Fall Waterbird Count- Jaegers on the Move (8/27-9/2)

This week the fall waterbird count was full of highs and lows. On the slowest day, we tallied only 16 species of birds. Later in the week, we were surrounded by hundreds of terns and flights of songbirds, recording 53 species on August 31st. This sense of never knowing what a day will hold when the count starts at sunrise is what keeps things exciting.

The undisputed highlight from the week was a significant push of jaegers. Jaegers are powerful birds of the open ocean and open tundra, but Whitefish Point is one of the best inland locations in the Lower 48 to observe them. Some individuals use the Great Lakes during migration, particularly juveniles, and the geography of the point allows birders to see these jaegers when they might otherwise be too far offshore. Even at the great distances we often see jaegers, it’s hard not to be impressed by their agility on the wing as they harass local gulls and zip over the surface of the lake. Any day you see a jaeger is a good day. This week we spotted 13 unidentified jaegers, 3 Parasitic Jaegers, and Clay even observed an adult Long-tailed Jaeger on 9/1, featured in yesterday’s “What’s this Bird” social media post. Identifying these birds to species requires the use of multiple field marks. While it is often possible to spot and appreciate jaegers from far away, a much smaller percentage of the birds come close enough to see the necessary plumage and structural ID features.

Long-tailed Jaeger, the bird in yesterday’s “What’s this bird?” social media post. Photo by Clay Bliznick

Other waterbirds are also on the move, with the first diving ducks (Greater and Lesser Scaup) being observed this week alongside a slight increase in dabbling duck numbers. For shorebirds, a striking juvenile Red Knot briefly landed in front of the waterbird station towards the end of the count on 8/27. We’ve also had 3 more Buff-breasted Sandpipers fly past this week.

Juvenile Red Knot. Photo by Frank Fabbro

Terns are an especially entertaining waterbird migrant to watch on the count. They often fly in loose scattered flocks of 10-20 birds casually flapping, chattering, and plunging after any opportunistic food as they migrate. They will also fly in a completely different manner forming a tight ball and moving low over the lake with great speed and determination. Common Terns are by far the most abundant tern species we see at the point and this week we counted 1,194 moving past, bringing the season total to 1,365. With the passing Common Terns we also saw our 4th tern species of the fall, a lone Forster’s Tern on 8/31. Clay soon spotted 3 more Forster’s on 9/1.

Barely visible Northern Lights over a freighter on 9/1. Photo by Frank Fabbro

Outside of waterbirds, a young Lark Sparrow flew past and landed on the dune next to the station while we counted on 8/27. This sparrow inhabits open habitats further south and is quite uncommon in the Upper Peninsula. We also had our first American Pipits of the count this week which should become a staple in the dunes as the season goes on. Our anticipation for winter finches continues grow with some very early Redpoll flybys this week, a few Type 4 Red Crossbills, and low numbers of Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, and Pine Siskins. The forecasts are calling for a couple of significant cold fronts to pass next week which should make things interesting!

Lark Sparrow. Photo by Clay Bliznick

~Frank Fabbro, 2025 Fall Waterbird Counter

Featured Photo: Merlin by Frank Fabbro