Oh, what a sight to behold! On unseen currents they spin, flashing like silversides in the sun, Broad-winged Hawks numbering in the thousands. Twisting, turning, gliding, and churning, higher and higher, they rise and blossom into a great mushroom cloud at an unimaginable altitude. They fill the sky as they funnel out to find [...]
I woke up this morning and brewed my coffee extra strong. My head was still reeling from a whirlwind weekend of raptors and visitors brought up to Whitefish Point by sunny skies, favorable winds, and warmer temperatures that reached way up into the 40s! Yet, before I even opened my eyes, I was seeing [...]
After weeks of staring at largely lackluster skies, the last few days have, without a doubt, proved that migration is fully underway here at Whitefish Point. Not only is your friendly neighborhood raptor counter seeing more raptors, but I also see more bare ground after rains, and warmer temperatures have melted much of the [...]
The snow falls sideways here at Whitefish Point. Two miles down the road, I can look out my bedroom window and see a light snowfall drifting out of the sky, and it's the kind of snowfall that makes me think I am living inside the idyllic world of a snow globe. However, when I [...]
The gales buffeted the hawk shack for hours, and out on the deck, they rendered my spotting scope useless as it vibrated whatever I was seeing through it beyond recognition. However, it turned out that the scene unfolding before my eyes was best viewed through my own eyes. Optics of any kind only diminished [...]
This morning is different. Somehow my senses seem sharper, the world around me is magnified, and I am able to take in everything at once. Yes, the snow has stopped. Yes, it is warmer; the mercury in the thermometer has risen to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Fog filters through the spruce forest, shrouding the snow-covered [...]
Many people visiting the hawk deck ask, "How do you keep count of the raptors flying by?" These days, my answer is, "On one hand." Alright, I may have had one day where I needed two hands and another day on which I needed more than two, but otherwise, one hand has been more [...]
In my blog last week, you may recall that I wished for one final push of Broad-winged Hawks. I am happy to report that my wish came true. On the very next day, I counted 780 broad-wings, and by the last day of the count (yesterday), I added another 400 to the season total. [...]
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 old, unusable kettle at the field house could easily be repurposed for just such an honor. With raptor migration winding [...]
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 in tarnation!?! You know, I’ve been traveling this route for many years, and I have plum had it with the [...]
