WPBO Field Ornithologist

About WPBO Field Ornithologist

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far WPBO Field Ornithologist has created 48 blog entries.

Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 2 – Burrowing Owl and Other Highlights

This past week at Whitefish Point has been the most exciting stretch of the season thus far, thanks in no small part to the celebrity Burrowing Owl that turned up here this past Friday (9/27). Since being discovered early that morning by birders Paul and Catherine, visiting from New Zealand, the owl has captivated [...]

2024-10-11T10:27:47-04:00October 1st, 2024|Field Notes, Field Ornithologist|Comments Off on Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 2 – Burrowing Owl and Other Highlights

Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 4 (9/5-9/11)

The fourth week of fall waterbird counting at Whitefish Point has wrapped up, and we’re starting to see some changes in the abundance of several waterbird migrants. While we’re still seeing a considerable amount of Red-necked Grebes moving along Lake Superior (288 this week), they are no longer the most numerous species on the [...]

2024-09-12T09:34:36-04:00September 12th, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 4 (9/5-9/11)

Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 3 (8/29-9/4)

While it was mostly quiet in terms of songbirds and raptors, it was an exciting week for waterbird counting at Whitefish Point! Due to passing storm fronts and winds shifting to the NW, we had some favorable conditions for migration over the weekend. The birds did not disappoint, with our highest two waterbird counts [...]

2024-09-05T09:40:05-04:00September 5th, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 3 (8/29-9/4)

Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 2 (8/22-8/28)

Things started to heat up during the second week of the fall waterbird count at Whitefish Point. While some species from the first week, such as Piping Plover, have already departed, the influx of several new species kept things interesting. We had 32 waterbird species pass by the Point over the past week: three [...]

2024-08-29T09:56:03-04:00August 29th, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 2 (8/22-8/28)

Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 1 (8/15-8/21)

The first week of the fall count at Whitefish Point has officially wrapped up, and the waterbirds are starting to move. We had 29 species of waterbird pass by the Point during our counts this week, with the most numerous being Red-necked Grebes. Our peak day for them was 8/18, when the winds started [...]

2024-08-29T10:27:08-04:00August 22nd, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count Update – Week 1 (8/15-8/21)

Lazuli Bunting, Birdathon, and Season’s End – 05/25/19 to 05/31/19

Lazuli Bunting - Birdathon Birds - Black-backed Woodpecker - Northern Cardinal The biggest news out of Whitefish Point this season is the first Point and third state record for a Lazuli Bunting observed on May 28, 2019, found by Point regular Dan Elliot. Lazuli Bunting are a western species that are strongly related to Indigo [...]

2019-05-31T18:11:38-04:00May 31st, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Lazuli Bunting, Birdathon, and Season’s End – 05/25/19 to 05/31/19

Warblers Here, Swifts There, Blue Jays Everywhere: 05/17/19 to 05/24/19

Highlights: Warblers - Chimney Swift - Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Blue Jay A Yellow-rumped Warbler hawking (catching flying insects on the wing). Photo by Charlotte R. Catalano Warbler migration has finally begun in earnest! Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Yellow, Wilson’s, and Canada Warbler have all shown in the [...]

2019-05-31T16:02:30-04:00May 31st, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Warblers Here, Swifts There, Blue Jays Everywhere: 05/17/19 to 05/24/19

Canada Lynx at WPBO

On May 5, 2019, WPBO hawk counter Krista Botting and visitors to the hawk platform were greeted with a view of a rare visitor: a Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). The wild cat wandered out of the tree line to the northwest of the platform, sat under a large white pine for a moment, then carried [...]

2019-05-18T13:23:29-04:00May 18th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Canada Lynx at WPBO

Waning and Waxing: 05/08/19 to 05/16/19

Highlights: Yellow-headed Blackbird - Hudsonian Godwit - Field Sparrow - Blue Jay Migration - Increasing Warbler Diversity - Sparrow Migration - Indigo Bunting There has been a steady influx of birds and a few new species at the Point. Particular species of note include Yellow-headed-Blackbird (May 9), Field Sparrow (May 14), and Hudsonian Godwit [...]

2019-05-17T17:44:11-04:00May 17th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Waning and Waxing: 05/08/19 to 05/16/19

Avifauna Influx: 05/02/19 to 05/07/19

Between May 5 and May 7, 24 new bird species for the season were documented at the Point, with the majority appearing on May 5 following a night and half day of southeast winds. The first Field Sparrow of the season. The sparrows are not common at the Point, so this one was [...]

2019-05-10T19:53:03-04:00May 10th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Avifauna Influx: 05/02/19 to 05/07/19
Go to Top