Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 920 65585 Osprey 0 0 16 Bald Eagle 1 5 70 Northern Harrier 0 8 383 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 27 5864 Cooper's Hawk 0 10 77 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 85 418 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 492 3501 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 7 24 American Kestrel 0 0 981 Merlin 0 7 75 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 62 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 3 1563 144407 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 2 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood Visitors: We are located by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark in a fenced off area at the Hawk Watch site. This does not mean that we do not welcome interaction with any and all visitors. We enjoy talking about what we do and sharing our knowledge with beginners and experts alike. Please feel free to come up and talk to us. We usually have our backs turned to the parking lot as we scan the skies in front of us. This should not be interpreted as a sign of reluctance to engage; this is how we do our job. We have friendly people that do not bite and the welcome mat is always out. Weather: Yesterday, I facetiously referred to the Fermi II Dome that usually protects us from precipitation. This notion developed over the years as we have repeatedly watched substantial rain systems approach us on the radar, only to see them mysteriously split around us, or evaporate, just as they reach the western end of Lake Erie. Hawk watchers are always searching for the reasons why birds appear, or do not, and the same applies to weather. Why is it that when rain is predicted, it rarely reaches us? Why is it that low chances of rain were predicted today and here I am at home with two inches of snow on the ground? We, being men of science, (the ladies are much too intelligent to buy into any such nonsense) decided that the aura of the nearby nuclear power plant was somehow deflecting the weather around us. It’s a simple theory, suitably mysterious, and hard to disprove… it also protects us from tigers. This morning’s weather was not what was predicted last night. The early clouds were roiling, dark and menacing, gradually changing to a stratum of a more evenly colored leaden hue, heavily laden with snow. The wind was mostly west for the brief time we were at the watch before snow obliterated all our landmarks from our sight and we were forced from the field of battle. Temperatures were in the thirties but our short stay prevented us from any thermal suffering. Raptor Observations: We did see a couple of red-tails today and one juvie bald eagle seemed intent on heading south. The gulls were up high imitating raptors but on further review…. Non-raptor Observations: Canada geese were nosily flying by in vees of 30 to 40 birds. The usual gull suspects were both soaring and fishing today. Otherwise, it was a quiet morning, as might be expected given the approaching inclement weather. Predictions: The barometer will continue to climb tomorrow as high pressure will take command for a day or two. We should see the sun tomorrow which may convince the birds that it is safe to travel. At this time of year, it can be hit and miss for birds as the migration slows and the birds that generate the four-digit numbers have mostly run their race. Winds should be WNW to start and then drop to below five mph from the NW. The temperature should reach forty degrees which, all things considered, is about seasonally correct for mid-November. The early winds may be a little too much for our site but fingers crossed. ======================================================================== 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-2022