Superior Birding Trail

04/24/2023

Interesting lesson on immature eagle ID. The golden eagle silhouette is the outline of the constellation that shapes the Superior Birding Trail.

10/22/2022

"Two species have dominated the past week. The first is possibly the rarest waterbird to be recorded on a waterbird count at Whitefish Point."

Read Fall Waterbird Counter Alec Olivier's blog post to discover what species was seen.
https://wpbo.org/2022/10/21/waterbird-count-week-10-update/

📸 by Alec Olivier

03/30/2022

Lol...Not taken on our regional birding trail, although there are plenty of grouse in the area. Photo courtesy of the Chippewa Nature Center, Midland, MI

03/15/2022

Trail stops. Find the GPS points for trail stops in the comments.

10/12/2021

ACTION ALERT: Urge Natural Resources Commission to Protect the Sandhill Crane

Earlier in 2021, Senator McBroom presented Senate Resolution 20 to encourage the Natural Resources Commission to add Greater Sandhill Cranes to the game species list in Michigan. At their March 3 meeting, the Senate Committee halted approving this resolution due to discrepancies and inconsistencies in both the data cited and rationale purported by the proposal. At a later date, the Committee approved a similar resolution, which is now awaiting review by Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC). If the Commission approves the logic and rationale of the proposal at this juncture, the Sandhill Crane species would risk losing necessary federal protections afforded to migratory birds. The Natural Resources Commission is preparing to hear a presentation on the Sandhill Crane from a Michigan DNR staff member, Barb Avers, on Thursday, October 14.

Michigan Audubon’s leadership and collective supporters have steadily opposed repeated proposals to remove federal protections from the Sandhill Crane species in our state. We believe the majority of Michigan residents would like to continue to see the Sandhill Crane protected as a traditional non-game (migratory) bird species in Michigan. We urge you to share your opinion about protecting Sandhill Cranes to ensure more voices and conservation values are heard by Commissioners and our governor. Take action by writing to the Natural Resources Commission via email at [email protected] and by writing to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Please read our full blog post, "Michigan Audubon Urges Commission to Maintain Sandhill Crane Status as Federally-Protected, Non-Game Species," for more information on this issue. https://www.michiganaudubon.org/michigan-audubon-urges-commission-to-maintain-sandhill-crane-status-as-federally-protected-non-game-species/

📷 Sandhill Crane. Photo by Mary Lundeberg | APA

05/29/2021

As this is being written, there are three days left to the Spring 2021 Hawk Count. The hawk board is a fixture up on the hawk deck which often sparks conversations with birders and non-birders alike. The board provides wonderful teaching moments as people discover many more raptor species than they ever knew about. It also provides valuable information to birders about the numbers and frequency of raptors are being seen and allows them to dream about what they might see the next time they come to visit. As you can see by the column on the left, migration, like the count, is nearly over and it has been a great season here at Whitefish Point.

📷 Rich Couse

05/08/2021

While our focus during migration here at WPBO is on raptors, owls, and waterbirds, occasionally a bird comes along that steals the show. Over the years, many rare species have been recorded at Whitefish Point, and we have been lucky enough to capture a few images of them in their time. These images are honored on our "Wall of Fame" at our field headquarters where our seasonal employees live, and the wall is the first thing they will see when they enter the building. It serves as a humble reminder of the history and importance of the role Whitefish Point plays as an Important Bird Area and that, while each counter has a role to play, we are always on the lookout for the next addition to the wall!

04/16/2021

So cool.

"Their rolling, trumpeting call rings clear and strong across the sky. The sound is prehistoric, relentless, and once heard, you cannot deny a feeling deep down in your gut that some things are simply eternal, like migration.

Sandhill Cranes have followed their migratory flyway for ages, long before you set foot on this earth, and they will continue long after you are gone. Their clarion cry only serves to remind you that you are here only to bear passing witness and to fathom a stirring in their soul that you will never quite grasp or understand. As they fly away and the sound fades, you too feel the urge to go.

