Owl Update 5-27-2021
It’s hard to believe how quickly the end of the season is approaching. Field seasons often have a weird time warp to them. It can feel like the start of the season was ages [...]
And the Raptor of the Season Award Goes to…
Rough-legged Hawk! Yes, indeed, this beautiful buteo will be taking home the Copper Kettle, our illustrious and in every way, non-existent, totally made-up, Raptor of the Season award. While not an actual award, an [...]
Diamonds on a Sapphire Sea
For countless hours I stand vigil on the windswept beach of Whitefish Point; my only shelter, the weather-beaten Shack. This season has often looked like this picture, a high sun casting a sparkling glare [...]
Owl Update 5-20-2021
We experienced a transition in the owl migration this past week. With the exception of a few bad weather nights that predictably shut down the owl migration last month, we banded Long-eared Owl (LEOW) [...]
Blue Jays Take Whitefish Point by Storm!
This past weekend, raptors seemingly forfeited the migratory flyaways in response to high Blue Jay traffic. Fred, a Broad-winged Hawk, who has been traveling this route for many years, had this to say: “What [...]
Beautiful Noise
Happy migration, folks! Now you may be wondering, "What's with the title of this blog, 'Beautiful Noise?'" Isn't this supposed to be about waterbirds and waterbird migration? Isn't what I do, counting birds, all [...]