The Fall 2023 Count Comes to a Close

As the inaugural Miller Beach Waterbird Count was winding down, there were several days with subprime winds. The weather stayed in the 40s and 50s which was comfortable for me but less than ideal conditions to stimulate migration. This was worrisome less than one week before the final day of the count when Pomarine Jaeger …

Loon Peak

The past week has been a bit of a lull as far as waterbird migration goes. A standard day for this November has been a few hundred scaup and another hundred mixed dabbling ducks and other Aythya. We have reached peak loon migration with a few days surpassing 300 Loons coming in off the lake …

Halloween- the Hottest Rarity Streak Yet

The week of Halloween is famous for rarities, and this last week did not disappoint. The 30th of October was one of the craziest lakewatches I have ever experienced. A sub-adult Long-tailed Jaeger greeted us at Miller Beach shortly after dawn. It was spotted a few hundred meters offshore but flying in our direction. Most …

Dunlins and More Rare Birds

Even without north winds the waterbird count here at Miller Beach does not disappoint. Dunlins have begun to pour in by the hundreds. Dunlins are a species of sandpiper that breed in the arctic and winter in the neotropics along with most other American shorebirds, and they happen to make up the last big push …

Ducks, Jaegers, Pelicans, and a few Thoughts

The count has been an absolute joy for the past week. Scoter flocks of all three species are now flowing most days with one day turning up over 100 Surf Scoters. Common Loons are also becoming more regular, a trend that will likely shoot up in the coming weeks. Aythya ducks are more than abundant, …

Autumn Has Arrived

Last week's anticipation for this cold front was well warranted. So much has changed in the last week, it is hard to even compare the two counting conditions. The homely pack of RIng-billed Gulls which I had trained to camp out in front of me all day in exchange for dog food has seemingly left …

An Owl on the Lake

There’s only one way to say it: it has been quiet. The culmination of southeast winds and relatively warm weather has stunted waterbird migration. For the past few weeks I have struggled to see any ducks on any given count day. Terns have been few and far between and jaegers even more so. I have …

Late September Dog Days

For late September, the weather has been beautiful. South winds and sunny with temperatures around 75 degrees. For humans, it has been great, but, without cold weather to tell the birds to move, and without north winds to help them do that, it has been slow. The only notable movement in the past few days …

Magic at the Night Flight

I did not know what to expect when I woke up this morning based on the weather prediction. Rain during the morning with limp north winds. I was pleasantly surprised with distant looks at a Sabine's Gull and a few hundred Blue-winged Teal. After six hours of counting I called it a day and headed …

Two Staples of Miller Beach Waterbirding for the Count

For years I have birded west Michigan on days with strong northwest wind hoping for rare birds at the beaches of Lake Michigan. I had connected with Parasitic Jaegers and Little Gulls, and several other rare and beautiful waterbirds. But two rare species eluded me until today. For over a week I have been watching …