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!

Zugunruhe: 04/08/19 to 04/11/19

Highlights: Firsts of the season: American Black Duck, Rock Pigeon, Eastern Phoebe, Rusty Blackbird, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow Passerines put on their first real show of the season on April 10. While covering for Krista Botting, the hawk counter, I observed 24 American Robin, 39 Red-winged Blackbird, 45 Common Grackle, and a Bohemian Waxwing [...]

2019-04-12T14:43:34-04:00April 12th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Zugunruhe: 04/08/19 to 04/11/19
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Waterbird Landing: 04/03/19 – 04/07/19

Highlights: First Waterbirds in the Water (Mallard) – Common Merganser – Brown-headed Cowbird – Increasing Raptor Diversity A big moment at the Point in recent days: the first waterbirds of the season were observed in the lake! Two Mallard were seen flying in and landing in Lake Superior on April 5 with three male Common [...]

2019-04-09T10:47:25-04:00April 9th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Waterbird Landing: 04/03/19 – 04/07/19
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Stymied Migration & a Pileated or Two: 03/27/19 – 04/02/19

Highlights: Common Grackle - Mourning Dove - Dark-eyed Junco - Sandhill Crane - Canada Goose Weather at Whitefish Point, this time of year, is fickle. A few warm, sunny days with southerly winds saw snow melting and birds migrating, but a cold front moving in over the past few days has hampered migration to [...]

2019-04-03T17:47:07-04:00April 3rd, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Stymied Migration & a Pileated or Two: 03/27/19 – 04/02/19
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Signs of Spring: 03/23/19 – 03/26/19

Highlights: Red-winged Blackbird – American Goldfinch – Close Bald Eagle Encounter There is something truly magical about cresting a hill and seeing an adult Bald Eagle flying directly towards me over the frozen lake. As someone who grew up in a suburban/urban area and hadn’t seen a wild, free flying eagle until I was [...]

2019-04-03T17:46:38-04:00March 26th, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on Signs of Spring: 03/23/19 – 03/26/19
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A Slow Start: Sightings 03/15/19 – 03/22/19

Part of a flock of approximately 47 Common Redpoll. Photo by Charlotte R. Catalano Two Pine Grosbeaks atop a frost-covered Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana). Photo by Charlotte R. Catalano HIGHLIGHTS: Approximately 47 Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) SUMMARY: Whitefish Point is still laden down with two feet of snow and below [...]

2019-03-22T13:26:36-04:00March 22nd, 2019|Field Notes|Comments Off on A Slow Start: Sightings 03/15/19 – 03/22/19
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Sightings 11/2/18

Townsend's Solitaire. Harris's Sparrow       Highlights:         Townsend's Solitaire & Harris's Sparrow The season's second Townsend's Solitaire was seen on Oct. 20 and the second Harris's Sparrow of the season was seen on Oct. 25-26. As is typical this time of the year, the diversity is really winding down. There are [...]

2018-11-02T23:04:15-04:00November 2nd, 2018|Field Notes|Comments Off on Sightings 11/2/18
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Sightings 10/18/18

Say's Phoebe & American Avocet. Yellow-throated Warbler & Harris's Sparrow. Townsend's Solitaire. Highlights: Say's Phoebe, American Avocet, Yellow-throated Warbler, Harris's Sparrow and Townsend's Solitaire. October is often a great time for vagrants at WPBO, and it has been exciting in that regard recently. A Say's Phoebe and an American Avocet were seen on [...]

2018-10-18T23:52:13-04:00October 18th, 2018|Field Notes|Comments Off on Sightings 10/18/18
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Sightings update 10/8/18

Highlights: Summer Tanager & Lark Sparrow (photo above) I don't know how I let so much time pass by, but I did and there's nothing to do for it now except to jump right in. A Summer Tanager was photographed on September 17 and was surprisingly relocated for the first time on the 25th. It was [...]

2018-10-08T17:52:43-04:00October 8th, 2018|Field Notes|Comments Off on Sightings update 10/8/18
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Sightings Report for April 16th- May 3rd

American Wigeon by Skye Haas Greetings! Sorry for the long delay in blog posts, we were hit with a website issue right before Spring Fling and unable to get it worked out until now. Spring Fling was a good old time; it was great to connect with all our birder friends new and [...]

2018-05-06T21:47:32-04:00May 6th, 2018|Field Notes|Comments Off on Sightings Report for April 16th- May 3rd
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Sightings Report for April 6-15, 2018

By Skye Haas, 2018 Spring Field Ornithologist And I thought there was little to report in my last update! Very little bird migration has occurred in April so far. Persistent north winds and frequent snow showers have plagued the research programs here at WPBO, and we have been setting some new late arrival [...]

2018-04-17T11:48:23-04:00April 17th, 2018|Field Notes|Comments Off on Sightings Report for April 6-15, 2018
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