Another week of above-average temperatures has made birding at the Point very enjoyable. We had many new high counts for the fall this week, as well as a few new exciting birds around. Our first new high count was 244 Mallards on 10/18; they were the most plentiful bird that day, which seemed a bit odd after seeing many other species in much higher numbers lately. On 10/20, we had a busy day with 2,265 waterbirds counted in total and three more high counts for this fall: 978 Red-breasted Mergansers, 227 White-winged Scoters, and 150 Bonaparte’s Gulls, which were seen more consistently this week.
We added three new waterbird species to our fall count this week. Four Canvasbacks on 10/18 and a Wilson’s Snipe on 10/23. A rarer addition to our count was a Western Cattle-Egret on 10/21, which flew low overhead of many birders before circling the Point and eventually spending some time on the museum lawn.
On the calmer days this week, we continued to see many songbirds flying off the lake and into the Point. Most of these birds were sparrows, such as Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows, but we also had some Rusty Blackbirds and Winter Wrens. In addition to songbirds, we had three species of owls on the count this week; two Short-eared Owls were observed flying into the Point, as well as an American Barn Owl being chased away by some ravens. We also saw a Northern Saw-whet Owl fly in and land in a patch of trees just down from where we do the count. After my count was finished, I went to the patch of trees and found it still sitting there!
~ Hannah Leabhart
2024 Fall Waterbird Counter
Featured photo: A Western Cattle-Egret flying directly overhead. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
Our two most numerous species as of late are Long-tailed Ducks (left) and Red-breasted Mergansers (right). Photo by Hannah Leabhart
Northern Saw-whet Owl that was spotted on the waterbird count. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
A Bald Eagle being chased by gulls after catching a fish. Photo by Hannah Leabbhart
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.
