Migration Counts

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 [...]

This is my third spring conducting WPBO’s spring waterbird count. I am delighted to be back, for I love Whitefish Point, and in particular, I love observing spring migration here. The season is short, the flights intense, the hours of migration run around the clock. With the whole season ahead of me, there is [...]

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 [...]

Waterbird Highlights: The final days of the waterbird count (Nov. 5–15) were extremely favorable weather and bird-wise. We were surprised with several goodies, such as another immature Black-legged Kittiwake, several distant Snow/Ross's Geese, an immature Harlequin Duck, a second-winter Iceland Gull, a first-winter Glaucous Gull, and a late Double-crested Cormorant! During the final hour of [...]