New Beginnings:
Happy Spring! My name is Sean McLaughlin, and I will serve as the 2025 Raptor Counter at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (WPBO). Like previous counters, I will provide a weekly blog with updates and news regarding hawk migration along eastern Lake Superior!
The count began on March 15 with somewhat favorable ESE winds. An early morning drizzle lingered for an hour or so, but as the moisture cleared out, hawks took to the air. The first bird of the 2025 season was a Merlin, low on the west side of the Point. Throughout the next few hours, a handful of Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier, and another Merlin bolstered the count. The last bird of the day painted an epic scene: a Rough-legged Hawk riding the edge of an approaching rain squall like a Valkyrie through the storm! Day two was a windy one, with nine of 10 total birds passing in the first hour before 35 mph northwesterly winds kicked up. However, we did snag a season first Golden Eagle! March 17 was a welcome respite from the winds, and a light SSE breeze kicked up a few more migrants (seven Bald Eagles, seven Golden Eagles, seven Red-tailed Hawks, and three Sharp-shinned Hawks).
Golden Eagle on 3/17/25. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
Red-tailed Hawk on 3/17/25. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
Before heading to WPBO this spring, I asked a friend and experienced hawk watcher what he thought was the most important skill a hawk counter must have. He told me, “Perseverance.” As the northwest winds battered the shack with 200 miles of fetch across Lake Superior, my perseverance was definitely tested early. These cold, brutal days leave me a little wind burnt, but they also motivate me to dig deep and keep scanning. I hope to bring my dedication and perseverance to each day this season, from the slow days to the big days!
In the non-raptor world of migration, there have been some small groups of winter finches like redpolls and Pine Siskins migrating past the hawk deck. Two Sandhill Cranes braved the cold Lake Superior air on March 17, crossing to Canada! There have been a few American Tree Sparrows, American Robins, and Red-winged Blackbirds around as well.
Sandhill Crane seen on 3/17/25. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
American Goshawk near the Point on 3/14/25. Photo by Sean McLaughlin
New for the WPBO raptor count this year, we are using Trektellen* to record migrant raptors. You can find our reports at https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/4562. I’d recommend bookmarking this page for convenience. Trektellen is an international group that compiles data from migration counts around the world. It is worth exploring some other amazing watch sites recording birds this season. Are you seeing “buzzards” in the reports? Because Trektellen is used across the world, it may default your language to “British English,” resulting in the change of some names, such as “Rough-legged Hawk” to “Rough-legged Buzzard.” You can click on the language drop-down menu in the upper right corner and select “American English” to see more familiar names.
I expect the remainder of March to be similar, with small numbers of eagles, buteos, and a few accipiters. We can start expecting larger buteo flights at the very end of the month into early April. So brush up on those field guides, break out your optics, and I hope to see you at the Point!
~ Sean McLaughlin
2025 Raptor Counter
*The WPBO Raptor Count data will also continue to be published to Hawk Count.
You can now see the raptor count data on Trektellen! Check it out at trektellen.nl/count/view/4562.
You can keep up with the 2025 Raptor Count by reading Sean’s weekly blog posts and following WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X). The raptor count runs March 15 through May 31.
Sean is a hawk watcher from Pennsylvania, and his passion for raptors began at an early age while visiting nearby count sites. He cut his teeth on the Appalachian Ridges of Stone Mountain and Tussey Mountain before heading to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Since 2022, Sean has conducted spring and fall raptor counts at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota. He is particularly excited to explore the other end of Lake Superior and a different array of spring migrants at Whitefish Point. Sean loves to watch visible migration of birds and has grown particularly interested in morning flight counts of migrating non-raptors. When not watching birds migrate, Sean enjoys fly fishing, gravel biking, and thinking about migration.
