- 2008 -
Date . Hours . Location* . Observor** . Daily Species* and Totals. (Season Total = 0)
Sep 6...... 3 ........ McLane .......... Ric ............... No Migrating Raptors (1 non-migrating Merlin, 1 non-migrating Redtail) = 0
* McLane = U.S. Coast Guard cutter berthed east of the Silversides submarine along the south wall of the Muskegon Channel.
* M.S.P. = "Jeff's Dune" at Muskegon State Park approximately 1/4 mile north of the McLane.
* Kruse = Kruse City Park (old Bronson Park) approximately 1.5 miles south of the McLane.
** Ric = Ric Pedler ... Feller = Feller DeWitt ... Carolyn = Carolyn Weng ... Brian = Brian Johnson ... Jeff = Jeff Johnson
When observers are at two locations simultaneously, the data reflects a melding of their sightings to prevent double-counting.
* The standard 2-letter species abbreviations are based on the bold red print used for the first 2008 sighting of each species.
-- Up-to-date information for all U.S. hawkwatch sites is available in the Birdhawk Archives at www.hmana.org. --
- 2007 -
Date . Hours . Location* . Observor** . Daily Species* and Totals. (Season Total = 866)
Nov 20..... 3 ....... McLane ........ Ric ....... 5 RT, 4 SS, 3 RL, 1 CH, 1 ML = 14
Nov 17 .... 3 ....... M.S.P. ....... Carolyn ... 1 SS, 1 RL = 2
Nov 15..... 1 ........ McLane ........ Ric ....... 0 = 0
Nov 13..... 3 ........ McLane ........ Ric ....... 2 BE, 2 RL, 1 SS, 1 RT, 1 ML = 7
Nov 12 .... 3 ........ M.S.P. ....... Carolyn ... 20 RT, 19 RL = 39
Nov 10 .... 2 ........ M.S.P. ....... Carolyn ... 18 RL, 3 RT = 21
Nov 07 .. 1.5 ....... M.S.P. ....... Carolyn ... 2 RL = 2
Oct. 25... 3.5 ......McLane .......... Ric ....... 6 SS, 5 RT, 2 NH, 2 Rough-Legged Hawk (1 light/1 dark), 1 CH, 2 UR = 18
Oct. 23... 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 5 RT, 2 BE, 2 SS, 1 PG = 10
Oct. 20... 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 8 SS, 2 AK, 1 OS, 1 NH = 12
Oct. 17 ... 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 10 RT, 3 SS, 1 CH, 1 OS = 15
Oct. 15 ... 2 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 0 = 0. ( However, there was one northbound Rough-legged Hawk today. Go figure. )
Oct. 11 ... 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 13 RT, 5 TV, 4 BE, 2 SS, 1 NH, 1 CH, 1 NG = 27
Oct. 09 .. 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 5 TV, 6 AK, 3 SS, 1 PG = 15
Oct. 06 .. 3 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 15 SS, 5 AK, 2 ML, 1 NH, 1 PereGrine Falcon, 1 UR = 25
Oct. 04 .. 4 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 44 SS, 4 AK, 3 RT, 2 CH, 1 ML, 2 UR = 56
Oct. 02 .. 2 .........McLane .......... Ric ....... 14 SS, 4 BW, 1 TV, 1 BE, 1 CH, 1 Northern Goshawk = 22
Sept 26... 3.5 ..McLane & MSP.. Ric & Carolyn ...... 25 RT, 21 TV, 11 SS, 8 BW, 5 CH, 4 UR, 2 NH, 2 AK, 1 OS, 1 BE, 1 ML = 81
Sept 23 .. 1 ......... Kruse .......... Feller ..... 12 SS, 4 AK, 1 CH = 17
Sept 22 .. 3 ...... Kruse & McLane ...... Ric & Marilyn Crane ........ 10 RT, 3 UR, 2 SS, 1 NH, 1 ML = 17
Sept 21 .. 3 .......Kruse & M.S.P. ..... Carolyn & Feller DeWitt... 49 BW, 26 SS, 16 AK, 11 RT, 4 NH, 2 CH, 1 BE, 1 UR = 110
