Migration Counts

Seasonal staff at WPBO conduct waterbird counts in the spring and fall and a spring raptor count. During the seasons, counts are conducted daily. Raptor counts run March 15-May 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Waterbird counts run April 15-May 31 and August 15-November 15, 8 hours starting at dawn daily during each season. The Hawk Deck and Waterbird Shack are accessible to the public, and you can follow this blog to get regular updates during the counting seasons!

Fall Waterbird Count- Waiting on the Scoters (10/15-10/21)

The weather this week continued to be pretty mild with warm conditions and frequent south winds. Things got mixed up a bit on the 19th with a rush of 20-30mph NW winds, but even these conditions didn’t quite bring the scoters and Long-tailed Ducks we’ve been waiting for. White-winged Scoter with Red-breasted Mergansers. Photo [...]

2025-10-21T13:45:15-04:00October 22nd, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- Waiting on the Scoters (10/15-10/21)

Fall Waterbird Count- The Yellow-billed Surprise (10/8-10/14)

This week on the waterbird count, we had it all. There were big flights of diving ducks, a trickle of scoters and Long-tailed Ducks, three different Sabine's Gulls, Harlequin Ducks, and a thrilling Whitefish Point rarity! The first of two great Aythya flights this week was on the morning of 10/8. It was our [...]

2025-10-17T12:48:12-04:00October 15th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- The Yellow-billed Surprise (10/8-10/14)

Fall Waterbird Count- A Cold Front Arrives (10/1-10/7)

October started with a bang at Whitefish Point. Early in the week, we had a continuation of warm weather and southerly winds. Even with these conditions, some waterbirds were moving, including a couple of very notable arrivals. Then on October 6, the temperature dropped nearly 25 degrees and the wind started blowing out of [...]

2025-10-08T14:50:13-04:00October 8th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- A Cold Front Arrives (10/1-10/7)

Fall Waterbird Count- The First Thousand Duck Days (9/24-9/30)

Numbers are picking up at the waterbird count! We’ve had 18 species of ducks this week and multiple days with over a thousand individuals. The bulk of the birds have been Greater Scaup, Redhead, American Wigeon, and Northern Pintail. The composition of the duck flocks can change day to day, and often the birds [...]

2025-10-02T09:10:48-04:00October 1st, 2025|Migration Counts, Uncategorized, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- The First Thousand Duck Days (9/24-9/30)

Fall Waterbird Count- Loons Take Flight (9/17-9/23)

Another week has passed at Whitefish Point, and we’re drawing closer to the peak season for waterbird movement. We had almost every kind of weather this week with still, sunny days full of heat shimmer to gusting SE winds with driving rain. We are waiting patiently for another cold front to bring us some ducks, [...]

2025-09-24T14:35:50-04:00September 24th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- Loons Take Flight (9/17-9/23)

Fall Waterbird Count- Arrival of the Geese (9/10-9/16)

This week on the waterbird count there were lots of South and East winds that kept waterbird numbers fairly low, with one exception. The big story for the week was the arrival of our migrant Canada Goose flocks. Before this week, we’d seen only 14 individuals. The floodgates opened just after sunrise on the [...]

2025-09-17T12:03:50-04:00September 17th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- Arrival of the Geese (9/10-9/16)

Fall Waterbird Count- Wind, Rain, and Ducks (9/3-9/9)

Fall is picking up speed at Whitefish Point. It rained every day of the count this week, but always briefly enough that it didn’t slow the birds down! We enjoyed our first mixed dabbler flocks of the season, along with some other first-of-season birds. The dabbling duck flocks this week were dominated by American [...]

2025-09-10T10:54:44-04:00September 10th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- Wind, Rain, and Ducks (9/3-9/9)

Fall Waterbird Count- Jaegers on the Move (8/27-9/2)

This week the fall waterbird count was full of highs and lows. On the slowest day, we tallied only 16 species of birds. Later in the week, we were surrounded by hundreds of terns and flights of songbirds, recording 53 species on August 31st. This sense of never knowing what a day will hold [...]

2025-09-04T10:12:40-04:00September 4th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- Jaegers on the Move (8/27-9/2)

Fall Waterbird Count- A Great Day for Grebes (8/20-8/26)

The fall count has just begun, but already this week has produced what is sure to be one of the most memorable days of the season. It was one of those days at Whitefish Point where there are birds everywhere you look. There were thousands of waterbirds zipping by, the flight calls of warblers [...]

2025-08-27T15:48:06-04:00August 27th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count- A Great Day for Grebes (8/20-8/26)

Fall Waterbird Count-The Beginning (8/15-8/19)

Another season of waterbird counting is officially underway at Whitefish Point! Our work started the day before the count on August 14th. With the help of some dedicated local volunteers we moved the waterbird ‘shack’ to its fall vantage point. This structure will serve as an important windbreak and refuge for the waterbird counter [...]

2025-08-22T13:57:18-04:00August 20th, 2025|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Fall Waterbird Count-The Beginning (8/15-8/19)
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