The tip of Whitefish Point was enveloped in heavy fog for most of May 17 and 18. The morning of May 17 was bright and sunny, and a large kettle of Broad-winged Hawks began forming west of the deck. Low clouds already obscured a part of it, and then fog rolled in from the lake and engulfed the area for hours. I could hear Broad-winged Hawks calling from high above but did not see them. When fog lifted around 4 p.m., only a handful of hawks remained in the air. Did the rest fly northeast, staying high and well over the fog? Perhaps, but we may never know.

On May 18, the site was covered in fog for the first 4.5 hours of the count. However, Broad-winged Hawks flew right through the fog this time, very low, and over 100 were seen over the deck between 11 a.m. and noon. Many were immature. Other species also flew in the fog: Bald Eagles, Sharp-shined Hawks, and Northern Harriers. It was nearly impossible to focus in the fog, and all photos turned out nearly colorless as if shot in black and white.

~ Michael Patrikeev
2024 Raptor Counter

Featured photo: Broad-winged Hawks flying over the observation deck in heavy fog appear almost colorless, as in black-and-white photos. Photo by Michael Patrikeev

You can see updates for the 2024 Raptor Count on hawkcount.org, read Michael’s weekly blog post, and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X) for raptor count highlights this season. The raptor count runs March 15 through May 31.

Michael Patrikeev, M.S., is a graduate of St. Petersburg State University (Russia) and studied diurnal birds of prey for his M.S. In later years, he worked at the Lower-Svir Nature Reserve in Russia, and then headed the wildlife inventory section at the Ecological Centre of Azerbaijan. He conducted avifaunal surveys and inventories in the latter country and published “The Birds of Azerbaijan” in 2004. Michael arrived in Canada in 1992 and has since worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Parks Canada, The Nature Conservancy, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Michael is semi-retired and works in Canada and the United States for wildlife-related contracts. His private interests include the conservation of tropical birds and amphibians.