Sept 20 .. 3.75 ... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn ... 113 BW, 59 SS, 11 RT, 10 UR, 7 CH, 6 AK, 4 TV, 1 BE = 211
Sept 18 .. 3 ........ McLane ...... Ric ........ 12 SS, 8 BW, 4 AK, 1 NH, 1 RT, 1 UR = 27
Sept 15 .. 2 .......... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn ... 1 SS, 1 AK = 2
Sept 13 .. 2 .......... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn ... 3 SS, 1 NH, 1 RT = 5
Sept 12 .. 2 ......... McLane ...... Ric ........ 0 = 0
Sept 08 .. 5 ...McLane & MSP / Ric & Carolyn ... 14 RT, 12 SS, 12 AK, 2 Northern Harrier, 1 MerLin, 1 TV, 1 UR = 43
Sept 03 .. 2 ........ McLane ...... Ric ........ 0 = 0
Sept 01 .. 2 ......... McLane ...... Ric ........ 1 Sharp-Shinned Hawk = 1
Aug 30 ... 4 ........ McLane ....... Ric ......... 57 RT, 2 Bald Eagle (1 adult, 1 immature), 1 AK, 1 Turkey Vulture, 2 Unidentified Raptor = 63
Aug 26 ... 2 ........ McLane ....... Ric ........ 2 Red-Tailed Hawk, 1 Broad-Winged Hawk, 1 American Kestrel = 4
* McLane = U.S. Coast Guard cutter berthed east of the Silversides submarine along the south wall of the Muskegon Channel.
* M.S.P. = "Jeff's Dune" at Muskegon State Park approximately 1/4 mile north of the McLane.
** Caroline = Carolyn Weng ... Ric = Ric Pedler ... Jeff = Jeff Johnson ... Feller = Feller DeWitt ... Brian = Brian Johnson
When observers are at two locations simultaneously, the data reflects a melding of their sightings to prevent double-counting any bird.
* The standard 2-letter species abbreviations are based on the bold red print used above for the first 2007 sighting of each species.
-- Up-to-date information for all U.S. hawkwatch sites is available in the Birdhawk Archives at www.hmana.org. --
- 2006 -
Date . Hours . Location* . Observor** . Daily Species* and Totals. (Season Total = 1319)
Nov 22 .. 1.25 .. M.S.P .... Carolyn .... 0
Nov 21 .... 1.5 .. McLane ... Ric ...... 1 RL = 1
Nov 20 ... 1.5 ... M.S.P .... Carolyn .... 0
Nov 19 ... 1.75 . M.S.P...... Carolyn .... 1 RL = 1
Nov 18 ..... 4.... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Nov 17..... 2 .... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Nov 16 . 3.5 .. McLane .... Ric ... 35 RT, 17 RL, 6 SS, 5 BE, 1 CH, 1 RS, 1 ML, 5 ?? = 71
Nov 15 ... 6 .... M.S.P.... Carolyn & Ric ... 62 RL, 45 RT, 2 SS, 1 BE, 1 NH, 1 RS, 1 Golden Eagle, 2 ?? = 115
Nov 14 ... 1 ... McLane ..... Ric ...... 0
Nov 13....1.75 .. M.S.P.... Carolyn .. 0
Nov 10 .... 2 .... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 2 RL, 1 ?? = 3
Nov 9 ...... 2 ... McLane ... Ric ...... 1 RL = 1
Nov 8 ...... 2 .... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Nov 7 ..... 1.5 ... McLane ... Ric ...... 0
Nov 6 ....... 1 .... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Nov 4 .... 2.5 .. McLane ... Ric ... 1 NH, 1 SS, 1 RL, 1 ML = 4
Nov 3...... 1.5 ... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Nov 1 .... 1.25 ... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 1 RL = 1
Oct 31 ..... 2 .. McLane ... Ric ... 1 RT = 1
Oct 30....1.5 .... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 0
