Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 30, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 1014 65645 Osprey 0 0 16 Bald Eagle 0 26 92 Northern Harrier 0 18 392 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 46 5882 Cooper's Hawk 1 23 91 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 145 478 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 1290 4299 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4 Golden Eagle 1 27 44 American Kestrel 0 0 981 Merlin 0 11 79 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 2607 145416 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess Observers: Don Sherwood, Jessica Fletcher, Sarah deGuise 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: And so it goes. On our last day, Mother Nature gave us a not-so-gentle reminder that on some days human beings do not belong outside. The predicted rain passed during the night leaving a dense, dark layer of clouds given a hard shove eastward by a robust wind from the west. It was a colorless day except for one extraordinary moment when, as if a light switch had been thrown, a short-lived, unexpected hole in the cloud matrix allowed bright sunlight to light up the scene in front of us. The wind was energetic and growing in strength as the day progressed, topping the twenty-mph barrier with occasional stronger gusts that made flying a precarious proposition. The barometer was rising and temperature was falling, down to the freezing mark as we left. Graupel was starting to fly when we pulled the plug to warm up the previously mentioned apple cider and contemplate a season that ran the course from sharpies and broadwings in September to red-tails and golden eagles in November. It does take a team of people to accomplish what is a long, and at times difficult, task. I would like to thank the counter, the interns and all the volunteers that contributed to counting over one hundred and forty-five thousand birds this year. I would also like to thank all the faithful readers and Facebook followers that gave us encouragement and support during the season. It means a lot to us. Wishing all of you a peaceful and happy holiday season. Raptor Observations: We had only three birds today, the last one being a golden eagle that was fighting its way across the slip into an unrelenting headwind. It finally passed overhead and it seemed fitting that it would be the last bird of the season. We also had a red-tail and a Cooper’s hawk that were bucking the winds and using much more energy than usual. Non-raptor Observations: The western wind was pushing the water out of our cove today and we could see growing mudflats in front of us where yesterday there was three feet of water. The geese and birds that had taken shelter from the wind at the end of the slip were forced to move when the water became too shallow. We saw a few Bonaparte’s gulls today but not the little gull, although I would imagine most of the birds were hunkered down somewhere in an undisclosed, less turbulent location. Thousands of ducks were out on Lake Erie riding the white-capped waters, taking to the air when a bald eagle flew over. It really is remarkable to see that many ducks lift off when ordinarily they cannot be seen from our location. Ducks have benefited from conservation efforts of hunters and others, preserving wetlands that are important to their migration strategies. Let’s hope other less edible species will soon get the same treatment and level of concern. Predictions: Tomorrow will be the first day in ninety days that we don’t have to keep a weather-eye peeled to see whether to report to the site. It will be a day of well-earned rest. (Unless your team is playing in the World Cup of course.) ======================================================================== 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