Welcome back to another season of raptor counting at Whitefish Point! My name is Sean McLaughlin, and I am thrilled to return as the Raptor Counter for my second season at the point. This spring is my 10th season counting birds professionally, and this career has carried me from the ridges of central Pennsylvania to the western shores of Superior in Duluth, and finally to Whitefish Point. This is a magical place, as many of you know, and I am beyond excited to spend this spring back at the eastern end of Gitchee Gummi.
The dominating story of our opening days at the raptor count was the major winter storm that stretched from southeastern Minnesota to the Upper Peninsula, delivering feet of snow across the board. If we lacked current weather prediction models, I would have had no idea this storm was about to arrive, as March 14th was a beautiful day, climbing to the low 30s under a blue sky streaked with cirrus. Opening day was another story entirely.
Counter Sean McLaughlin scans the snow squalls. Photo by Max Henschell
I trundled up to the point on my bicycle as I have dozens of times before, backpack loaded with camera, clickers, layers and snacks. Light snow was beginning to fall as I arrived, whisked along by a brisk easterly breeze. I was shortly joined by Research Director Max Henschell, and later board member Lynn Miller. We swapped radar predictions and stories from the last few months as the snow began to set in. Over the next few hours, whiteout conditions became the norm, with brief peeks of visibility to the southeast. Now, who is crazy enough to stand out in a blizzard looking for hawks? Look no further! I studied clouds and snowflakes, hoping that a Bald Eagle or even a Goshawk might emerge, but no such luck. I reached a conclusion as I peered into the drifting snow clouds that yes, I may be a lunatic. BUT! I would much rather be a lunatic than apathetic. In a world that is consistently rocked by dramatic news, it is a rewarding feeling to dive so deeply into something, an outsider may consider your actions… loony. And this action, no matter how crazy, is much more likely to result in real change than the alternative path: apathy.
The first day wrapped up with a handful of feeder birds and some migrant American Herring Gulls. Monday followed a similar path with no migrant raptors and trillions upon trillions of migrant snowflakes. Spring comes slowly to Lake Superior, and the forecast is looking up later this week for the first migrants to appear. For now, keep the faith and think spring…after all, the equinox is just days away! You can follow along LIVE on Trektellen for both Raptor counts (https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4562/) and Morning Flight (https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4704/). Hope to see you at the count (maybe after the snow melts), and thanks to all for your support and having me back for another season.
Sean McLaughlin, 2026 Raptor Counter
You can now see the raptor count data on Trektellen! Check it out at trektellen.nl/count/view/4562.
You can keep up with the 2026 Raptor Count by reading Sean’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X). The raptor count runs March 15 through May 31.
Sean is a hawk watcher from Pennsylvania who has enjoyed watching birds migrate for over 15 years. A lifelong birder and naturalist, Sean has counted raptors at Stone Mountain and Tussey Mountain hawk watches in PA, before moving to the shore of Lake Superior. He has led the count team for four seasons at Hawk Ridge and three at the West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth, Minnesota, instilling a deep love for the Great Lakes. In Duluth, Sean also conducts morning flight counts of passerines and other migrants. Outside of the world of watching migration, Sean has studied American Goshawks in the mountains of Oregon, breeding birds in northern Minnesota, and instructed courses at Hog Island Audubon Camp. He is excited to return to eastern Lake Superior for a second spring at Whitefish Point, particularly for the epic Sharp-shinned Hawk and Common Loon flights.
