April 8 has yielded the highest raptor count so far this season: 369 birds! A kettle of about 100 Red-tailed Hawks formed west of the point, with individual hawks moving eastward towards the lake; most would circle back and rejoin the kettle. Interestingly, there were almost as many Rough-legged Hawks (75), including several dark [...]
The WPBO spring raptor count has continued to gain momentum over the past week. As we cross into the second half of April, nearly 2,800 migrant raptors have pushed north past the Point since this year’s count began. April 11 brought less favorable migration conditions as blustery northwest winds blew in off the lake [...]
With almost 350 visitors to the Hawk Deck over the holiday weekend, the last few days of the season felt like one big parade with humans far outnumbering all the hawks I counted over the same period. Many of the visitors who come to Whitefish Point are birders who understand the concept of migration [...]
Rough-legged Hawk! Yes, indeed, this beautiful buteo will be taking home the Copper Kettle, our illustrious and in every way, non-existent, totally made-up, Raptor of the Season award. While not an actual award, an old, unusable kettle at the field house could easily be repurposed for just such an honor. With raptor migration winding [...]
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 [...]
