The Macinac Straits Raptor Watch sponsored a Waterbird count at the Mackinac Straits from Aug. 23 till Nov. 10, 2015. The count was conducted to determine if there are sufficient numbers of waterbirds moving through the Straits area to conduct a complete waterbird count in the future. Observations were done from McGulpin Point which lies on the south side of the Straits near the west edge of the lower peninsula, in Emmet Co.. Effort was made to conduct observations on at least 3 days each week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sat. or Sun.) for a minimum of 3 hrs., beginning at sunrise each day.
Volunteer observers included Steve Baker, Bill Grigg, Darrell Lawson, and Ed Pike. Observations were done with binoculars and a spotting scope; noting birds that were on the water resting, while counting all waterbirds flying through the area in apparent migration. Direction of travel was noted for all migrants. Counts were also taken of other species migrating south across the Straits to the lower Peninsula.
Observations occurred on 60 days with a total of 169.5 hours of observation time. A total of 28 species of waterbirds were counted migrating through the Straits; with 18,164 individual birds counted. In order of highest numbers counted, the most common were Redhead, Long-tailed Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, White-winged Scoter, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, and Canada goose. A surprising observation was of Great Egrets seen on 4 days in August with a single bird on 2 days and large flocks on 2 days with a total of 69. Jaegar (unknown species) were observed flying through the area on 2 occasions. The total list with the numbers of individuals counted are shown below:
| 1 | Snow Goose | 30 | 15 | Long-tailed Duck | 2365 | |||||
| 2 | Canada Goose | 658 | 16 | Bufflehead | 217 | |||||
| 3 | Mute Swan | 9 | 17 | C. Goldeneye | 292 | |||||
| 4 | Trumpeter Swan | 6 | 18 | Hooded Merganser | 2 | |||||
| Swan sp. | 4 | 19 | C. Merganser | 407 | ||||||
| 5 | Wood Duck | 5 | 20 | Red-breasted Merg. | 269 | |||||
| 6 | Gadwall | 31 | 21 | Red-throated Loon | 29 | |||||
| 7 | Am. Wigeon | 42 | 22 | C. Loon | 902 | |||||
| 8 | Am. Black Duck | 3 | Loon sp. | 19 | ||||||
| 9 | Mallard | 78 | 23 | Horned Grebe | 119 | |||||
| Teal sp. | 41 | 24 | Red-necked Grebe | 677 | ||||||
| 10 | Redhead | 2760 | 25 | Dbl.-crested Cormorant | 1694 | |||||
| 11 | Greater Scaup | 65 | Duck Sp. | 3765 | ||||||
| Aythya sp. | 2529 | 26 | Jaegar sp. | 2 | ||||||
| 12 | Surf Scoter | 16 | 27 | Great Egret | 69 | |||||
| 13 | White-winged Scoter | 1022 | 28 | Bonaparte’s Gull | 8 | |||||
| 14 | Black Scoter | 7 | Total individuals | 18164 | ||||||
| Unid. Dk. Winged Scoter | 22 | |||||||||
Other species, counted during the Waterbird Count, migrating south from the upper to the lower Peninsula were:
| Turkey Vulture | 178 | |
| Bald Eagle | 77 | |
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | |
| Am. Kestrel | 1 | |
| Golden Eagle | 1 | |
| Merlin | 10 | |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 39 | |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | |
| N. Goshawk | 1 | |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 1 | |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 4 | |
| N. Harrier | 43 | |
| Sandhill Crane | 271 | |
| Am. Crow | 1563 | |
| C. Raven | 43 | |
| Total individuals | 2234 |
Also noted were 5 Monarch Butterflies flying south across the Straits.
These observations provide a baseline representation of the numbers of waterbirds migrating through the Mackinac Straits during fall migration. Continued more extensive counts will provide a better picture of the migration.