Oct 27 ..4.75 .. M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 8 RL, 6 NH, 3 RT, 2 SS, 2 CH, 1 TV, 1 BE, 1 AK, 2 ?? = 26
Oct 26... 4.5 .. McLane. . Ric & Jeff ... 9 SS, 5 NH, 3 Rough-Legged Hawk, 2 RT, 1 TV, 3 ?? = 23
Oct 25 ... 4 ..... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 1 BE, 1 SS, 5 RT, 2 ?? = 15
Oct 24 .. 2.5 .. McLane ... Ric ... 1 RT = 1
Oct 23 ... 3 ..... M.S.P...... Carolyn ...... 1 TV = 1
Oct 21 ... 2 ..... McLane ... Ric ... 1 SS = 1
Oct 20 .. 5.75 ... M.S.P... Carolyn & Jeff ... 2 SS = 2
Oct 18 ... 4 ..... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn & Jeff ... 9 TV, 4 SS, 3 RT, 1 CH = 17
Oct 17 ... 2 ..... McLane. .... Ric & Jeff ... 0
Oct 16 ... 2 ....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 0
Oct 15 ... 2 ....... M.S.P. .. Carolyn & Jeff ... 2 SS = 2
Oct 14 ... 3 ....... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn ... 2 RT, 1 SS, 1 ?? = 4
Oct 10 ... 5 ....... McLane ..... Jeff .... 41 SS, 24 RT, 12 CH, 5 TV, 3 BE, 3 NH, 1 OS, 1 BW, 1 ?? = 91
Oct 9.... 3.25..... M.S.P. ....... Jeff ..... 53 SS, 4 CH, 3 NH, 3 AK, 2 RT, 1 BW, 1 ML = 67
Oct 9....... 1..... McLane. ....... Jeff ..... 1 TV, 1 SS, 1 RT, 1 PG = 4
Oct 7 ..... 1 ....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 0
Oct 06 ... 4.75... M.S.P. .... Carolyn & Jeff ... 12 RT, 7 TV, 6 SS, 2 NH, 2 CH, 1 AK, 1 ML, 2 ?? = 33
Oct 05 ... 7 (McLane: Ric & Jeff) (MSP: Carolyn) 125 RT, 92 TV, 76 SS, 11 CH, 8 BW, 7 AK, 6 BE, 6 NH, 1 ML, 1 PG, 2 ?? = 335
Oct 04 ... 2 ....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 31 RT, 21 SS, 14 Turkey Vulture, 11 AK, 6 CH, 2 NH, 2 BW, 2 PG, 1 BE, 1 ML, 2 ?? = 93
Oct 02 ... 2 ....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 0
Oct 01 ... 3....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 9 RT, 3 SS, 1 CH, 1 AK = 14
Sep 30.... 1....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 1 SS = 1
Sep 28... 2....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 1 NH = 1
Sep 27... 1.5....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 3 SS = 3
Sep 25 ... 2 ....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 0
Sep 21... 4 ....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 2 OS, 1 SS, 1 CH, 1 RT, 1 AK = 6
Sep 19 ... 1 ....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 0
Sep 18 ... 3.5 .... M.S.P. ..... Carolyn ... 3 SS, 1 NH = 4
Sep 16 ... 4........ M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 30 SS, 13 AK, 4 RT, 2 NH, 2 CH, 2 ?? = 53
Sep 15 ... 2 ... McLain (Ric) & M.S.P. (Carolyn) ... 20 SS, 10 AK, 7 RT, 3 NH, 1 BE, 1 BW, 1 PereGrine Falcon, 3 ?? = 46
Sep 14 ... 2 ... McLain (Ric) & M.S.P. (Carolyn) ... 45 BW, 30 RT, 28 SS, 19 AK, 4 CH, 3 Northern Harrier, 2 BE, 1 UA, 1 ??= 133
Sep 13 ... 3....... M.S.P. .... Carolyn ... 2 CH, 1 BW, 1 RT = 4
Sep 09 ... 4 ....... McLane ....... Ric ..... 9 AK, 4 SS, 1 OSprey, 1 RT, 1 MerLin = 16
Sep 05 .... 3 ..... McLane ......... Ric ..... No raptors seen migrating today.= 0
Sep 02 ... 4 ...... McLane ......... Ric ..... 12 AK, 5 RT, 5 BW, 1 SS = 23
Aug 31 .... 3 ....... McLane ........ Ric ..... 3 RT, 1 AK, 1 ?? = 5
