March 16, 2010 by Distant Eagle
Weather: It was sunny and clear all day with a high around 10C. Winds were primarily out of the NNW, up to 5 mph.
Counted from the same place as yesterday. The road is getting better since there has been some traffic, but you still need four wheel drive. On the way up there was a flock of 11 Bohemian Waxwings (photo below).
The flight was again far to the south. From the ridge it appears to be near Mt. Houghton, though it is probably a bit closer. The first Golden Eagle of the season flew by in the last hour of the count. It was pretty far out, but distinguishable from the Bald’s. 14 Bald’s and 11 unID’ed eagles were also recorded. Passerines included more Pine Siskins and a group of 13 Snow Buntings kept the first half of the day from being a total bust.
Tomorrow I try the west end and hopefully I’ll be counting from the shack!
Max
Bohemian Waxwing
OTHERS (MUST ADD SEPARATELY TO DAILY TOTALS)
0
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March 16, 2010 by Distant Eagle
Today was the first day of the count. Joe Youngman showed up at my door 2 hours before the start of the count since we had no idea what the road up was going to be like. After some deliberation and messing with a 4 wheeler, we decided to snowmobile up the east (Copper Harbor) side as far as we could. We made it just beyond the Copper Harbor Overlook, then walked up until we had a good view to the south.
We didn’t have much movement until the 4th hour of the count, 12-1 pm EDT. All our migrants were far to the south, making ID of most birds pretty difficult. The heat shimmer didn’t help either. We ended the day with 14 Bald Eagles and 14 unidentified eagles.
Other highlights included a group of 3 Pine Grosbeaks in the first half of the day, 7 Bohemian Waxwings, some friendly Pine Siskins (below), and a woodchuck. Spring’s here (for now)!
I’ll count from the same place tomorrow, but Joe and Ken from The Pines here in Copper Harbor blasted their way to the top from the west side, so hopefully I will be able to drive to the top by Wednesday!
Joe took some pictures today of our count site, I’ll post those once I get a copy of them.
Max
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March 15, 2010 by skyehaas
Well, it’s been a long 10 months of planning, but today is the first day of the Brockway Mountain Count! I would like to thank everyone for all the hard work they put it making this project a realilty. Of course due to the logistics of Brockway, we are not out the nail-biting phase yet as this unseasonable thaw has made it impossible to to use a snowmobile on the upper mountain while the lower road remains snowed in. Joe Youngman is headed to the Mnt. today with a couple of ideas in his pocket on how to get Max to the count site. Stand by for more exciting tales of just how they pull this one off!
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March 10, 2010 by skyehaas
Joe Youngman and Max Henschell were at Brockway today to finish up preparations for the start of the count season (to begin this Monday 3/15!).
While only there for two hours, they tallied in:
Bald Eagle- 5
Northern Goshawk- 1
Golden Eagle- 2
A very exciting start for the season! Stay tuned, Max will be posting regular updates to the website every week of what is being seen at Brockway.
See you all on the Mountain.
Common Ravens make excellent watchdogs at Brockway. While most other species of raptors are generally ignored by the nesting pair of Ravens, they have a particular dislike for Golden Eagles. Often they spot a incoming Golden Eagle long before a birder does, and with a couple of harsh croaks, they fly up to "escort" the Golden past the bluff. This can be an excellent way to find a Golden Eagle on busy flight days!This photograph was taken by M.J. Shupe
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March 1, 2010 by skyehaas
KRS committee members Joe Youngman and Greg Cleary headed up Brockway on February 28th to assemble the hawk counter’s shack on West Bluff.
Joe Youngman & Greg Cleary
A note from Joe….
The Shack is in place on Brockway ready for the 15th of March. Thanks to Clyde Westcoat for the storage and permission, thanks to Greg Cleary, Zach Gayk, Ken Stigers and the snowmobile groomer and last but not least, the two snowmobilers who helped Greg and I lift the two ton roof onto that sucker.
