We like to think of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan as a mitten but to birds of prey migrating north to their breeding grounds in the Upper Peninsula and Canada it's more of a funnel.
These raptors (mostly Eagles, Hawks, Owls and Falcons) migrate during the day utilizing updrafts (or rising columns of air called thermals) without flapping and then glide to another thermal. But where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet at the Straits of Mackinac a migratory thermal roadblock occurs with five miles of open water. From March 8 to May 30 the Straits Area Raptor Watch does an annual count of the migration and in 2015 tallied 50,399 raptors of at 16 different species including 9,334 Red-tailed hawks, the largest count among the 80 hawk-watch sites in North America! The 'aerial waltz' begins as the morning sun warms the earth and best viewing is midday near the Headlands Dark Sky Park.
And it's not about being an avid birdwatcher but being able to see dozens of eagles and hundreds all in an afternoon following nature's ritual of spring.
 Contact: Ed Pike edandanne6750@gmail.com / www.mackinacraptorwatch.org