Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 20, 2023
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 18 3439 94059
Osprey 0 0 52
Bald Eagle 2 53 161
Northern Harrier 3 32 496
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 178 6950
Cooper's Hawk 3 26 84
American Goshawk 0 3 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 24 221 498
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 103457
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1
Red-tailed Hawk 78 2091 3484
Rough-legged Hawk 1 7 22
Golden Eagle 7 118 131
American Kestrel 0 5 1277
Merlin 0 12 58
Peregrine Falcon 1 15 64
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: 141 6200 210802
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Jackie Quinones,
Rosemary Brady, Sam Heilman
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:
Jackie back to you with another summary! Today may have been the windiest
day at the count site this season, so much so that we had to end 2 hours
early because of it. Clipboards and water bottles were falling off tables.
Sleeping bags were flying off of us, exposing us to the cold- and boy was
it cold. Although temperatures rose up to the low 40s, the real feel never
rose above 35 degrees. Wind gusts rose to 35 km per hour, and it was
directed right towards us; no trees blocked us this time. The sun barely
peeked out due to the constant cloud cover all day. Regardless of the
clouds, the morning was fairly haze-free, allowing us to see the birds
struggling in the wind.
Raptor Observations:
No Goshawks today unfortunately, but we did get some more Golden eagles,
six of which came in one single hour- and fairly close! We also added
another Rough-legged hawk to our season total, of the light variety. While
it was way up high, it came right overhead which was a treat. To add to
todayâs excitement, a Peregrine swooped directly overhead straight into a
small kettle of Turkey Vultures. Aside from these moments, today went as
expected; the birds struggled immensely in the wind. We had to keep our
eyes on them to make sure that Red-shoulders didnât suddenly turn to
Red-tails, as they tend to do during strong winds.
Non-raptor Observations:
There were plenty of Bonaparteâs gulls flying in front of us, but none
with the signature black underwing of the Little Gull. Some more Great Blue
herons flew across the river into the channel ahead of us. Their large size
always looks interesting when they fly high above the trees. Crows came in
large numbers today, with well over 250 counted. Towards the afternoon, the
only birds able to fly in the wind were the gulls and Bald eagles. When we
were leaving a local Bald eagle saw us out, flying very low over our heads.
Predictions:
Tomorrow will be a wet one! The forecast calls for rain from 4am to 9pm
with- believe it or not- even higher winds than today. As I write this at
6pm, it does not look like there will be a count tomorrow. (Now watch the
weather change completely, and it will be a beautiful day). Regardless of
the rain, with winds like predicted, I doubt there will be many birds
moving. We just have to wait and see.
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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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