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February 24, 2010 by skyehaas
Hawk Watch Site Listings for Michigan
The Keweenaw Raptor Survey is pleased to announce that the Brockway Mountain Count is now registered with HMANA and the spring 2010 counts will be available on HawkCount.org. The season will be starting soon (March 15th!), and a blog chronicling the day’s sightings will be posted here at Keweenawraptorsurvey.org
Golden Eagle by Alec Lindsay
Posted in Brockway Mountain, HMANA, raptor migration, spring migration | Tagged Brockway Mountain, HMANA, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, raptor migration | Leave a Comment »
February 13, 2010 by skyehaas
Skye Haas from the managing committee of Keweenaw Raptor Survey will be giving a presentation about the activities and goals of the KRS at this years MiBCI Ornithological Congress. The presentation will be at 1PM on Friday April 9th.
For more information about this years Ornithological Congress visit http://www.mibci.org/index.php?id=199
Posted in Events, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, Michigan Bird Conservation Initiative, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
January 18, 2010 by michiganaudubon
Audubon's Warbler - Photo: Joe Kaplan
The month of December was mild, and many bodies of water remained open, allowing a number of lingering waterbirds including ducks and grebes to be recorded later than usual this season. It has been a decent winter for over-wintering hawks in the UP. More Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed Hawks than typical have been reported in recent weeks, mostly concentrated along Lake Michigan and the eastern Soo area. Northern Goshawks have been regularly seen, and there have been 3 Red-shouldered Hawk sightings in January! Surprising, Rough-legged Hawk sightings are average, if not a little low this winter.
Yellow-billed Loon - Photo: Skye Haas
Read the full UP Rare Bird Report for January 15 HERE.
Posted in Keweenaw Raptor Survey, UP Rare Bird Reports | Tagged birding, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, rare bird report, Upper Peninsula | Comments Off
January 13, 2010 by michiganaudubon
In December, the Keweenaw Raptor Survey hired a counter for the 2010 spring season. Max Henschell is a recently completed his graduate studies at Michigan Technological University; he is an experienced–and hardy–field biologist.
It is through donations to the KRS that we have been able to fund our first field season, and encourage further support to ensure the completion of this project.
MAX HENSCHELL
Max Henschell will count raptors at Brockway Mountain in 2010
Max Henschell grew up in northern lower Michigan along the Lake Michigan coast. Though always interested in the outdoors and nature, his interest in birding was sparked 6 years ago by a single Magnolia Warbler. While working on Isle Royale, Max came across the bird in the middle of the trail. With little knowledge and an entire field guide to look through, it took him nearly an hour to identify. Throughout the summer his interest in birds grew. But since that summer, Max’s interest in birds and birding has become a passion. Max has been an active birder in the Keweenaw and Upper Peninsula for the last 5 years. He has had the opportunity to bird in many birding “hotspots” across the country including the Rio Grande Valley and Southeast Arizona, with a life list of over 500 birds in just a few short years. Max has worked as the waterbird counter at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory and at Seney National Wildlife Refuge as a marsh-bird surveyor as well as volunteering at Patagonia Lake State Park in Arizona as a bird walk leader and with the Manitou Island Bird Survey. Max will be completing his master’s degree from Michigan Technological University in grassland bird ecology in March before joining the KRS.
Posted in Brockway Mountain, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, raptor migration | Tagged Brockway Mountain, Keweenaw Peninsula, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, raptor migration, spring migration, Upper Peninsula, Whitefish Point Bird Observatory | Comments Off
December 8, 2009 by michiganaudubon
Northern Hawk Owl - Skye Haas
KRS encourages you to attend the following events in 2010:
- The 2010 Ornithological Congress, April 7 – 10. MiBCI
- Spring Fling 2010, a celebration of Spring migration at Whitefish Point, April 23 – 25. Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
- Keweenaw Peninsula International Migratory Bird Day celebration, mid-April through mid-May. Keweenaw IMBD
- Michigan Audubon Annual Conference & Tawas Point Birding Festival, May 13 – 16. Michigan Audubon
Posted in Events, Michigan Audubon, Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, spring migration | Comments Off
