2024 Fall Waterbird Count Week 10

As we approach November, the species composition seen in the straits has changed. We noticed almost no dabbling ducks, only mallards (47) and an American black duck (1). And we have noticed a lot more red-breasted mergansers (1,070) and long-tailed ducks (3,490). Redheads (4,561) are still the most common migrant and are forming large rafts underneath the Mackinac Bridge. We saw more American herring gulls (111) this week than in the past weeks of the count. And we noticed a significant uptick in Bonaparte’s gulls (36) as well. Common goldeneyes (72) have been more common this week, as have lesser scaups (74) and bufflehead (20). It’s always nice to see these later migrants arrive as the season goes on. Common loons (170), Sandhill cranes (242), and common mergansers (160) have also been moving through in high numbers. While red-throated loons (6), horned grebes (12), and red-necked grebes (13) are still moving through in consistent numbers.
We had two exciting firsts for the count this week. We observed both snow goose (1) and dunlin (67). On top of these season firsts, we also had some late common terns (2) fly by on a windy Wednesday morning.
This week had some exciting non-waterbirds as well. At Graham point on October 24th a sharp-tailed grouse appeared around the corner. Unfortunately, the grouse did not stay very long as it has not been seen since. We have also seen fairly high numbers of snow buntings (75) this week. These toasted marshmallows are always a delight, and we look forward to seeing more of them and more waterbirds as we head into November.