Welcome to Paradise

   The eastern end of Lake Superior is an ideal place to study 
migrating common loons. Imagine seeing a thousand common loons 
in a single day. Volunteers at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in 
Michigan's Upper Peninsula don't have to: they counted 1,882 loons 
on May 8, 1982. In the peak hour of 8:00-9:00 a.m., volunteers 
recorded 740 flying loons. One hour. According to David Ewert, 
coordinator of the annual count, 4,838 loons were observed at the 
site between April 23 and June 6 with seventy percent of the total 
sighted during the four-day period of May 7 to 10.

   Whitefish Bay on the "big lake" is a natural loon funnel. Nearly all 
of these loons are northbound birds. Before passing Whitefish Point, 
these loons may leave favorable feeding and resting areas in 
northern Lake Michigan or Huron. Departures of loons from these 
areas an hour or two after sunrise would account for the heavy flow 
over Whitefish Point in the 6:00-10:00 a.m. time period. Research is 
continuing at Whitefish Point to pinpoint the migration pathways.

   The work of Ewert and other volunteers has generated some 
valuable migration data. While most loon observers refer vaguely to 
loons migrating alone or in small groups, Ewert gives specific 
information. Of 180 random observations of passing loons, the 
Whitefish Point volunteers recorded 104 individual birds, thirty-
seven groups of two, twenty groups of three, ten groups of four, five 
groups of six, and four groups of between eight and eleven loons. The 
mean size of migrating groups was 1.91. Counting gets tough, Ewert 
recalls, on those days in May when loons pass in an "almost 
continuous stream."

   Looking at a number of possible weather variables, Ewert found no 
strong relationships between wind direction or speed, cloud cover, 
temperature or barometric pressure and loon migration patterns. In 
contrast to other published reports, he did see loons flying against 
strong headwinds. Heavy rain or fog, however, apparently puts loons 
down. The Whitefish Point volunteers saw little or no migration 
activity during periods of heavy rain or dense fog. During light rain 
or moderate fog, loons appeared to fly at lower heights than during 
clear weather conditions. Loons generally fly higher over land than 
water. At inland sites in New York, Paul Kerlinger located loons by 
radar at altitudes of 7,000 feet, their ascent presumably aided by 
thermal currents.

   Even for permanent residents of loon country, seeing a thousand 
loons is probably the work and pleasure of a lifetime. Seeing a 
thousand loons in a single day would be the experience of a lifetime 
for many. Pull out your Rand McNally and find Whitefish Point. It's 
just a bit north of Paradise, Michigan. Check your map. Dave can use 
a little more help.