Aug 30 .... 3.75 . McLane ........ Ric ..... 1 Bald Eagle, 1 BW, 55 RT, 3 AK, 1 ??= 61
Aug 29 ......3 ..... McLane ........ Ric .... 1 Sharp-Shinned, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 5 Broad-Winged Hawk, 20 RT, 2 American Kestrel, 2 ?? = 31
Aug 24 ..... 3 ...... McLane ........ Ric ..... Red-Tailed Hawk = 1
Aug 22 ......3 ...... McLane ....... Ric ...... 0 ( " ?? " codes above mean unidentified migrating raptors. )
* McLane = U.S. Coast Guard cutter berthed east of the Silversides submarine along the south wall of the Muskegon Channel.
* M.S.P. = "Jeff's Dune" at Muskegon State Park approximately 1/4 mile north of the McLane.
* Kruse = A dune at Norman F. Kruse Park (old Bronson Farm) at the west end of Sherman Blvd. approx. 2 miles south of the Channel.
** Caroline = Carolyn Weng ... Ric = Ric Pedler ... Jeff = Jeff Johnson ... Feller = Feller DeWitt ... Brian = Brian Johnson
When observers are at two locations simultaneously, the data reflects a melding of their sightings to prevent double-counting any bird.
* The standard 2-letter species abbreviations are based on the bold red print used above for the first 2006 sighting of each species.
Click to read the 2006 report to the Hawk Watching Association of North America
- 2005 -
Carolyn Weng, Ric Pedler and seven other MCNC members counted 1,490 raptors migrating along the Muskegon shoreline between August 23 and November 15, 2005. Here's the breakdown by species:
115 Turkey Vultures, 6 Osprey, 23 Bald Eagles, 34 Northern Harriers, 552 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 49 Cooper's Hawks, 2 Northern Goshawks, 3 Red-shouldered Hawks, 103 Broad-winged Hawks, 227 Red-tailed Hawks, 60 Rough-legged Hawks, 1 Golden Eagle, 192 American Kestrels, 16 Merlins, 17 Peregrine Falcons, 12 Unidentified Accipiters, 33 Unidentified Buteos, 7 Unidentified Falcons, 1 Unidentified Eagle and 37 Unidentified Raptors
You can see our daily and monthly details at <www.hawkcount.org>
"Hawkwatching at Muskegon 2005"
Hawks migrate south over Muskegon's shoreline every fall. Years ago people shot them. More recently people counted them.
On September 14, 1986, George Wickstrom counted 5,995 Broad-winged Hawks in one day south of the Muskegon Channel! In the fall of 1998 at Muskegon State Park Jeff Johnson counted 2,122 migrating raptors. (See Jeff's article below.) Last year between August 29 and November 14 from the same location Jeff, Carolyn Weng, Feller DeWitt and Ric Pedler counted 1,510 migrating birds of prey.
This year several members of the Muskegon County Nature Club send their "official" hawk-count numbers to the Hawk Migration Association of North America. Jeff and Carolyn watch from the dune at Muskegon State Park between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake. Feller and Ric stand on the middle dune at Muskegon's Norman F. Kruse Park along the Lake Michigan shoreline or at the south wall of the Muskegon Channel east of the Silversides submarine. Brian Johnson, Lena Usyk, Dayle Vanderwier and Diane Morton-Pletcher help out at various locations when they can.
