Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 12 (Oct 28th – Nov 4th)

This past week brought unmistakable signs that November has arrived at Whitefish Point. Morning temperatures now regularly begin in the 30s, and several days with overcast skies have kept the afternoons feeling brisk. Since the last blog, we experienced some south and east winds midweek before shifting to the north over the weekend, then finishing with powerful westerlies on Monday and into Tuesday just a bit. We even saw our first light snow flurries of the season on November 1st. The season’s strongest winds followed shortly after on the 3rd, with gale-force gusts out on the lake topping 45+ mph that sent waves crashing over the shoreline and pushed much of the beach underwater for the afternoon.

Despite the challenging conditions, bird activity remained lively. Waterbird movement was steady-to-booming through the week (Check out Frank’s blog as always!), and songbird migration continued to show some interesting trends. With a little more than a week left to the season, it’s starting to become clear which winter finches are moving and which are not. To me, Redpolls have taken the spotlight at the Point this fall, with numbers increasing daily. I counted close to 100 moving east past the raptor deck in just 1.5 hours on Sunday (Nov. 2nd) and had 150+ came in off the lake during the waterbird count on Tuesday (Nov. 4th). I was occupied with counting waterbirds for the most part, so I suspect there were many more! American Goldfinches have also been abundant, with close to 200 recorded on the 2nd’s morning flight count, but substantially more (hundreds more!) descending on the Point afterward to fill trees and feeders alike. Pine Grosbeaks have been far more numerous than last fall, with numbers pushing forty individuals on Nov. 3rd compared to only a handful for the entirety of last season. Evening Grosbeaks have also had a strong showing, and reports are already reaching as far south as Illinois and central Ohio. By contrast, crossbills have been scarce. A few White-winged Crossbills appeared over the weekend (a group of ~20), but Red Crossbills remain surprisingly limited. Aside from finches and Snow Buntings, few other songbirds are around now. Small groups of Black-capped Chickadees and American Tree Sparrows persist, but most other species are down to single digits or gone entirely as the season winds toward its close.

While bird activity was engaging, rarities were limited. A brief sighting of what appears to be a female/immature-type Bullock’s Oriole (Ebird list) on the 27th by a single observer was easily the most intriguing report. The bird was seen only once and disappeared within minutes, but if accepted, it would represent the first record for Whitefish Point. Besides rarities, there haven’t been a lot of lingering early/mid season migrants either. While November Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are usually not too uncommon, they’ve been absent from the Point for quite awhile. It remains to be seen if we’ll get anymore come in off a late wave of songbirds.

The weekend bird walks brought some fine winter finch action and brisk but pleasant weather to those wearing enough layers! Saturday’s group of eight enjoyed close looks at Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, and White-winged Crossbills, along with a constant stream of waterbirds offshore (~500 Long-tailed Ducks in 20 minutes). Pine Grosbeaks proved elusive at first but one cooperative bird lingered behind the feeders most of the day, feasting on viburnum berries. Sunday’s walk offered a similar experience, wrapping up with hundreds of American Goldfinches chattering in the trees.

Most deciduous trees have now dropped their leaves, leaving the Point looking increasingly wintry. In the slightly warmer moments of the week, frogs and garter snakes still prove to be shockingly active. The main show this week was the raw power of Lake Superior itself, with roaring waves on the 3rd overtaking much of the beach. Strong winds (but not as strong as Monday fortunately) are expected to continue through midweek. With just over a week left in the counting season, we’ll see whether colder weather elsewhere pushes another pulse of birds toward the Point before fall counting comes to a close.