Greetings from Whitefish Point!

Pine Grosbeak by Skye Haas

We are excited to be kicking off WPBO’s 38th year of spring migration research! Of course, it doesn’t feel too much like spring just yet with several feet of snow on the ground, lake ice as far as the eye can see, and temperatures dipping below zero Fahrenheit. But thankfully we have a crew of Yoopers who are accustomed to such extreme weather. Paradise residents Nova MacKentley and Chris Neri are once again working long nights banding owls; for updates on that program, please visit the Owl blog on this website. On the day shift, we welcome Gary Palmer from Marquette as the new hawk counter to Whitefish Point to the deck, and Skye Haas as the returning Field Ornithologist. Finally, Louie Dombroski from McMillan will be returning to start the waterbird count on April 15th.

A Northern Goshawk was the first raptor of the season for the hawk count! By Skye Haas

So how about the birds? The answer is very wintry in flavor! The bulk of observations have been boreal finches, with flocks of Pine Grosbeaks, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls flying over the deck. We actually didn’t observe our first raptor of the watch until the middle of day two when a young Northern Goshawk bombed the deck.

A few Bald Eagles were later tallied in the afternoon. Elsewhere on the point, a flock of redpolls at the feeders revealed a Hoary Redpoll yesterday, and down  in the harbor, a surprisingly enterprising Bufflehead was floating in a tiny patch of open water. Further afield, the mouth of the Tahquamenon River remains frozen over, and good birding remains in eastern Chippewa County with WPBO staff observing 25 Snowy Owls in Rudyard on the evening of the 14th.

Stay tuned to this and the other blogs for further updates as the season progresses. Or better yet, come visit us at the Point. We are always happy to show visitors some birds at the rugged and beautiful Whitefish Point.

-Skye Haas