Count numbers are submitted daily to HMANA's <www.hawkcount.org> website.
Unlike most hawk-watching sites where official counters are paid to survey everyday for 6-8 hours, the Muskegon hawkwatch is voluntary and part-time. Nevertheless, it should provide 3-4 hours of observation most days from now until mid-November.
Many raptor species migrate past Muskegon. Most common are the Sharp-shinned, Broad-winged and Red-tailed hawks. Others frequently seen are the American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk. Less common are the Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Turkey Vulture, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon.
Hawkwatching is like fishing. Some days there's almost too much action; other days you can't get a bite.
To see the hawks usually requires good binoculars or a spotting scope on a tripod. Sometimes the birds, particularly the Sharp-shinned Hawks, fly just above the treetops. More often, however, they're high in the sky.
If you are new to hawkwatching, it's best to start with somebody who's experienced. Anyone is welcome to join us whenever we're counting. We have no regular schedule, but unless it's raining there should be a counter on one of the locations mentioned above most days between 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. from now through mid-November.
Jeff Johnson, a Muskegon native and M.C.N.C. member, spent 136.25 hours hawkwatching at Muskegon State Park from September 13 until November 2, 1998. In that time he counted 2,122 migrating raptors for a 15.57 per hour average.
We sent Jeff's data to the Hawk Migration Association of North America in November 1998, but HMANA's publications department was without an editor that year and HMANA never published the data.
Jeff's article below appeared in the spring 1999 issue of Michigan Birds and Natural History accompanied by a summary of his data.
Anyone interested in the entire database (daily species counts, weather conditions, etc.) may request it from Ric Pedler (rpedler@tm.net).
Observations
on Migrating Hawks at Muskegon 1998
by Jeff Johnson
Hawk watchers know that mountain ridges, coastlines and even rivers are leading lines for migrating raptors, providing updrafts, boundaries, and visual highways that focus the birds’ passage, and offering observers the opportunity to see large numbers of hawks, eagles and falcons in one place.
Around the Great Lakes a number of observatories monitor raptor migration, tallying great numbers: Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (WPBO) in northern Michigan, Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in Duluth, Cedar Point and Concordia in Wisconsin, Southeastern Michigan Raptor Research (SMRR) and Holiday Beach (HBMO) at the mouth of the Detroit River.
Western Michigan, on the other hand, despite its considerable shoreline, has rarely produced much of a raptor flight. To be sure, there have been notable occurrences of large numbers of hawks, though invariably on winds with an easterly component. Lacking that easterly wind, it was hardly worth looking.
But let’s look anyway.
At Muskegon, the Lake Michigan shoreline trends north-northwest to south- southeast. Just east of the shore, connected to the big lake by the three-quarter-mile Muskegon Channel, lies Muskegon Lake, east to west a 4.5-mile long irregularly shaped body of water that is often a mile wide, and nearest Lake Michigan, two miles north to south.
Immediately north of the channel, between Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan, and part of Muskegon State Park, is an expanse of “trough” dune terrain — low to medium height grassy dunes, a few interdunal ponds set about with jack pines, the occasional copse of hardwoods, and scattered blowouts, unvegetated loose-sand patches small and large.
The open dunes end about a mile north of the channel where the elevation reaches perhaps 200 feet, and the mature, mostly unbroken forest follows the shoreline north toward Whitehall and beyond.
For many decades, the west shore in the fall was regarded as a place where one might see a fair number of hawks when the wind was easterly, nudging the southbound flight against the shore. Margaret Drake Elliott, a longtime chronicler of natural phenomena in the Muskegon area, reported seeing hawks over the low open ground south of the channel during easterlies.
George Wickstrom, a noted West Michigan birder, reported 5,995 broad-winged hawks on September 14, 1986, one mile south of the channel. Sixty years ago citizens would gather atop Mt. Garfield, seven miles south, to shoot raptors on an east wind.
