This week the hawk count passed the milestone of 10,000 raptors tallied for the season! As of this update the count currently stands at 10,523 raptors since March 15th. In a strange turn of events, Broad-winged Hawk is the most common species, rather than Sharp-shinned. Just five times previously in the 40-year history of the [...]
Swainson’s Hawk is in many ways one of the most interesting members of the genus Buteo, and is a highly desired treat for hawk watchers in eastern North America. They travel up to 14,000 miles each spring and again each fall, making them the longest-distance migrant among western hemisphere raptors. Virtually the entire world’s population [...]
The hawk count has finally come alive! The slowdown began the final week of March. It continued into the first week of April, when 47 hours of ceaseless searching yielded a meager total of 23 raptors. Nothing changed through the second week of April, aside from the weekend’s blizzard dumping a fresh two feet of [...]
Saturday was the eBird-sponsored Global Big Day, and the hawks here at Whitefish Point made it a big one. I've already done well for Broad-winged Hawk this season -- earlier this week they usurped second place from previous number two, Red-tailed -- but with today's spectacle their season total has just about doubled! When nine o'clock rolled [...]
With a total of 6,585 counted by the end of April, Sharp-shinned Hawks are the most common species for the first half of hawk count. Chart generated at https://dunkadoo.org/project/wpbo-hawk-count May is here and the hawk count at Whitefish Point is just past the halfway point. Snowdrifts are suddenly difficult to find, even in [...]
Action on the hawk deck has completely exploded in the past week! With the arrival of our first Ospreys on the 19th, Broad-wings on the 22nd, and the thrilling addition of Swainson's Hawk on the 24th, we've now detected all of the raptor species one expects in a spring season here at Whitefish Point. This spectacular [...]
A season-high nine Golden Eagles, including the one pictured here, were counted on Saturday April 8th. Photo by Gary Palmer. Toward the end of last week, after a taste of warm, springy, sun-filled days, Whitefish Point got hit with a few of north winds so strong they shook my shack as I huddled [...]
Rough-legged Hawk by Skye Haas Since my last post things have begun really heating up at the point! In the past week three new raptors have been added to our season totals. March 29th brought a pair of Rough-legged Hawks, and the first Turkey Vulture finally appeared on the 30th. Surprisingly, after their [...]
March, as I have been learning firsthand, can be a rather hit-or-miss time on the hawk deck. Diurnal migration is highly dependent on prevailing weather conditions, especially when it comes to early season short-distance migrants. The best conditions for a strong hawk Golden Eagle photo by Skye Haas. flight here are warm, sunny days, [...]
I've just finished my third day as the WPBO hawk counter -- what a fun job! Despite the mere trickle of raptors so far, I've been having a fantastic time spending my days up on the hawk deck. The first raptor of my season didn't come until the second day, but it was worth the [...]
