Although the summer is still running hot, the fall 2024 Raptor Watch is already underway in Saint Ignace at Point LaBarbe! The first week has been expectedly slow, but the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch is eager to share our new numbers.
The fall Raptor Watch officially began on 8/20, with a decent opener of 31 total birds counted. Calvin noted high cloud cover and light winds which picked up in the afternoon, with most of the flight activity occurring midday. Broad-winged Hawks made up most of the raptors at 13 of the birds, followed by 7 each of Turkey Vultures and Bald Eagles. Single birds were also spotted of Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, and Sharp-shinned Hawk. This solid first day also saw several insects migrating as well: Monarch butterflies and Green Darner dragonflies.
August 21 saw very few birds moving through with only 12 total and hazy weather conditions. August 22 saw similar conditions but more raptors at 36. Sharp-shinned Hawks made up the majority of the counts this day. Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Merlin, Northern Harrier, and Broad-winged Hawk were also counted.
August 23 was another slow day with only 16 raptors counted and more hazy weather.
Saturday, 8/24, the last day of the first week of our 2024 fall Raptor Watch ended with a total of 22 birds. The weather was warm and hazy again, but a small wave of Bald Eagles was counted in the afternoon along with the first 2 Peregrine Falcons of the season.
In total, 117 raptors were counted during the 1st week of the 2024 fall Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch. Bald Eagles were the most common, numbering 36 this week, or approximately 31% of the total birds counted. Calvin is also keeping note of the Monarch Butterfly migration and expects to see many more butterflies in the coming days. The Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch is excited to bring in yet another migration, and we hope to see you all out at the count site this year!