But east winds at Muskegon are few in early fall. So I was lucky to be at Muskegon State Park on September 13, a clear, warm and calm day, when 197 hawks passed southbound in less than two hours.
Ric Pedler, a local hawk watcher, has long suspected that the Lake Michigan shore must provide a compelling leading line for southbound raptors regardless of wind direction, but was never able to confirm this suspicion from his customary perch at Hoffmaster State Park, seven miles south of the channel. Maybe that was just the wrong place to look.
Between September 13 and early November, I spent several hours most days up on the Muskegon State Park dunes, watching the migratory passage of over 2,000 raptors. They were present on winds of all directions, and the species list included turkey vulture, golden eagle, bald eagle, northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, northern goshawk, broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, osprey, American kestrel, merlin and peregrine falcon.
On one occasion more than 300 passed in one day, and the seasonal average was 15.5 per hour. Compared with the counts at WPBO, SMRR and other Great Lakes monitoring sites, these numbers are very low. They are significant because no one expected them.
Apparently the easterly wind explanation doesn’t tell the whole story. And if not, why not? What does Muskegon State Park have that other places along the shore don’t have?
As noted, prominent topographical features can focus raptor flights. Since many species of raptors are reluctant to cross open water, perhaps for those moving southward on any wind within a couple miles of the shore, Muskegon Lake is an obstacle that encourages a move slightly westward to the isthmus north and south of the channel, concentrating their numbers where the only water to be crossed is a few hundred feet wide. Once past Muskegon Lake, the raptors may drift inland in a less concentrated flight path. Their absence at most other places along the shore on all but east winds suggests that they do.
What of the Grand River and its wide estuary? Does that body of water again concentrate the birds near the shore at Grand Haven?
And why, relative to SMRR, do so few raptors migrate along this side of the state?
One obvious suggestion is that SMRR draws from populations in a large portion of Ontario, as well as from parts of Michigan. However, the arrival here of arctic-breeding rough-legged hawks in October indicates that at least some of the raptors we see at Muskegon also come from outside the state.
Then, too, it is possible that although wind direction seems to have little bearing on the raptor flight at Muskegon State Park, the prevailing westerlies could have a larger effect statewide, reducing numbers near Lake Michigan.
Modest numbers notwithstanding, the timing of movements of individual species past Muskegon State Park correlated well with that at other Great Lakes sites. Following a late summer passage of immature redtails, the broad-wings peaked in mid-September. Sharp-shinneds then predominated until mid-October, when adult redtails arrived on colder winds, accompanied by rough-leggeds and golden eagles. Throughout the season, other species seemed to adhere to a more random timetable.
After the broad-wingeds left the area, there was a wide variation in the daily totals at Muskegon (meaning we got skunked once or twice, and nearly so many more times). Doubtless this was due to a complicated equation, but by early October at least it was clear that a day or two of rain shutting off the trickle of birds, or a cold snap up north, would be followed by a good flight as soon as the weather broke. These conditions accompanied low and high pressure systems, and by tracking the movement of such from the Rockies across the Plains to the Great Lakes, we could predict the good flight days with considerable success.
Observations at Muskegon State Park this fall suggest that there may be a significant raptor migration going on here, and that the unique features of the shoreline at this site have a greater effect than wind direction on the birds’ flight path. We saw more this fall than has been seen here before, but I don’t believe we saw the half of it. We missed the entire first month, and for the rest of the season, usually had only one observer two to four hours per day. Two observers working six hours per day from mid-August to early November might be able to double the count.
Given that four thousand and more raptors can be seen in a single day at SMRR or HBMO, those who require a big dose of birds will continue to visit those sites. But closer to home and with a bit of persistence, western Michigan hawk watchers at Muskegon State Park have a better chance to see a good flight than they are used to expecting — not on all days, but on many, and some very exciting.
Don’t let the local raptors confuse you. Four to six immature redtails, a Cooper’s hawk and a pair of American kestrels were present every day this fall, hunting rather than traveling. Watch for awhile, and you’ll notice the difference.