Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 2387 93007 Osprey 0 0 52 Bald Eagle 0 9 117 Northern Harrier 0 7 471 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 40 6812 Cooper's Hawk 0 1 59 American Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 22 299 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 103457 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 3 137 1530 Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 18 Golden Eagle 0 6 19 American Kestrel 0 2 1274 Merlin 0 1 47 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 53 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: 7 2619 207221 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Jackie Quinones, 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: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that if the hawk watch were to last a thousand years, men will still say, this was not their finest hour.” Sorry, Winston, if I mangled your beautiful oration, but it was that kind of day. Fog delayed the start by two hours for the human participants, and things didn’t really improve throughout the day. The winds did a one eighty degree turn to the south later in the day and fog started to roll in off the lake again. Temperatures did reach the high forties and with little wind and ample sunshine it was not an unpleasant Sunday afternoon. The barometer stayed above thirty inches but will fall tomorrow. Winds were, at first northerly but feeble, and the birds were not impressed. Raptor Observations: The numbers tell the story, seven birds total. Red-tails were on the top step today with three birds. Red-shoulders took the silver with two birds. Sharp-shins could only manage one bird. The bird of the day was a last hour light-morph rough-legged hawk that flew along the tree line on Edmond Island, part of the Gibraltar archipelago. Non-raptor Observations: We did see some flights of dunlin pass by today, some must have numbered over one hundred birds. People are still seeking views of the little gull. It was in a teasing mood today as he stayed out on the foggy lake a little more than usual. The Bonaparte’s did their part to confuse people as they were active in the same general area. Our vision was limited today as we could not see Canada and at times the stacks disappeared. Speaking of disappearance, I am about to embark on a trip to Belize to visit their hawk watch and hopefully take some stunning photos of the hook-billed kite, a bird that looks like it may have a parrot in its lineage. I leave the job of reporting in some very capable hands so don’t worry about getting the daily scoop on the activity at the watch. Predictions: Fuhgeddaboudit. Winds will be robust from the south tomorrow, nearing the twenty-mph mark. The barometer will fall about four tenths tomorrow and a little rain may be possible. This time, the strength of the winds will deliver warmer southern air, and temperatures will reach the high fifties. Cloud cover will be on the high side too, above ninety percent. I suspect the birds will bypass this turbulence and they may be hard to find tomorrow. There are some better looking days ahead if the forecasts hold. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (ajyes72@gmail.com) 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