This week, a major flight occurred, with over 1,800 cranes flying over the Point in a couple of hours. Groups numbering from 12 to 200 in V-formation took over the sky, making the afternoon flight of Red-tailed Hawks seem minuscule. Quite a spectacle indeed!"
~ 2021 Spring Hawk Counter Rich Couse

📷 Sandhill Cranes flying over Whitefish Point. Photo by Rich Couse

04/15/2021

🦆 The Spring Waterbird Count begins on April 15! 🦆

The Point is one of the most important spots for documenting and monitoring waterbird movements in the upper Great Lakes. Spring and fall counts record loons, grebes, ducks, geese, shorebirds, and other waterbirds, providing important information on abundance and timing of migration, and aiding in regional and international efforts to monitor changes in bird populations.

The waterbird count is conducted from the beach near the tip of the Point. Counting waterbirds is rather straightforward compared to counting other birds, as waterbirds tend to migrate directly, and aside from a few exceptions, rarely linger.

— Meet the Spring Waterbird Counter —

Matthew Winkler is a lifelong bird nerd. Growing up in Berkley, Mich., he was identifying birds as soon as he was tall enough to stand up and look outside over the windowsill. At around age 3, the first bird he identified was a Mallard, swimming in his backyard pool. One of his favorite things to do was take day trips to Kensington Metropark, where he’d walk the trails and feed birds by hand, which was always a thrill. His first adventure to Whitefish Point was in 1995 at around age 7, and he’s been visiting the Point most years since. He strongly advocates for citizen science, good mentorship, and chasing your dreams! One thing he holds dear to himself is connecting more people to the world of birds and to the natural world. There’s so much to discover!!!

You can follow along with Matthew through his weekly blog posts at wpbo.org/blogs/ and see live updates of his sightings through Dunkadoo at https://dunkadoo.org/explore/whitefish-point-bird-observatory/waterbirds-spring-2021.

04/08/2021

World’s oldest loons again return to Seney

From Damon McCormick of Common Coast Research & Conservation:

The two oldest documented common loons, known as ABJ and Fe (“Fay”), have just separately returned from oceanic wintering grounds to their long-term breeding territory on the refuge, F Pool. Because the ABJ was banded as a Seney chick in 1987, his age is known precisely: He will turn 34 this June. In contrast, his partner Fe was first color-marked in 1990 as a successful Seney mother; because the youngest age of verified common loon reproduction is four, Fe will be turning at least 35 this season. While other banded adults on the refuge and elsewhere have reached their late twenties - the B Pool male known as Killer will turn 28 this summer - it remains rather remarkable that among thousands of color-marked loons across northern North America, the oldest two are not only paired together, but have been so for a record 25 consecutive years.

Despite the pair’s fidelity, common loons do not mate for life, and in the coming weeks ABJ and Fe will again navigate territorial intrusions by single males and females in search of their own breeding turf and mate. If these challenges are successfully repelled, they will settle in for slightly under one month of incubation of one or two eggs. Any chicks that ultimately emerge - most likely in late May or early June - will extend the pair’s record for lifetime productivity, 32 hatched offspring. Visitors to the refuge can observe ABJ and Fe on the first body of water along the Marshland Auto Drive, F Pool.

The ABJ was first spotted and identified two days ago by refuge volunteers and then photographed yesterday by other refuge volunteers. Thanks to all four for being the bearers of this good news.

PHOTO: The ABJ, freshly returned to Seney’s F Pool on April 8th, displays the faded red and green plastic colorbands that were affixed during nighttime capture in 1996. Photo by Lima Bean

04/05/2021

Cool!

Are you wondering how we keep track of all the migrating hawks here at Whitefish Point? As you can see, we have moved past counting on our fingers and toes and utilize the latest technology from Dunkadoo to keep up to date with the latest sightings. In fact, you can visit their site for real-time WPBO sightings! You can navigate there through a handy link on the WPBO homepage or by clicking: dunkadoo.org/explore/whitefish-point-bird-observatory/hawk-count-spring-2021.

While Dunkadoo helps us keep track of our hawk count's official numbers, an unofficial tally of raptors deemed non-migrating is kept on an old-fashioned cloud clicker. This way, we can evaluate all the raptors seen every day.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!