Copper Country Audubon
Au Sable Point Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
October Count 2020
In October of 2020 we conducted simultaneous waterbird counts at Au Sable Point and at Manitou Island. Our counters were Tim Baerwald and Alison Vilag.
Harris Sparrow at AuSable
Photo by Alison Vilag
Our report on the double counts can be had through the button below --
A spreadsheet with daily data is available here
In 2015 we conducted our first count at Au Sable.
Given the well know migration at Whitefish Point and the large migration moving east past the Keweenaw peninsula it made sense that the Keweenaw birds must be making their way to Whitefish along the south shore of the big lake.
The birds seen leaving Manitou Island (off the tip of the Keweenaw) were always heading SE when last seen. If one draws a line SE from Manitou that line intersects the south shore right about at Au Sable Point in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Myself and a few other waterbird geeks (Skye Haas and Louie D) had done some one or two day counts there but in 2015 CCA figured we'd hire Louie Dombroski to do a partial fall season count. Like Freda but unlike Copper Harbor and Manitou Island, the count at Au Sable included a significant portion of the waterbirds heading west besides the majority going east. Our report is here ----
Louie Dombroski at the count site at the old fog signal building.
Sunrise at the count site
One of several Turkey Vultures that apparently crossed Lake Superior from north to south on 4 Oct. Two Northern Harriers and one Sharp-shinned Hawk came in from the north as well that day.
The view from the lighthouse tower looking east to the Grand Sable Dunes.
