The first week of the fall count at Whitefish Point has officially wrapped up, and the waterbirds are starting to move. We had 29 species of waterbird pass by the Point during our counts this week, with the most numerous being Red-necked Grebes. Our peak day for them was 8/18, when the winds started to shift to the northwest later in the morning, resulting in 251 individuals passing by in a matter of hours. Other species moving along the lake this week in good numbers were Sanderlings (105) and Common Loons (88). More notable waterbird sightings include earlier-than-expected flyovers of Red-throated Loon, Short-billed Dowitcher, and American Golden-Plover. While the temperatures and winds have varied quite a bit over the last week, there hasn’t been much frontal movement lately that could push a large number of migrants down Lake Superior. Most species have been moving through in small numbers, but that could change with the potential for a cold front to pass through next week.
Peregrine Falcon wreaking havoc on the Point. Photo by Clay Bliznick
The passerine and raptor movement during the counts has been entertaining as well. Passerine flight has been decent on all but the windiest days, with good numbers of warblers and finches daring to make the crossing over Whitefish Bay. There was a single White-winged Crossbill among the songbirds gathering in the pines near the Point on 8/21, as well as Red Crossbills and Pine Siskins. Merlins and Sharp-shinned Hawks have routinely harassed these birds most mornings, and a Peregrine Falcon briefly bombed the Point and frightened the resident gulls on 8/19 before moving on.
All in all, it’s been an enjoyable week of counting at Whitefish Point and I’m looking forward to the migration floodgates opening up!
~ Clay Bliznick
2024 Fall Field Ornithologist
Featured photo: Common Mergansers at sunrise. Photo by Clay Bliznick
One of the resident Ring-billed Gulls taking off. Photo by Clay Bliznick
Common Loon passing by Whitefish Point. Photo by Clay Bliznick
Red-necked Grebes passing by the Point in the evening. Photo by Clay Bliznick
You can keep up with the 2024 Fall Field Ornithologist by reading Clay’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X).
Would you like to go birding with Clay? Join him for one of his WPBO Migratory Bird Walks this season. Learn more at wpbo.org/events.
Clay Bliznick, MS: 2024 Fall Field Ornithologist
Clay first took an interest in birds during a high school trip to Alaska, where he was struck by the flamboyance of magpies, the sleek, penguin-like appearance of alcids, and the sheer number of waterbirds residing along the coast. He dived headfirst into the birding world while an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky, spending every free second exploring his home state for exciting new birds and places. Afterward, he attended graduate school at Murray State University and wrote a master’s thesis examining the response of bird communities to environmental factors in Western Kentucky bottomland hardwood forest restorations. Most recently, Clay has been living in South Florida, where he’s worked closely with many charismatic birds, such as the Crested Caracara, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Clay is excited to join the Michigan Audubon team at WPBO as a fall field ornithologist and is eager to observe the spectacle of bird migration in the Upper Peninsula firsthand.
