Yellow-rumped Warbler flycatching

Swainson's Hawk


Highlights: Hudsonian Godwit, Swainson's Hawk, and Eurasian Tree Sparrow

The songbird and shorebird migrations have been picking up. In addition to the hundreds of Blue Jays and White-crowned Sparrows, many other species have been present recently. Recent sightings include Black-bellied, Semipalmated and Piping Plover, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher,Common Nighthawk, Least Flycatcher, Tree, Northern Rough-winged, Bank, Cliff and Barn Swallows, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Clay-colored, Lincoln's and Swamp Sparrows, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted and Evening Grosbeaks, Bobolink, Rusty Blackbird, and Baltimore Oriole.

Sharp-shinned Hawk with a Blue Jay

Glaucous Gull

This second-cycle Glaucous Gull was present on the beach near the tip of Whitefish Point today.

Warblers are here!

Warblers have finally arrived in good numbers, with 20 species reported today here at Whitefish Point, including this Chestnut-sided Warbler. Other warbler species seen today were Golden-winged, Cape May, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Nashville, Black-and-white, Blackpoll, Blackburnian, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Western Palm, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, and Northern Waterthrush. Non-warbler sightings today included a female Bobolink, a Scarlet Tanager, two Baltimore Orioles, a Gray Catbird, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, hundreds of White-crowned Sparrows, tens of White-throated Sparrows, some Savannah Sparrows, some Clay-colored Sparrows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, a Gray-cheeked Thrush, a Swainson's Thrush, two Piping Plovers, a Merlin...

Great Gray Owls

This is one of three Great Gray Owls that were seen near the Owl's Roost gift shop at nightfall Saturday. What a bird!

American Avocet

An American Avocet was found at the harbor today. This is just the second record of this species for the Point. It was very odd to see an Avocet floating on the Bay. Also seen today were a Snowy Owl and multiple Short-eared Owls. The weather isn't exactly cooperating for our Spring Fling weekend, but there are a few good birds saving the day. As I have to get up for the banquet in about four hours, a more complete report will have to wait until after the weekend.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

American Kestrels on the lighthouse

Field Sparrow

The waterbird count began on the 15th, and things have been picking up. Recent sightings include, Field Sparrow, American White Pelican, and Boreal Chickadee. The hawk flight has started pick up, and 7 species of owl have been at the Point in the last 3 days. A flight of 2,000 Sandhill Cranes also occurred this week. For some details check out the other blogs.

The 2009 field seasons kicked off on the 15th with the beginning of the hawk count and owl banding. Arriving on the UP in mid March was a bit of a jolt for all three of us. Nova spent the fall and winter working with the endangered Ocelots in Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in TX. I was able to join her in January and February volunteering with the Ocelots and waterfowl surveys. The season's hawk counter John van Dort spent the winter in Central America working with the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Our tans are fading quickly.

As John is currently the only daytime field staff the sightings blog might not be seeing much activity for a few weeks. However, he is doing a great job with the new WPBO hawk count blog, including non-raptor sightings. The link is still not up on our homepage, but it is currently in the link section on all our blogs. Things are beginning to happen so check out the hawk and owl blogs to see what's going on up here. For instance, right now at 3AM it's snowing so we need to go close the owl nets, ugh.