Cool spring continues as migration presses on.

Hi all,

After all the wind and chilly temps the last few days, looks like we are back into a bit of a warm-up. If there is a recurring theme for the season, it is how different the weather is from the last several springs, particularly last year when 70s and even 80s were being seen here in the Keweenaw.

As far as the count, 356 Bald Eagles have been tallied so far, which is quite a bit behind the pace seen in 2010 and 2012 but similar to that of 2011. In contrast, 31 Golden Eagles have been recorded, a total that has already equalled the highest number for any of those three seasons. Turkey Vulture has been the newest arrival, with two seen yesterday, making it the eighth raptor seen on the mountain so far this year.

Non-raptor arrivals to the area recently have included Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Small groups of Snow Buntings are seen daily on West Bluff and yesterday there were quite a number of Bohemian Waxwings up there as well.

Bill Degowski tells me that quite a few folks are keeping up with the blog which is always good to hear. I like getting that feedback. Hopefully, if the road ever opens up, we’ll see some of you folks on the mountain.

Calvin