Bird migration

In addition to the waters and rocky shoals which provide feeding and breeding habitat for water birds, the islands of Lake Superior NMCA provide breeding habitat for numerous land bird species and migratory staging areas for many more. Observation records for breeding and migratory species in the site were kept in 2017 during the field season.

The Thunder Cape Bird Observatory (TCBO), a national standard bird migration monitoring station, is located right on the edge of the NMCA; the observatory has been operating for about 25 years and has amassed a valuable long-term dataset. Potential avenues for collaboration with TCBO on avian monitoring and reporting will be investigated for future years.