With some good weather days pushing lots of birds through and many visitors drawn in by other rare birds at the Point, week 7 of the waterbird count was very lively! We had north winds on 9/29 and 10/1 that persuaded lots of ducks to move through, and the calmer days brought in some other exciting waterbirds.
We continued to see many flocks of ducks this week, especially on the days with north winds. Dabbling ducks continue to make their way through, with American Wigeon and Northern Pintail being the most plentiful. We also continue to have larger movements of Greater/Lesser Scaup and Redheads, counting nearly 2,000 in total by the end of the week. On October 1, we had our first two Long-tailed Ducks, just a precursor of what’s expected to come in the following weeks.
On top of our larger duck numbers, we also had more geese moving through, with over a hundred Canada Geese seen most days. In addition, we had a couple more exciting geese sprinkled in. A Cackling Goose on 9/27 and a Snow Goose on 10/2 were detected within flocks of Canada Geese, both were firsts for the fall.
Although many of our waterbird species are increasing in numbers, some of them are decreasing. We saw fewer Common and Red-throated Loons compared to the last couple of weeks, as well as fewer Common Terns. Shorebird numbers continue to reduce; most days, we only see a single Sanderling, if any. Other shorebirds remaining on the count, such as Semipalmated Plover and Baird’s Sandpiper, are single flybys.
Some other notable waterbird sightings this week include Double-crested Cormorants; few continue to hang out between the Point and the harbor, but we had our first migratory flock on 9/29. We also had another sighting of a Sabine’s Gull on 10/2; this one was sitting offshore in front of the waterbird shack.
As Fall Field Ornithologist Clay Bliznick’s blog mentioned, a Burrowing Owl was found on 9/26. This very exciting find drew in many birders from all over the state. I couldn’t see the owl from where I was conducting the count, but I could see the crowds viewing it. I enjoyed meeting many of Michigan’s birders through this, and I greatly appreciate all who came over to spend some time with me as I did the waterbird count as well!
~ Hannah Leabhart
2024 Fall Waterbird Counter
Featured photo: A Common Merganser (center) and Red-breasted Mergansers (top and bottom) fly by the Point. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
A flock of ducks containing many American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and a single American Black Duck. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
A Snow Goose (center) with Canada Geese. Photo by Clay Bliznick
A fogbow that appeared on the Point after a heavy morning fog finally lifted. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
Sabine's Gull flying right in front of the Point. Photo by Clay Bliznick
You can now see the waterbird count data on Trektellen! Check it out at trektellen.nl/count/view/4209.
You can keep up with the 2024 Fall Waterbird Count by reading Hannah’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X). The fall waterbird count runs August 15 through November 15.
Hannah Leabhart: 2024 Fall Waterbird Counter
Hannah has always loved animals and being outdoors, but she became interested in birds in high school after seeing a Hooded Merganser and trying to identify it. After discovering how many other unique ducks there are to see in Iowa, she fell down the rabbit hole of trying to see all of them. Hannah quickly fell in love with birding and the community around it. While attending Iowa State University, she participated in the birding club and has been involved in Christmas Bird Counts and her local bird banding station. Since graduation, she has been traveling from state to state, working seasonal positions. Hannah looks forward to experiencing the spectacular bird migration and the beautiful fall scenery that Whitefish Point has to offer.
