Migration continues over Brockway.

Hi all,

As we enter the final few weeks of the count season, raptors continue to pass over West Bluff in good numbers. Broad-wings of course are dominating the flight and I suspect will through to the end of the watch. Perhaps most surprising, or not given the lateness of the spring, is the large proportion of adult birds still be seen for species like Broad-wing and Red-tailed Hawk. So optomisticly, there are still considerable numbers of juvenile birds yet to come on their first journey northward. We are still seeing good numbers of Bald Eagles as well, a species that seems to wander widely as immatures at any time of year. Other species are for the most part winding down; Sharpies are down to a trickle and I think I’ve only had one or two Rough-legs in the last week or two. I think I mentioned before, Harriers seem to be the one species that has been seen in lower than expected numbers, due largely to a lack of suitable winds and weather in April.

Since my last posting, warblers and other small songbird species have increased dramatically. During that rainy stretch of days last week, many of these birds were grounded here in the Copper Harbor area with most of the common warblers being seen in that two or three days along with small numbers of the flycatcher species. Some of the other insect-eaters have been noted the last couple days like Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will, both of these heard in the evening from the top of Brockway. Most folks with feeders certainly have seen hummingbirds by now and there are lots of finches coming to feeders in town here now as well as few Indigo Buntings.

Calvin