migration

A Sweet South Breeze

After a string of several days where strong north winds stalled migration and kept yours truly huddling in the hawk shack trying to stay warm, the past four days have had a sweet south breeze, and along with warmer temperatures, it has brought birds! My first clue to this change in avian traffic was [...]

2021-04-06T19:20:57-04:00April 6th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on A Sweet South Breeze

A Bird in the Sky

Let there be no illusion that hawk watching is full of frame-filling, jaw-dropping images of raptors swooping past you in all their glory. Let there also be no illusion that time spent early-season hawk watching is filled with flights that never allow for one dull moment. March skies cover Whitefish Point like a steel [...]

2021-03-30T20:10:54-04:00March 30th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on A Bird in the Sky

Return To Paradise

Hey there everybody! My name is Rich Couse, and I will be your friendly neighborhood hawk counter at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory this spring. I'm back for my second spring hawk count for Michigan Audubon, and you can find me in the shack on the Hawk Deck way atop the sandy lakeshore dunes. [...]

2021-03-17T10:33:41-04:00March 16th, 2021|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Return To Paradise

One Month In!

September 15 marked one month since we started the waterbird count this fall. If you look at the data we’ve collected thus far, you might see some trends emerge. Some species have largely departed, some are beginning to show up in numbers. While a few of these changes happened quickly, like the gigantic flight days [...]

2020-09-19T10:12:58-04:00September 19th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on One Month In!

“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….

Why We Like to Talk About the Weather

Today was an astounding day at Whitefish Point. We had a nice variety of species, some high counts, and a few surprises. 1,413 Red-necked Grebe, 569 Blue-winged Teal, a Black Scoter, two jaegers, and a Whimbrel were some notable sightings. Looking at the forecast, today looked like it was going to be a day with [...]

2020-08-31T13:24:05-04:00August 29th, 2020|Migration Counts|Comments Off on Why We Like to Talk About the Weather

WPBO late summer update

Seasons take on their own forms at Whitefish Point, but in the current progression of summer and advance of fall, the wild blueberries are coming on amidst the jack pines, mushrooms are beginning to push up from the lichens, and warblers, subdued in song and plumage, mill around the point while the new wave of [...]

2020-08-11T11:54:11-04:00August 11th, 2020|Field Notes|Comments Off on WPBO late summer update

Fledge Day; Grebe Day!

Here are three bits of exciting news from WPBO this past week: 1. We received three juvenile Piping Plovers from the Great Lakes Piping Plover captive rearing program! Since 1992, eggs from nests compromised by storm surge, parent plover mortality, or “side chick” situations (yes, that’s exactly what you think it is!) have been salvaged, [...]

2020-07-28T14:05:15-04:00July 28th, 2020|Field Notes|Comments Off on Fledge Day; Grebe Day!

Early Migrations

The ephemerality of the shoreline at Whitefish Point is subtle, except to those who spend significant time there. Every windy day takes away some beach in exchange for new driftwood deposits--but if you did not walk here regularly, this would be difficult to discern. The passage of shorebirds contributes a further element to the changeability [...]

2020-07-16T14:02:57-04:00July 13th, 2020|Field Notes|Comments Off on Early Migrations
Go to Top