Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 26, 2022
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 1 1010 65803
Osprey 0 0 16
Bald Eagle 3 16 82
Northern Harrier 2 18 393
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 46 5883
Cooper's Hawk 1 20 87
Northern Goshawk 0 1 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 140 473
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 67350
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 29 1281 4290
Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4
Golden Eagle 1 23 40
American Kestrel 0 0 981
Merlin 2 11 79
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 62
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 47 2572 145545
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Michelle Peregord, Sarah deGuise
Visitors:
We are located by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark in a fenced off
area at the Hawk Watch site. This does not mean that we do not welcome
interaction with any and all visitors. We enjoy talking about what we do
and sharing our knowledge with beginners and experts alike. Please feel
free to come up and talk to us. We usually have our backs turned to the
parking lot as we scan the skies in front of us. This should not be
interpreted as a sign of reluctance to engage; this is how we do our job.
We have friendly people that do not bite and the welcome mat is always out.
Weather:
True to predictions, the wind turned SW today and increased into double
digit speed as the day progressed. The skies around us stayed blue,
although the morning hours saw considerable haze, obscuring our view of the
Canadian shore. This was not a significant issue since the wind moved
nearly all the birds to the north of us. Given the fact that tomorrow is
supposed to be a rain day, it was curious that we saw no early indicators
of imminent rain such as the wispy cirrus clouds that usually precede
precipitation. It was only as we left that the southern sky showed clouds
approaching low on the horizon. The barometer was falling and dropped below
the thirty-inch mark on its way to a predicted twenty-nine and three tenths
during the rain event.
Raptor Observations:
Another day in which the time slot for raptor movement seemed to be limited
to about two hours long. During that time, we managed to put 47 notches in
our belt. Red-tailed hawks accounted for 29 of those notches. A distant
second came their buteo cousins, the red-shouldered hawks with 5 birds
counted. Bald eagles and sharp-shins shared third place with 3 apiece.
Northern harriers and merlins had a pair each. A single Cooperâs hawk was
counted. The only bird that actually flew right over us, a golden eagle,
was the lone representative of its species.
Non-raptor Observations:
We had a gratifying day on the non-raptor front. We have a very large flock
of Bonaparteâs gulls that have taken up residence on the waters in front
of us. One of them is not like the others and is, in fact, a little gull.
We have become tour guides of sorts for the faithful that have undertaken
the hajj to see this bird. It has proven to be a very cooperative bird,
providing plentiful photo opportunities for those so inclined. This being
Saturday, it gave some matinee performances. It does give us a certain
amount of satisfaction to help visitors find this bird, or later today for
instance, show someone a lifer golden eagle. We are past the OMG! part of
the season where someone finally locates an elusive kettle of broadwings
for the first time, but sometimes the little things are just as rewarding.
Predictions:
It seems that we may get another day off tomorrow, if the predictions are
accurate. I have developed a healthy skepticism for the rain forecasts from
Weather Underground but I do see a green mass on the radar headed our way.
If we do have a day of rest, it should be more relaxing because we know the
Lions canât lose tomorrow, having pre-lost on Thursday.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess ([email protected])
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at:
https://dunkadoo.org/explore/detroit-river-international-wildlife-refuge/detroit-river-hawk-watch-fall-2022
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