Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 13, 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 51 3450 51658 Osprey 0 0 35 Bald Eagle 1 11 89 Northern Harrier 8 38 303 Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 182 4039 Cooper's Hawk 0 22 105 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 231 426 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 64336 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 37 1050 1908 Rough-legged Hawk 0 5 6 Golden Eagle 0 12 16 American Kestrel 0 4 702 Merlin 0 1 32 Peregrine Falcon 1 6 52 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 105 5012 123709 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Alex Gilford, Andrew Sturgess, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We had a visitor from Gibraltar today. Always good to catch up on the stories from the islands that we look at all day. Thanks for the fruit. Weather: A Philip Glass kind of day today, minimalist and somber. Heavy low gray clouds moved gradually off the steaming lake; the stored heat of summer being given up to the frigid air. Winds from the SW, which would normally bring us warmer air, failed to do so. The sky finally settled on an even, dull gray with a low deck permitting little light to pass through. The high barometer reading belied the dreary scene in front of us. The distant birds shimmered in the thermal distortion. Raptor Observations: A day of fits and starts with long periods of little activity and then small flurries of movement. Turkey vultures took the top prize with a meager 51 birds. Red-tails took the second step on the podium with 37. Harriers took the final podium spot with 8 birds. 7 sharpies fought their way against the opposing wind. 1 bald eagle was counted. 1 peregrine was observed and later in its flight was seen dropping a previous catch. Non-raptor Observations: The tree swallows continue to entertain, today they took a special interest in the snow behind us; flying low and picking up unknown food from the surface. A rusty blackbird and a couple of American pipits were seen joining the swallows gleaning the snow surface. Tundra swans continue to fly. Crows continue to move but in lesser numbers. Hooded mergansers seem to have taken up residence by the lotus plants at the end of the slip occasionally racing by us. The Bonaparte's gulls joined some of the ring-billed gulls riding the storm out in the waves in front of us. A great black-backed gull was seen flying across the slip from us. Predictions: The temperature is forecast to rise above freezing tomorrow...by one degree. Well, that's a start. The wind looks to be consistent at less than ten miles per hour but from a poor direction for us, out of the SW. Perhaps the lower strength will let some birds through. Tomorrow should be a piece of cake with the balmy temps and a little more sun promised for the afternoon. ======================================================================== 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: http://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-2019