Birdathon is Back—and this year, it’s a Big Day that’s Bigger and Better! Date: May 24, 2025 Get ready for a Big Day on May 24, 2025! Our passionate team of bird enthusiasts and volunteers is gearing up to count as many bird species as possible - all to raise essential funds for Michigan [...]
I am happy to announce that spring has arrived to Whitefish Point, in earnest! The tipping point has been coming for a while, and the combination of some warmer days and southerly winds really opened the floodgates of April migration. April 8th was nothing to write home about, except for a lone adult American [...]
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 [...]
The first month of hawk watching at Whitefish Point this season has drawn to a close. Let's take a look back to see how the numbers from the last two weeks stack up! Turkey Vulture (1): The first vulture of the year was spotted on March 27, and vulture dances immediately commenced. It is [...]
The second week of the Raptor Count was a fairly chilly one, but productive! The largest flight of the week occurred on March 18, with a total of 40 raptors! Eagles led the charge; 15 Bald Eagles powered by, and 14 Golden Eagles spent quite a bit of time wandering up and down the [...]
New Beginnings: Happy Spring! My name is Sean McLaughlin, and I will serve as the 2025 Raptor Counter at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (WPBO). Like previous counters, I will provide a weekly blog with updates and news regarding hawk migration along eastern Lake Superior! The count began on March 15 with somewhat favorable ESE [...]
Owl research remains an important part of Michigan Audubon’s commitment to avian conservation, and we deeply value the interest and support of our community in this work. At this time, the owl banding program at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory remains paused. With the recent addition of a new Director of Research, we are carefully assessing [...]
