The 2024 WPBO Raptor Count is drawing to an end. Although the last day of count is May 31, the four remaining days are unlikely to change the overall picture as the hawk flight significantly slowed down this week. The Sharp-shinned Hawks are almost through, with only a handful still recorded daily, and some [...]
Whitefish Point is a great place to learn the immature plumages of the Bald Eagle. Several immature eagles are often seen over the area daily; they are one, two, three, or possibly four years old. Naturally, no juveniles (a bird in its first plumage) are observed in the spring; they have not hatched or [...]
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 [...]
Greetings and salutations from Whitefish Point! The Hermit of the Hawk Shack, your Friendly Neighborhood Raptor Counter, known to many as Rich Couse but mostly as "that guy who stands out in the cold all day, every day, way up there on the hawk deck." has returned for a third thrilling spring season! I [...]
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 [...]
