April has come and gone, and May is here! While temps have barely reached a sweltering 50F, a few small patches of snow remain tucked in the shadows of the dunes. Overhead, migration rolls right along! The last few days of April only held a couple of meager Sharp-shinned Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk flights. Northwest winds battered the point for these days, creating really adverse conditions for raptor movement. As we creep towards peak Peregrine week (second week of May), the 4 o’clock falcon has started to be more reliable. Hawkwatchers across the continent often expect a late day raptor, in some places Merlin or Golden Eagle. At Whitefish in late April and May, the 4 o’clock Peregrine is nearly as punctual as a southern granny on a Sunday.

Adult Broad-winged Hawk. Photo by Sean McLaughlin

Broad-winged Hawks hit the ground running on May 2, with towering kettles forming high over the point. The 490 counted is the season high count to date. The morning of the 3rd came with great anticipation. We had been watching a low pressure warm front sweep northward across the midwest, bringing southerly winds and the promise of warmer temperatures. While warm weather is still a ways off, the southerly winds certainly produced a glutton of birds! A huge Sharp-shinned Hawk flight on the 3rd was followed up by a wonderful late flight of 60 American Kestrels. As the day was winding down, I heard visiting hawkwatcher Bill softly say “what’s this bird?” I swung around and at the top of my lungs bellowed: “CARACARA!” There is hardly a better feeling than seeing a ridiculous, out of place bird confidently migrate by! The Crested Caracara represents the first Whitefish Point record!

Crested Caracara. Photo by Sean McLaughlin

The bird gave several epic passes over the deck as I scrambled to alert the troops, as it was unclear if the Caracara would stick around or be a one hit wonder. The good news is that the bird did reappear on the morning of May 4th, and most of the Whitefish Point locals were able to see it! While the Caracara was exciting, the most amazing part of May has been the intense flights of Sharp-shinned Hawks, my favorite experience at the Point. It has been a treat to share several of these flights this spring with several dedicated hawkwatchers making their pilgrimage to the Point. “He who watches a joy as it flies, forever lives in eternity’s sunrise!”

Hope to see you all at the Point soon for some warm weather and great hawkwatching.

Sean McLaughlin, 2026 Raptor Counter

Featured Photo: Crested Caracara by S. McLaughlin

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.