The right winds in early October usher Whitefish’s peak Aythya (certain diving ducks like scaup and Redhead) flight past the Point, and yesterday, the 7th, was fun. For most of the count, each time I looked to the northwest, a new duck flock had sprung the gate and was rapidly traversing the zone of easy [...]
Visible migration must be one of the more beautiful, raw phenomena of this world, and the past week at the waterbird count has provided frequent opportunities to appreciate it. This is a welcome departure from 8-hour loops of occasional, heat-distorted Red-necked Grebes that defined many days in early September! The energy accompanying fall migration is [...]
The Waterbird Shack seems to exist in its own universe. It certainly has its own microenvironment--comfortable weather at the parking lot does not necessarily translate to comfortable weather at the Point. This detail is responsible for both the hasty retreats of ill-prepared visitors and the sideways glances directed my way when I emerge at the [...]
This morning, I huddled against the lee side of the Waterbird Shack: chilly, wet, panning a scope mounted on a shaking tripod in a mostly futile attempt to distill migrating waterbirds from mammoth swells. Lake Superior has certainly outdone herself in welcoming me back to her shores. Though I was gone three and a half [...]
