Hawk Count

March 15-May 31
8am-4pm daily

Visit the Hawk Count Blog for daily updates

Rough-legged Hawk
- Photo by Chris NeriWhitefish Point is one of the most important spring flight corridors for raptors in North America. The hawk count conducted by WPBO’s professional staff documents the migration of hawks, falcons and eagles and provides reliable comparative data for long-term monitoring of raptor populations. The goal of this long-term census is to determine the migration chronology of raptors at the Point and to quantify the volume of migrants. All observations are made from the “Hawk Dune” about 200 meters west of the Whitefish Lighthouse and about 20 meters above Lake Superior. For purposes of the count, migrating raptors are divided into two categories: passing species that actively migrate through the Point area; and kettling species that congregate and linger at the Point. The WPBO hawk count has been actively gathering migration data for over 20 years. We are partnered with the Hawk Migration Assoc. of America website (HMANA) where you can view the numbers of hawks seen each day during migration.