Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 1 Turkey Vulture 6 1449 73567 Osprey 0 1 81 Bald Eagle 4 57 212 Northern Harrier 6 143 619 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 210 5529 Cooper's Hawk 3 46 241 Northern Goshawk 0 1 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 231 707 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 72461 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 83 2444 4086 Rough-legged Hawk 1 14 18 Golden Eagle 0 41 95 American Kestrel 0 4 816 Merlin 0 5 46 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 36 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 16 Unknown Buteo 1 14 40 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 11 41 Total: 126 4680 158623 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, John Elliott, Rosemary Brady Visitors: 2 Weather: What a difference a day makes. After a gloomy affair yesterday, today was bright and sunny with nary a cloud in the sky. Temperatures continued their upward trajectory, climbing into the low 50s after noon. The wind was moderate and out of the south and southeast. Raptor Observations: A bountiful late November flight kept us amiably occupied for several hours midday. Riding the south wind, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hightailed it past the stacks, wasting little time zooming through the viewing area. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk often came a little closer, accommodating us with lengthier looks. For their part, Bald Eagles and Northern Harriers maintained a brisk pace, both species appearing determined to end the season on a high note. But the day's highlight was once again a Rough-legged Hawk, this time a dark morph that rose up over the Chalet and rowed past just to our north, showing off its chic, dark ensemble for all to see. Non-raptor Observations: Great Black-backed Gull (1), Bonaparte's Gull (40+), Bufflehead (5), Lesser Scaup (1), Tree Swallow (1), American Crow (25), Horned Lark (30+), Pine Siskin (45+), American Goldfinch (80+), Eastern Bluebird (3), American Tree Sparrow (2) Predictions: Overcast skies with mild temps, moderate south wind and a slight chance of early rain. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and its Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. The location is at the mouth of the Detroit River as it enters Lake Erie. Directions to site: Lake Erie Metropark: >From I-75, exit at Huron River Drive (exit 27). Continue east on Huron River Drive. Turn left on West Jefferson and proceed a few hundred yards to the entrance of Lake Erie Metropark. After paying the entrance fee, follow the signs to the Boat Launch. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
