Migration Counts

The last day of May signals the last day of the spring waterbird migration count. It's a bit of a bittersweet time; as the season goes, it seems like it has flown by here at Whitefish Point. On the other hand, it can feel like my six weeks here have lasted a lifetime, the [...]

With the waterbird migration count winding down and in its final days, I just want to say how much of a pleasure it's been to take you all on this adventure with me. You know, to be certain, this has been quite an interesting season, and I've learned a lot about birds, migration, and [...]

For countless hours I stand vigil on the windswept beach of Whitefish Point; my only shelter, the weather-beaten Shack. This season has often looked like this picture, a high sun casting a sparkling glare across the water in front of me. Scan after scan, my eyes set to maximum power, searching the horizon for [...]

Migration is really an awe-inspiring thing when you get down to it. Myriad and multitudes of birds, all different shapes and sizes, migrate from their wintering grounds to their summer breeding grounds. Many birds undertake migrations of many hundreds or thousands of miles, and we can only wonder how the birds do it? Some [...]

Week two of the waterbird count, and it doesn't feel like two weeks have already passed. Days become irrelevant when counting migrating birds, and I find that I fall into a sort of rhythm and cadence with the birds. After all, the birds don't care what day it is, just that the weather is [...]