There was an uptick in migration on Tuesday with strong NW winds and a mostly cloudy sky. Waterfowl were joined by a nice mix of raptors and the beginning waves of Sandhill Cranes. Steve Baker and Ed Pike observed from 7:30 am to 1 pm. Highlights included 91 Common Loons, 175 Canada Geese, 140 Redheads, 54 White-winged Scoters, and 7 Red-necked Grebes. Many duck flocks were too distant to identify to species and were listed as Aythya ducks(379) or unidentified ducks(735).
Raptors seen were Bald Eagle(12), N. harrier(4), Red-tailed hawk(1), Sharp-shinned Hawk(1). Sandhills totalled 100 and I suspect many more came later in the day as the sun broke through .
An interesting finding was that from McGulpin Point we could identify Turkey Vultures soaring over US-2 on the north side, a distance of 5 miles.
