Spring Migration Begins Along Lake Superior: A Promising First Count for the Keweenaw Bird Observatory

Morning flight count site in Eagle Harbor.

The ebb and flow of spring migration has officially begun along Lake Superior as deep winter snows recede and birds make their long-awaited return north.

Today marked the exciting first day of a new initiative to document bird migration across the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan, along the south shore of Lake Superior: the Keweenaw Bird Observatory.

Our new morning flight count site in Eagle Harbor welcomed an impressive movement of birds, aided by steady southeast winds that brought a multitude of northbound migrants across the region. In just three hours, we recorded 2,732 actively migrating birds representing 50 species -- a remarkable start to the season.

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Photo by Skye Haas @theowlranch

Among the most abundant species observed were:

• Dark-eyed Juncos – 1,475

• Common Redpolls – 169

• Northern Flickers – 159

• Yellow-rumped Warblers – 86 early-season arrivals

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata). Photo by Skye Haas @theowlranch

One of the most exciting sights of the morning was watching small songbirds, including tiny kinglets, launching directly across the harbor despite strong southeast winds buffeting their flight. As the wind intensified, several raptors also made an appearance, highlighted by the striking presence of a Northern Goshawk.

This migration count will continue through the end of May, and as spring advances, we expect many more species to join the movement north.

Looking ahead, the next phase of our research begins soon. Within the coming week, we will deploy acoustic monitoring recorders at three locations throughout the Keweenaw to capture the nocturnal flight calls of migrating songbirds. These recordings will help us better understand migration patterns across the peninsula, especially for species that travel under cover of darkness.

If you’d like to follow the daily morning flight count, you can track the observations here:https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/5067/20260417

The migration monitoring work of the Keweenaw Bird Observatory, including this count, is supported as a project of the Copper Country Bird Club, with generous additional funding from the Keweenaw Community Forest Company.

If you would like to support bird migration research in the Keweenaw, please visit:

https://www.coppercountrybirds.org/join to join the club or donate.

Spring is only just beginning, and already the skies over Lake Superior are alive with movement. We look forward to sharing more discoveries as the season unfolds.