Keweenaw Raptor Survey

The results lately are dramatic.

If there was any doubt this season about Brockway’s importance as a springtime watchsite, May 5 should help put it to pasture: 2500 birds, 13 species of raptors.  Yes, that’s a single day’s count!  What’s even more surprising is that the full week to follow maintained a break-neck pace, with southerly winds ushering a steady stream of migrants into the tip of the Keweenaw.  I’ll allow Skye Haas the opportunity to personally report on that “big day”, but it’s worth noting that the week of May 5 thru May 11 accounts for almost 71% of the season’s total of 7584 birds till this point (with another month still to go!), which is amazing when you consider the count season began March 15.  Of course, Broad-winged Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk pad our totals this time of year, and even compared to these birds which move as if rushing to pack into a Tokyo subway car (those of you who’ve been to Japan will know what I’m talking about!), our less numerous migrants (e.g., Rough-legged Hawk) are every bit as important to our study of Keweenaw migration.  It is for this reason we begin the count as early as we do, although (admittedly) we were a little surprised at how slowly the season began.  And it’s easy to begin thinking the birds didn’t start moving en masse until the beginning of May; seasonal variation is reason enough for why it is difficult to anticipate when the bulk of a season’s migration will take place at any given locale.  But the variation each year is also why studying hawk migrations never becomes boring.  We hope you agree!

In any case, I wanted you, Dear Reader, to know that things have been just ducky, and that you have not been forgotten!  Thank you, as always, for your support, and I hope to see you soon on the mountain!  The weather is just fine, and the birds, as always, are magnificent!

Developing a binocular callous on Brockway,
Arthur