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Archive for March, 2011

The Closing Days of Winter

Posted in Brockway Mountain, raptor migration, spring migration, Uncategorized on March 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Temperatures these past few days have been creeping upward, and not only have I been dispensing with hat and gloves, but I now rarely finish my thermos of hot tea before the day’s count is over.  And while the remaining snow on Brockway Mountain Drive’s east end is surely frozen in the morning, come afternoon that snow is pure slush, making navigation by ATV slightly treacherous.

Birdwise, we’re still slogging through a stretch of slow days.  But diversity is increasing, even if numbers are not: March 26 brought us our first Rough-legged Hawk (a juvenile light morph, should you care!), March 29 a vanguard of 4 Red-tailed Hawk, and March 30 a gorgeous adult Red-shouldered Hawk.

Vic Berardi would cringe at the quality of this shot.

Other additions to the list include Red Crossbill, with Snow Bunting and small flocks of Common Redpoll now trickling though almost daily.  And a Northern Shrike (left) has taken up the same spruce in easy binocular view from West Bluff on the mornings of March 29 and 30.  Things can only get better from here . . .

And so the end of another winter in the UP draws neigh.  I think I will miss it!

Thinking of you from atop Brockway,
Arthur

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Why Seeing “No Birds” Still Matters

Posted in Brockway Mountain, spring migration, Uncategorized on March 26, 2011 | 3 Comments »

If you’ve been following the last few days of the KRS count via HawkCount, then you’re well aware that we seem to have struck a vein of cold temperatures, unfavorable winds, and precious few birds.  A stretch of uncomfortable, slow days can be hard on morale, especially when forecasts for the week ahead seem to all but assure status quo.

But even when migration is dull, these hours on the mountain are hardly wasted.  One of the reasons we are counting migrating birds at Brockway Mountain is to learn more about how birds migrate through the Keweenaw Peninsula.  And the only way to do this is by performing our counts systematically, in exactly the same way, from year to year.  The data we collect about the birds we see builds a representative “snapshot” of the migration itself, which, when correlated with data from other locales for the same period of time, helps us learn not only how birds migrate in the mouth of the wolf, but helps conservationists build a better picture of bird population trends on a regional and continental scale.

So, put another way, even seeing few or no birds is useful data!  To know the conditions for when birds don’t fly is just as important as knowing the conditions for when they do.  And the only way to establish those conditions is by weathering it out with binocular in hand, and not letting your taxed attention span (and the occasional fit of boredom) get the best of you.  Because, ultimately, bird numbers aren’t stock prices or sports scores; the only losers are the counters who didn’t go out to count birds that day.

Musing From Brockway,
Arthur

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High Time and Brisk Breezes . . .

Posted in Brockway Mountain, raptor migration, spring migration on March 20, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Sunshine and Smiles.

March 20 was a day of gale force south-by-southeast winds, with gusts as high as 56 mph turning garden-variety snow into stinging embers against exposed skin.    No one would have blamed me if I packed up and went home, but I really wanted to know something:  Would anything fly in this weather?

Yes!  11 Bald Eagle and 1 Golden Eagle were still catching ridge updrafts in winds known to capsize large sailing vessels.  (And those nesting raven conveyed to every near-passing eagle the importance of staying the hell out of their airspace!)  It was also amusing to watch a flock of Bohemian Waxwing periodically lift off the edge of the mountain only to drop swiftly back to earth as if drawn by a powerful magnet.  So while today did not bear witness to a record flight, I am satisfied to have seen as much as I did in these conditions. Some birds, clearly, are more equal than others . . .

Standing Vigil at Brockway,
Arthur

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A Winter Dusting

Posted in Brockway Mountain on March 19, 2011 | 1 Comment »

The (un)seasonal thaw of the past week brought an early Sharp-shinned Hawk (3/16) and our first American Robin (3/17), and left more than a few bare spots on the mountain.  Perhaps because I was mostly concerned about grinding my way to the top of Brockway via snowmobile, I was glad for March 18′s light dusting of snow and below-freezing temperatures which are slightly more in keeping with the winters that the UP is famous for.  But even as I appreciate its harsh stillness, winter here is most definitely flagging as the signs of early Spring are everywhere: Common Raven are almost certainly nesting again near West Bluff, as I observed one of the pair bringing food back to the old nest location on Thursday.  Many of our winter residents (e.g., Dark-eyed Junco, Bohemian Waxwing) are beginning to to leave in number.  And this afternoon, I heard a flock of migrating Canada Goose pass over where I’m staying in Copper Harbor.  And so the wheel turns . . . many beautiful, bird-packed days lay ahead.

Watching from Brockway,
Arthur

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Might this bode well for a strong season?

Posted in Brockway Mountain, HMANA, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, raptor migration, Uncategorized on March 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »


March 15 proved to be a strong start to KRS’s 2011 count season, yielding 36 Bald Eagles and 1 Northern Goshawk in a little over six hours of observation.  A female Snow Bunting also stopped by the hilltop for a breather this morning, while a displaying Common Raven near West Bluff passed the day chasing off eagles (and that goshawk!) that ventured too close for his (her?) comfort.

Keeping my tripod up in the breeze wasn't a real problem today.

Mild temperatures and brisk winds all day made me feel like a dog with his head out a moving car window.   Unfortunately, our count shelter didn’t fare so well, with 35+ mph winds tearing off the rolled roofing like it were tissue paper and nearly twisting the door off the frame.   Otherwise, this has been a good beginning for what will surely be a splendid count.

In case you were interested, we also update our HawkCount profile with the day’s results.  Catch you soon . . .

From Brockway with Love,
Arthur

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And the Shack is up!

Posted in Brockway Mountain, Copper Country Audubon, Keweenaw Raptor Survey, Laughing Whitefish Audubon Society, Michigan Audubon, raptor migration, spring migration on March 14, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Howdy all!

It was so great to get back up to the top of Brockway. Arthur Green, Greg Cleary & I headed up the Mountain to assemble the counter’s shack. Brockway Mt. Drive is still snowed in from the winter leaving us but one option for the day- saddle up the sleds!

Of course, many thanks must go to Ken Stegers (the proprietor of the Pines Resort) for helping house Arthur and getting snowmobiles for KRS to use. Be sure and stop in his place for some hot food when you come up for some hawk-watching later this spring!

Not to be melodramatic, but it was pretty harsh up there when we got to the West Bluff overlook. A strong northerly wind off the lake with a heavy snow was challenging to say the least, we could barely even see the bottom of the valley. Also “amusing” was the discovery that the tarp covering the shack pieces had been shredded over the winter, but thankfully the wood was not too frozen to the ground.

Thankfully nothing had warped too bad, and after a few hours of digging, hauling and assembling the shack began to take form. A gang of passing snowmobilers were drafted to help get the heavy roof up and no one got frost-bite!

Well, of course the big question, were there any birds??

No raptors were seen, but a small flock of flyover Redpolls passed by and just before we left for the day a Barred Owl hooted from the valley. South winds are forecasted for the rest of the week so hopefully this count will start with some migrants! Tune back in to get Arthur’s report from opening day (Tuesday!).

Welcome to da Yoop Arthur!

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