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

Field Notes

This blog is your go-to for recent sightings at the Point, including both the usual suspects and the rare species that have been spotted, more in-depth looks at the habitats found here, educational programming being offered, and more. The unique juxtaposition of land and water at the Point funnels many birds through WPBO and over 340 species have been identified at the Point. Be sure to check this blog for regular updates!

Piping Plover Update Week 6

Whitefish Point In a few short days tiny Piping Plover chicks will be emerging from their protective shells to venture the shore of Whitefish Point. Vie and Little Bill Bob have kept true to their duty, making my job easy as I watch them peacefully incubate. The chicks are due to hatch June 22. [...]

2025-06-20T09:13:56-04:00June 19th, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 6
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Piping Plover Update Week 5

Whitefish Point I hope you weren’t waiting with bated breath, because the only news I have to report is that everything is normal at Whitefish Point. But normal is great, it’s what we hope for. Little Bill Bob and Vie have been faithfully incubating their clutch of four each day, ensuring that their young [...]

2025-06-12T09:14:38-04:00June 12th, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 5
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Piping Plover Update Week 4

Whitefish Point I’m glad to report that nesting progress at Whitefish Point is running smoothly. Each day Little Bill Bob and his mate Vie take turns incubating their nest of four, switching shifts about every hour. When one does leave the nest to forage, it’s not unlikely to run into Hot Shot on the [...]

2025-06-06T10:39:58-04:00June 5th, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 4
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Piping Plover Update Week 3

Whitefish Point Vie has laid her fourth egg, meaning incubation has begun! In around 26 days tiny Piping Plover chicks will be running around at the Point. In the meantime Vie and Little Bill Bob will be taking turns sitting on the eggs while the embryos develop inside. Hot Shot is still moseying around [...]

2025-05-31T08:07:05-04:00May 29th, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 3
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Piping Plover Update Week 2

Whitefish Point PIPL X,B:-,O Male from Vermilion Point. Photo by Stephanie Owens PIPL Little Bill Bob performing a broken-wing display. Photo by Stephanie Owens Little Bill Bob and Vie had been taking the past week slow, and I don’t blame them. It must be hard work growing eggs and deciding [...]

2025-05-22T16:10:40-04:00May 22nd, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 2
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Piping Plover Update Week 1

Things are shaping up to be another successful Piping Plover breeding season at Whitefish Point. The plovers have been arriving at the Point since April 27, and our pair from last year have found each other again. Just a refresher, that pair is Of,bL:X,B/O/B (Male, aka Little Bill Bob) and X,V:Of,YY (Female, aka Violet [...]

2025-05-15T19:20:41-04:00May 15th, 2025|Field Notes, Piping Plover|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update Week 1
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Moving the Waterbird Station: A Team Effort to Prepare for Winter

At Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, every season brings unique challenges and opportunities — and winter is no exception. As the temperature drops and the snow begins to fall, preparing for the months ahead is crucial. One key task is relocating the Waterbird Station to its winter home, ensuring it’s protected from the harsh elements [...]

2024-11-21T17:00:23-05:00November 21st, 2024|Field Notes|Comments Off on Moving the Waterbird Station: A Team Effort to Prepare for Winter
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Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 8

Our last full week at Whitefish Point is in the books, and we have just a couple of days left to count waterbirds and watch the last waves of fall migration. We are still having some good days for waterbird movement, albeit fewer than a couple of weeks ago. Most of our songbirds have [...]

2024-11-12T15:20:18-05:00November 12th, 2024|Field Notes, Field Ornithologist|Comments Off on Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 8
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Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 7

With less than two weeks left in the season here at Whitefish Point, the fall has started to take on a different feel. While we still have some leaves on a few plants in the understory, the vibrant foliage on our deciduous trees has mostly fallen, so things are feeling a little more barren. [...]

2024-11-05T11:18:22-05:00November 5th, 2024|Field Notes, Field Ornithologist|Comments Off on Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 7
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Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 6

We only have about three weeks left of the fall season at Whitefish Point, but the bird activity here has yet to slow down. While just about all the warblers and other early to mid-fall migrants are gone (even Yellow-rumped Warblers!), we continue to have large quantities of sparrows and winter finches. Not to [...]

2024-10-29T16:04:28-04:00October 29th, 2024|Field Notes, Field Ornithologist|Comments Off on Fall Field Ornithologist Update: Week 6
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