Michigan Audubon Office: (517) 580-7364|birds@michiganaudubon.org

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!

A Sweet South Breeze

After a string of several days where strong north winds stalled migration and kept yours truly huddling in the hawk shack trying to stay warm, the past four days have had a sweet south breeze, and along with warmer temperatures, it has brought birds! My first clue to this change in avian traffic was [...]

2021-04-06T19:20:57-04:00April 6th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on A Sweet South Breeze
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A Bird in the Sky

Let there be no illusion that hawk watching is full of frame-filling, jaw-dropping images of raptors swooping past you in all their glory. Let there also be no illusion that time spent early-season hawk watching is filled with flights that never allow for one dull moment. March skies cover Whitefish Point like a steel [...]

2021-03-30T20:10:54-04:00March 30th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on A Bird in the Sky
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Return To Paradise

Hey there everybody! My name is Rich Couse, and I will be your friendly neighborhood hawk counter at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory this spring. I'm back for my second spring hawk count for Michigan Audubon, and you can find me in the shack on the Hawk Deck way atop the sandy lakeshore dunes. [...]

2021-03-17T10:33:41-04:00March 16th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Return To Paradise
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Season Wrap-Up

November 15 was the final day of the 2020 fall waterbird count; 744 hours, 93 days, 103,216 birds over 221 species, and countless experiences have made it a memorable season. While we’re working on getting all the data cleaned up and reports written, I wanted to share a few reflections on a great season. We [...]

2020-11-21T09:43:57-05:00November 21st, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Season Wrap-Up
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A Nod To Raptors

Birds of prey are charismatic. With their interesting behavior and captivating presence, it’s easy to understand how they attract this attention. Though Whitefish Point is not known for large numbers of migrating fall raptors, we see our share of them pass through. If a sweep of the horizon turns up empty, we often start looking [...]

2020-11-13T15:19:33-05:00November 13th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on A Nod To Raptors
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Birds of Winter

Seasons are marked by change. Be it fall colors, winter snow, or spring blossoms, we anticipate the treasures they bring into our lives. The wildlife around us is constantly in motion as their lives are dictated by these annual cycles. For birds, we associate every season with a behavior. Spring means northbound migration, summer means breeding, [...]

2020-11-06T12:55:48-05:00November 6th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Birds of Winter
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The Beauty of Common Birds

One of the most overlooked families of birds is Laridae, the gulls. Many times I’ve heard, “There’s more than one kind of seagull?” Common birds are often overlooked; their presence is taken for granted, and not much attention is given to them. Think of the European Starling, a widespread, common bird (which, unfortunately, is also [...]

2020-11-02T12:16:59-05:00October 30th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on The Beauty of Common Birds
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