Fall Waterbird Count

Bring On the Fall 2021 Waterbird Count!

It’s that time of year again where we waterbird counters set out to the Point prepared to count the fall waterbird migration. As you may have seen in our recent social media posting, I (Mario) will be your guide during this fall adventure. This will be my first time working and living in the [...]

2021-08-27T10:42:35-04:00August 27th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Bring On the Fall 2021 Waterbird Count!

The Beauty of Common Birds

One of the most overlooked families of birds is Laridae, the gulls. Many times I’ve heard, “There’s more than one kind of seagull?” Common birds are often overlooked; their presence is taken for granted, and not much attention is given to them. Think of the European Starling, a widespread, common bird (which, unfortunately, is also [...]

2020-11-02T12:16:59-05:00October 30th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on The Beauty of Common Birds

Lake-Watching 101

A surprise for many visitors to the waterbird count is how distant the birds are. While the handful of loons that pass overhead and chickadees that venture inside the waterbird shack defy this statement, they are few compared to the thousands of birds flying a quarter mile or more from the shoreline. How we identify [...]

2020-10-09T12:06:52-04:00October 9th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Lake-Watching 101

The Commotion Around Rare Birds

The term “rare bird” transcends the birding community. Defined as “An unusual or exceptional person or thing,” we refer to a wide array of the unexpected with this wordage. As far as we’re concerned here at the fall waterbird count, the rare birds we’re looking for are those birds who we don’t regularly expect to [...]

2020-10-02T09:51:49-04:00October 2nd, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on The Commotion Around Rare Birds

“Red Sky at Morning….

...sailors take warning.” This saying tells us that under a red morning sky you can expect weather coming your way. Today couldn’t have been a better affirmation of this thousands of years old saying. A beautiful morning sky foretold the gale that came in the afternoon, shaking the waterbird shack and observers(read here for an [...]

2020-09-04T11:24:46-04:00September 4th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on “Red Sky at Morning….

The Fall Waterbird Count Begins!

The first week of the Fall Waterbird Count is approaching its end, and let me say it has been an exciting one. Before we delve into the details, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Steve and I’ll be the counter for this fall. I’m very excited to be in such a beautiful place [...]

2020-08-22T12:00:50-04:00August 21st, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on The Fall Waterbird Count Begins!

Lake Effect

Most hours of most days, the little flock of Snow Buntings are the closest thing to company out at the waterbird shack. They’re pretty good for that, actually--hardy birds that flit about the frozen beach, gleaning the sparse grass, giving happy calls even when the snow is so profuse I can’t see the lake. Watching [...]

2019-11-09T20:28:01-05:00November 9th, 2019|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Lake Effect

The Season of Long-tailed Duck

To the Inuit of Nunavut, the arrival of the Long-tailed Duck (or in their language, aggiarjuk) heralds spring’s coming. Traditional songs exalt the event--”When we have survived the worst and the future looks promising, the Long-tailed Ducks have now returned. As they return, they are full of joyous spirit.”  At Whitefish Point, where one spends [...]

2019-11-02T23:22:54-04:00November 2nd, 2019|Migration Counts|Comments Off on The Season of Long-tailed Duck

Waterbird Count Recap: 18-25 October, 2019

Gale-force winds (temporarily) felled the shack this week...  October is an easy month to love at the Point. Each morning, I gear up in the parking lot, entertaining unrealistic fantasies of what might fly by the count (or perch on the Merlin pole…) It is a favorite time of day--the sky is colorful, [...]

2019-10-25T21:11:58-04:00October 25th, 2019|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Waterbird Count Recap: 18-25 October, 2019

Waterbird Count Recap through 17 October

On a brisk morning at the Point, one finds the mind and body to be in conflict. While the body craves the shelter that comes from huddling on the south side of the counter’s shack, the mind knows that pursuing comfort means that more birds might slip by undetected. On a heavy flight, after weeks [...]

2019-10-18T07:29:54-04:00October 18th, 2019|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Waterbird Count Recap through 17 October
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