Week 11 was a productive week for the waterbird count. We added some exciting new species and had some remarkable numbers! On 10/24, we experienced a large push of over 2,000 Aythya ducks, this time with Redhead outnumbering the scaup. Our biggest day yet was 10/27, with over 6,000 waterbirds counted; Long-tailed Ducks were over half of this number. Our second most numerous species this week was the Red-breasted Merganser. The Common Goldeneye floodgates opened on 10/27, counting 727 that day.
The first new species we added to the count this week was a beautiful male Harlequin Duck on 10/24. This species is rare but expected at the Point in the fall; however, the more drab females are the ones typically seen. On 10/27, we added two more species to our fall count, the first being the Hooded Merganser and the second being the Purple Sandpiper. The single sandpiper landed on shore at the very last minute of the count! I was thrilled to get both the Harlequin Duck and Purple Sandpiper on the count since they are both rare and lifers for me! Lastly, we had a group of Dunlin briefly stop at the beach on 10/27; this was the 200th overall species seen at Whitefish Point this fall between Fall Field Ornithologist Clay Bliznick and me!
We saw five species of gull this week, with the daily Herring Gulls now outnumbering the Ring-billed Gulls. We also continued to see Bonaparte’s Gulls on a few days this week. In addition to our more common gulls, we had a single Sabine’s Gull and a Great Black-backed Gull. I am hopeful that November will provide us with a few more gull species!
In addition to our plentiful waterbirds this week, we also saw very large numbers of some songbirds migrating into the Point. On 10/27, I counted 316 Snow Buntings flying in from the lake; this was likely an undercount, too, since I was more focused on the waterbirds and probably missed some flocks. Similarly, on 10/30 we had hundreds of finches coming in, including Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, Red and White-winged Crossbills, and Purple Finches.
The weather forecast shows that we will continue to have above-average temperatures, and rain is predicted for most days. It will be interesting to see how this weather impacts the last two weeks of the count!
~ Hannah Leabhart
2024 Fall Waterbird Counter
Featured photo: A close line of White-winged Scoters. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
The Purple Sandpiper spent only a few minutes on the beach. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
The Harlequin Duck flew by nice and close! Photo by Karen Hogan
Sabine's Gulls are a very popular species. Their bold wing patterning is unique and makes them easier to identify than most other gull species. Photo by Hannah Leabhart
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.
