Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. “I” being Jackie Quinones, and “deets” being details. Now that that is settled, let’s get to today’s 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 doesn’t get us any action- it didn’t 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. I’m getting chills just thinking about it, chef’s 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 won’t stop flapping, whereas raptors stop to glide or soar. When there weren’t 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, don’t give up hope! Predictions: Tomorrow’s ‘people’ weather is looking pretty great! It will reach mid-50s and remain sunny all day. However, tomorrow’s ‘hawk’ 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! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jessie Fletcher (jessica_fletcher@fws.gov) 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