Week 13 has wrapped up the month of May, as well as the thirteenth week of the 2024 Spring Raptor Watch! With just one week left of the hawk watch, the migration has started to wind down, making for a slower week. However, May was still a very exciting month!
The total number of raptors counted for week 13 was 728. Broad-winged Hawks made up 64% of the birds.
Most days this week saw somewhat variable weather, from warm and sunny to cloudy and windy. Early days saw some decent flights. Better liftoff was also observed during breaks in poor weather, but the number of birds would quickly dwindle. No count occurred on 5/27. On 5/28 the fourth ever Mississippi Kite was sighted and recorded at the Mackinac Straits count site! Only two days this week saw over 100 birds: 5/26 and 5/31. All other days saw less than 100 birds, signaling a significant drop-off and closing of migration season. We will continue the watch for one more week, to see where the season leaves us!
The total birds sighted for the month of May this season ended at 38,534 birds total. Broad-winged Hawks were the most common bird seen during the migration, with 32,330 individuals counted. We also broke multiple season records. Swainson’s Hawks have now been counted at 7 total individuals for the 2024 Spring Raptor Watch. 381 Golden Eagles have now been counted this season, breaking a second record!
Overall, May was an excellent count month. We are excited to recount the 2024 spring Raptor Watch as we enter the last week of counts. Stay tuned!
