Hello Everyone! After a bumpy plane ride over to the island and a snowmobile escort to the condo, I am very excited to be back again for my fourth season counting on Mackinac Island with MSRW! Let’s get caught up on what the first three weeks of the 2025 spring count has brought. So far, we are at 489 total raptors of 10 species, which is the highest total for the first three weeks of the count we have had. Hopefully that means we are on track to have a great 2025 season!
Red-tailed Hawks (137) and Bald Eagles (130) make up the majority of the count so far at 28% and 26% respectively, followed by Golden Eagles (81) at 16%. Rough-legged hawks have also had their moment, since this is the largest March total for this species on record at 57, and the month isn’t even over yet. We also had the earliest recorded Turkey Vulture (3/14), Sharp-shinned Hawk (3/10), and Cooper’s Hawk (3/12).
Some highlight from the count include the 10th, which had incredible early season eagle movement, with 23 Bald Eagles and 25 Golden Eagles. After some exploring on Hawk Count, it seemed like Mackinac Island had the highest count of migrant Goldens on the continent! It might not be so much of a big deal, but for a little site where it’s just me and the birds, I have to take the wins where I can get them! The 15th was another great migration day, with a total of 175 raptors on the move. A steady stream of eagles and buteos created a lot of action. One after another they came flying by, low and close, giving the few island residents who came up to visit and I some fantastic looks.
The Bald Eagle pair that have been around the island for the last few years have made their presence known, often seen together perched in a tree or flying all over the island. The resident Merlin has also been around, often heard before spotted, darting in between the trees on the hunt for lunch. Crows and Ravens are always out and about, mostly hooting and hollering about a Golden Eagle that got too close or a Red-tail dared to enter their space. Robins, Cardinals, Brown Creepers, and Cedar Waxwings have been arriving as well, and it is nice to see some of the early season migrants making their way north.
Other than that, there is not much else exciting to report. It has otherwise been a normal March; cold, snowy, and windy. I am impatiently waiting for the snow to melt and temperatures to be tolerable, but who knows when that will be, since we have had inches of snow dumped on us over the last few days and more on the way. Until then, I’ll be enjoying the birds, trying not to freeze.
