Spring is in the air, and so, too, are northbound hawks, eagles, and vultures. The Great Lakes region is a superb place to observe them. Here are hawk watches in Minnesota and Michigan, along with their 2015 monthly totals.
West Skyline Observatory
In Duluth, Minnesota, March 1 to June 1.
March: 1,307 (1,153 Bald Eagles, 33 Golden Eagles)
May: 991
SPRING TOTAL: 2,298
Brockway Mountain
In Copper Harbor, on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, March 15 to June 15.
March: 127
April: 1,718
May: 5,730 (3,351 Broad-winged Hawks)
June: 1,612
SPRING TOTAL: 9,187
Whitefish Point
In Paradise, on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, March 15 to May 31.
March: 151
April: 2,776
May: 7,996 (4,318 Sharp-shinned Hawks)
SPRING TOTAL: 10,923
Straits of Mackinac
In Mackinaw City, Michigan, March 15 to May 31.
March: 1,348 (287 Golden Eagles)
April: 26,669 (15,378 Broad-winged Hawks)
May: 19,055 (16,057 Broad-wings)
June: 3,327
SPRING TOTAL: 50,399
Port Crescent
On the tip of Michigan’s thumb, March 21 to May 31.
March: 405
April: 5,114
May: 15,955 (11,235 Broad-winged Hawks)
June: 679
SPRING TOTAL: 22,153
Port Huron
Near the southern tip of Lake Huron, in Lakeport, Michigan, March 1 to May 15 (part-time count, no visitor amenities).
March: 111
April: 1,474
May: 1,153
SPRING TOTAL: 2,738
We’ll publish a list of spring hawk watches in Ontario, Pennsylvania, and New York next week. Directions and contact information for each site are at hawkcount.org.
Hawk watch websites
Read about HawkWatch International’s new raptor-identification app.
Get tips, a map, and directions to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, in Duluth.
Read about last autumn’s record-setting migration count in Duluth.
Editor Chuck Hagner’s report about watching hawks at Brockway Mountain, in Michigan.
A description of spring Northern Saw-whet Owl banding at Michigan’s Whitefish Point.
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