Migration Counts

The final days of the spring raptor count brought a mix of interesting rarities and large holiday crowds to the hawk deck. The week began with a smaller BROAD-WINGED HAWK flight on May 23, with just a double-digit day count; however, this was enough to tilt the species season total over the 8,000-mark. This spring continues [...]

The momentum of raptor migration along the Point has waned dramatically as we enter the second half of May. The week began with a second consecutive day of a BLACK VULTURE documented from the hawk deck. This was likely the same bird observed in the late afternoon on May 15, as the silvery-winged vulture [...]

The week began with two great BROAD-WINGED HAWK flights on May 8 and 9, with 1,840 and 2,400 migrants, respectively, being documented throughout both days. This was the largest push of broad-wings so far this season and will likely be the peak as numbers have begun to taper off. The season total sits at [...]

The month of May began with soggy, wet conditions, and the days that followed (May 2 and 3) did not fare much better. Northwest winds funneled in off the lake, keeping much of the raptor movement at bay. Conditions improved dramatically by May 4, and BROAD-WINGED HAWK kettles began forming by the late morning hours. Similar [...]

As the saying goes: April showers bring May raptors. This past April brought its fair share of precipitation (in the form of rain and snow) and opposing northwest headwinds. In spite of less favorable conditions during certain blocks of the month, the raptor count was able to complete the month with an above-average monthly total [...]

The shift into the third week of the spring raptor count was characterized by a consistent block of north winds and precipitation, yielding 548 raptor migrants (compared to the previous week of 1,933). The first two days (April 18 and 19) saw blustery northwest winds churning in off of the lake with minimal raptor [...]