Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 87 3292 93912
Osprey 0 0 52
Bald Eagle 1 30 138
Northern Harrier 1 22 486
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 119 6891
Cooper's Hawk 5 16 74
American Goshawk 0 1 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 32 148 425
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 103457
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1
Red-tailed Hawk 361 1514 2907
Rough-legged Hawk 0 5 20
Golden Eagle 16 66 79
American Kestrel 0 5 1277
Merlin 0 3 49
Peregrine Falcon 0 9 58
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 2
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 513 5230 209832
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Don Sherwood, Don sherwood, Jackie Quinones, Kevin
Georg
Observers: Don Sherwood, Jackie Quinones, Jerry Jourdan,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration
information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and
pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic,
requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that
everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the
best of our abilities. Thank you.
Weather:
After a particularly long weekend due to the holiday, I am back to give you
all the Detroit River Hawk Watch deets. âIâ being Jackie Quinones, and
âdeetsâ being details. Now that that is settled, letâs get to
todayâs weather! Today was one of those late fall days that you hope for-
obviously chilly, but with a light wind and lots of sunshine. While the
wind was predominantly from the south- a direction that normally doesnât
get us any action- it didnât go above 12 mph. The birds loved these light
conditions. It was one of those rare days where Red-tails flapped the way
Red-tails should flap, and Red-shoulders flapped the way they should too.
Iâm getting chills just thinking about it, chefâs kiss! The clouds
remained wispy all day. At times only a couple strands, and at other times
blanketing most of the sky. The birds stood out amongst them just fine
throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
Today was another great day with over 500 birds, 371 of which were
red-tailed hawks. We also got an astounding 16 Golden eagles! I may get
some backlash about this, but I still think my BOTD (bird of the day) is
the humble Red-shouldered Hawk. Did we get 16 Golden Eagles today? Yes. Did
some come close and was it spectacular? Yes again. However! I feel as if
Red-shoulders get lost in the whole ordeal. Golden eagles are praised
because of their size and beauty. The sheer number of Red-tailed hawks we
get each year speaks on its own. Well, today Red-shoulders are getting the
recognition they deserve! They were the first birds of the day, and some
came super close, which was a great sight to see.
Non-raptor Observations:
Black clouds got closer and then turned into swarms of bugs, which then
turned into hundreds of Crows dancing across the sky headed our way. We
managed to count just over 1,000 of them; however, at some points of the
day there were too many to keep track of. Helpful ID Tip: From far
distances, crows can look similarly sized to raptors. To tell them apart
from hawks, look at the flapping pattern. Crows wonât stop flapping,
whereas raptors stop to glide or soar. When there werenât crows, our
counters noticed some Common Loons which were a nice sight. A flock of
balloons floating in the sky brought us joy during the last hour when
things slowed down a bit. We did not see the infamous little gull today,
but per usual, donât give up hope!
Predictions:
Tomorrowâs âpeopleâ weather is looking pretty great! It will reach
mid-50s and remain sunny all day. However, tomorrowâs âhawkâ weather
has definitely looked better. The winds are predicted to be strong and from
the west. AKA not the best conditions for our count site. We shall see if
the birds decide to move tomorrow!
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Report submitted by Jessie Fletcher ([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-2023
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