Hello everybody! This week is a good old 2-for-1 special, since week 3 was not even worth posting about. The weather has just felt like constant punches to the gut, and it seemed like we could not go a single day without a winter storm hitting us for a long time. And finally, once we have a few nice days and it looks like we are in the clear, we get another five inches of snow dumped on us.
Week 3 (3/26-4/1) was the worst weather week I think I have ever experienced in my years of hawk watching. Started off with super strong, cold north wind and overcast, which deterred any bird that was thinking of crossing the straits. On the night of the 28th into the 29th, all of upper Michigan was hit with an insane ice storm that covered the island in an inches thick sheet of ice. So much damage was done to the trees on the island, drastically changing the landscape. Trees that I have known and seen every day since I started on the island have broken limbs or are just completely uprooted. The State Park Commission has been working hard to clean up the trees from the roads (thanks guys!), but the road up to the fort will be one of the last to get cleaned up, so I am still stepping over fallen trees every day on my way to the lookout.
This week had a total of 77 raptors, and 46 of them were on April 1st. March 29th was a zero-bird day, and the 30th was a no count day. The weather really took a toll on the raptors, and nothing was going to be willing to move in those conditions
Week 4 (4/2 – 4/8) had much better luck, both for birds and weather, for the most part. The week started off with a no count day due to more snow freezing rain (big surprise), then continued into the worst wind I have ever experienced at Fort Holmes. Every year, usually in the first week or two of April, we are hit with some very strong west wind. I expect that, and I am prepared for those kind of conditions. This, I was not prepared for. The freezing rain the day before created a skating rink over the entirety of the lookout, which only made it easier for the wind to push me all over the place. The wind, which I clocked at 35 mph at points (which I am not sure is accurate, it felt much stronger than that), blew quite literally all of my belongings down the steep hill on the east side of the fort. It was definitely an ordeal to attempt to retrieve everything, and resulted in me sliding much further down the hill than I was expecting and struggling hard to make it back up. If anyone was up there to watch me do all of this, it honestly would have been hilarious. I was incredibly frustrated, and ended up soaked and freezing for the rest of the day, but now my tales of woe have now turned into a very funny story to tell.
After that, the weather calmed down and the wind shifted to a better direction, and we had a few days of really good movement. Then, since winter is still holding us in her death grip, it got cold and windy and snowy again. The north wind halted all bird movement yet again, and the week ended with a few quiet days.
This week had a total of 756 raptors (an insane jump from week 3) which was very exciting. Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks are really ramping up, which is making it finally feel like April. The 5th was the biggest day of the week with 255 raptors, and was also the biggest Rough-legged Hawk flight of the season at 22.
We are currently at 1,322 raptors for the season, and it is dominated by Red-tails (37%) and Turkey Vultures (27%). Very exciting stuff! The weather FINALLY looks like it’s taking a turn for the better, so I am very much looking forward to good raptor flights, the temps getting a little warmer, and to get out and about on my bike. Until next time!
