Hawks – Michael's Place

Broad-winged Hawks

The past few days have been spotty for hawks. There have been a lot of Sharp-shinned Hawks, Bald Eagles and Broad-winged Hawks. Here are a couple of pictures from directly over the cabin. A kettle of 1-200 Broad-winged Hawks just south of the cabin, slowly drifting overhead. The best way to count them is whenContinue reading “Broad-winged Hawks”

What we did for Birdathon

Martin and I spend almost all of yesterday in the field birding. We started with a brief visit to Lone Pine Road, just south of the Tahquamenon River, then went over to the Pickford Mitigation Ponds, went to the Kirtland’s Warbler nesting area and birded our way back to Whitefish Point alon the Curley LewisContinue reading “What we did for Birdathon”

What migrating birds will today offer?

This morning facing north (left) and south (right). It’s quite windy out of the WNW, but otherwise has the makings of a beautiful day. Yesterday, on the other hand was spectacular. There were close to 2,000 Sharp-shinned Hawks in the sky as they passed heading north, as well as stopping to hunt. Small birds, likeContinue reading “What migrating birds will today offer?”

Amazing day with raptors

Yesterday one one of those days that started iffy and turned into amazing. All day small numbers of Northern Harriers passed by. Once they started, Sharp-shinned Hawks came through at a rate of 100-200+ per hour. Nice views of Broad-winged Hawks are always nice. However… Large swirling kettles are better. There are over 100 Broad-wingedContinue reading “Amazing day with raptors”

Whitefish Point – migrating hawks

The past two days have ha nice numbers of migrating hawks. This was dominated by Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Harriers and Rough-legged Hawks, which are all nice to see in numbers. A Sharp-shinned Hawk that landed in a dead tree. Rough-legged Hawks were dominated by light-colored birds although a few dark ones passed by. Northern HarriersContinue reading “Whitefish Point – migrating hawks”

Migration and an eclipse

This morning was our first day with clouds since arriving at Whitefish Point. While it made for a beautiful sunrise, the prospects of being able to detect the solar eclipse seemed dimmed. The day started unusually. The first two migrants were adult Golden Eagles. Was that a good omen? Perhaps. Migrants started sailing by. TheContinue reading “Migration and an eclipse”