblers- Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, and Wood Duck. I also picked up a Short-billed Dowitcher on the beach, new for the season. By mid-morning, much of the warbler and songbird flight had ceased, and had switched to bands of warblers flitting through the pines behind me. While the volume of waterbirds was fairly low, diversity was high and I ended with 94 species detected for the day! Along with May 12, this day is a strong contender for favorite day of the count.

Greater Scaup and hen Surf Scoter by Martina Nordstrand

The 17th was my final morning of dealing with fog, and this day started with a cold drizzle. I honestly wasn’t in a great mood thanks to the lack of bird movement and poor weather- I had gotten a bit damp and cold. But any negative emotions I was feeling immediately vanished as the crown jewel of any waterbird count flew past the shack, heading towards the harbor- a male Harlequin Duck! A fantastic record for the spring count, only the 7th occurence for the entire history of the count! The bird apparently rested in the harbor to the delight of dozens of birders before it made another close pass on its way north. It made another southbound pass about 30 minutes later, then later I watched it leave the harbor again and head towards the middle of the lake. Sometimes all it takes is one bird to turn the day around! Besides the Harlequin Duck, Common Tern was a new addition to this year’s count.

After all of the fog, it seemed that birds were raring to go on the morning of the 18th. I had my second best White-winged Scoter day to date, with 403 counted. Long-tailed Ducks were also anxious to move, with the current highest day count of 305. Of interest, many Long-tailed Ducks were moving southeast, towards Sault Ste. Marie. There were almost two lines of Long-tailed Ducks over the lake, with northbound birds and southbound birds crossing the lake at the same time. The only new count bird was a lovely Ruddy Turnstone on the beach.

Drake Long-tailed Duck by Martina Nordstrand

Ruddy Turnstone by Martina Nordstrand

The 19th was a very quiet and cold day, with little waterbird movement. I find my counts to be slowest on northeast winds which were sustained for most of the count period. Despite the lack of birds, it at least was a beautiful sunny day!

Red-throated Loon by Martina Nordstrand

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the weather at the Point, you may have noticed that the wind predictions look pretty grim. As of this writing, the next predicted period of southerly winds is May 30th. While these conditions aren’t ideal for migration, these birds need to get to their breeding grounds somehow! I am intrigued to see how the week plays out. Be sure to come by the shack and say hi!

-Martina Nordstrand, 2025 Spring Waterbird Counter

Featured photo: Harlequin Duck by M Nordstrand