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!

Raptor Count Week 8 Update (4.30–5.06)

On the morning of May 4, I spotted large flocks of birds high in the air on the way to the observation deck — they were Blue Jays migrating over the Point in the hundreds. I don't believe I have ever seen that many Blue Jays at once! Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk. Photo by [...]

2024-05-08T15:02:45-04:00May 7th, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 8 Update (4.30–5.06)
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Waterbird Count Week 3 Update (4/25-5/1)

It's been a busy week for waterbirds! Despite the rainy weather, we have seen several big pushes over the last week. April 27 saw what will probably be the biggest push of scaup this season, with 656 birds (mostly Greater Scaup) passing the Point. This week also saw increasing numbers of White-winged Scoters as well as the season's first Surf [...]

2024-05-08T15:03:24-04:00May 2nd, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Waterbird Count Week 3 Update (4/25-5/1)
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Raptor Count Week 7 Update (4.23–4.29)

The week of April 23 to 29, we had highs and lows. As many as 1,024 raptors (most of them Broad-winged Hawks) were observed at the Point on April 25, and as few as nine on April 29. Wind direction seems to be the decisive factor on most days. For example, on April 27, [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:35-04:00April 30th, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 7 Update (4.23–4.29)
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Waterbird Count Week 2 Update (4/18-4/24)

Waterbirds are on the move! After several days of bad winds, April 23 finally brought some decent winds out of the south, bringing in some decent numbers of birds. On that day, 255 Greater Scaups, 108 Red-necked Grebes, 81 Common Loons, 24 Red-throated Loons, and numerous other species flew past Whitefish Point on their [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:47-04:00April 25th, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Waterbird Count Week 2 Update (4/18-4/24)
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Raptor Count Week 6 Update (4.16–4.22)

The morning of April 22 looked very promising! Sharp-shinned Hawks flew through the area almost nonstop from 9 to 11 a.m. The Broad-winged Hawks finally arrived in some numbers, and by noon, they formed a kettle of around 100 birds. Soon, the kettle moved away in the northeast direction, and only a handful of [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:29-04:00April 23rd, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 6 Update (4.16–4.22)
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Waterbird Count Week 1 Update (4/15-4/17)

We are only a couple of days into the spring waterbird count and have already seen some significant movement at the Point. The first day of the count saw what is probably the last major push of Sandhill Cranes, 3,198 of them in a single day. The vast majority of the birds moved through [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:54-04:00April 18th, 2024|Migration Counts, Waterbird Count|Comments Off on Waterbird Count Week 1 Update (4/15-4/17)
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Raptor Count Week 5 Update (4.09–4.15)

The fifth week of the raptor count saw some dramatic rises and falls! On April 8 and 9, hawk migration intensified, with 141 Sharp-shinned Hawks recorded on the 8th and 312 Red-tailed Hawks on the 9th. Then the wind direction changed, and quite dramatically! Within less than 24 hours, the wind turned almost 180 [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:22-04:00April 16th, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 5 Update (4.09–4.15)
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Raptor Count Week 4 Update (4.02–4.08)

April 8 has yielded the highest raptor count so far this season: 369 birds! A kettle of about 100 Red-tailed Hawks formed west of the point, with individual hawks moving eastward towards the lake; most would circle back and rejoin the kettle. Interestingly, there were almost as many Rough-legged Hawks (75), including several dark [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:13-04:00April 9th, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 4 Update (4.02–4.08)
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Raptor Count Week 3 Update (3.26–4.01)

The third week of the hawk count saw highs and lows but culminated with 181 birds on April 1! The weather was unstable, with some cold and windy days when no raptors were seen and milder days when the kinder winds from the southwest brought the first Red-tailed Hawks! Four species made their first [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:07-04:00April 2nd, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 3 Update (3.26–4.01)
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Raptor Count Week 2 Update (3.19–3.25)

Bad weather tested the second week of the count. Drizzle, light rain, and drifting snow, coupled with strong northern and northwest winds, provided less-than-optimal conditions for observation on most days. On March 20, I had to interrupt the count because of whiteouts. Bald Eagles were the only regularly recorded species, with a few adults [...]

2024-05-08T15:04:00-04:00March 26th, 2024|Migration Counts, Raptor Count|Comments Off on Raptor Count Week 2 Update (3.19–3.25)
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