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 7/2/23

It’s been a big week for our Piping Plovers at Whitefish Point! The eggs from our nesting pair, Violet and Really Tricky, have finally hatched. Wednesday morning, I noticed movement in the nest while Violet incubated the eggs. As she got up to switch with Tricky, I spotted two chicks! The chicks slowly left the [...]

2023-07-05T14:57:13-04:00July 2nd, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 7/2/23

Piping Plover Update 6/18/23

This week we had some predator activity in the Piping Plover area. On Wednesday, I found two detached wings from different birds along the shoreline near our nest. I kept an eye out but did not see any raptors. I arrived at the Point Saturday morning to find either a Merlin or a Peregrine Falcon [...]

2023-06-19T12:26:30-04:00June 18th, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 6/18/23

Piping Plover Update 6/11/23

Our current pair (Really Tricky and mate) seem to be doing well this week, and I’ve been watching them switch incubation about every hour. I haven’t had any issues with off-leash dogs. Ron spotted a Merlin in the parking lot on Monday, but we haven’t had any issues in the plover area. A new male [...]

2023-06-13T16:52:38-04:00June 11th, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 6/11/23

Piping Plover Update 5/31/23

Really Tricky incubating eggs inside the predator exclosure. Photo by Joselyn Ralph The first Piping Plover eggs have been spotted at Whitefish Point! Our only current pair, “Really Tricky” and mate X,V:Of,YY, were observed changing the location of their scrape throughout the last week. On Sunday afternoon, after noticing Really Tricky adjusting in [...]

2023-05-31T09:29:22-04:00May 31st, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 5/31/23

Piping Plover Update 5/22/23

The male Piping Plovers at Whitefish Point have been fired up this week, likely due to the arrival of another returning male: Of,BY:X,Y/O. All six males were observed fighting for territory along the northeastern corner of the pond — an area sheltered from the wind with lots of cobble to camouflage a potential nest. [...]

2023-05-23T10:40:41-04:00May 22nd, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 5/22/23

Piping Plover Update 5/15/23

The Piping Plovers have started to return to Whitefish Point – and we’re seeing some familiar faces! Four males from last year are back at the Point and have begun to stake out their territory. One male, known last year as “Really Tricky” (X,R:Of,LY), has been spotted scraping and mating with a returning female, [...]

2023-05-15T15:36:14-04:00May 15th, 2023|Field Notes|Comments Off on Piping Plover Update 5/15/23

Plover Update July 22

Since my last blog post, the fourth and final Piping Plover nest has hatched. Unfortunately, only one of the three eggs hatched. The two unhatched eggs were turned over to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team and determined to have not developed. Also, since my last blog post, 10 of the 11 chicks on [...]

2022-07-22T17:03:42-04:00July 22nd, 2022|Field Notes|Comments Off on Plover Update July 22
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