DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 57 1266 52700 Osprey 0 0 85 Bald Eagle 7 39 219 Northern Harrier 3 32 256 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 91 5325 Cooper's Hawk 5 81 732 Northern Goshawk 1 9 20 Red-shouldered Hawk 24 221 425 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 195858 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 5 Red-tailed Hawk 190 1745 3581 Rough-legged Hawk 2 11 19 Golden Eagle 8 65 160 American Kestrel 0 2 664 Merlin 0 1 21 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 21 Unknown Accipiter 1 5 61 Unknown Buteo 1 19 60 Unknown Falcon 0 2 5 Unknown Eagle 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 1 14 38 Total: 301 3606 260257 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Patrick Mulawa Visitors: Not a one. Weather: Today was absolutely gorgeous, cool and crisp with a touch of sunshine warming us ever-so-slightly. The skies were mostly clear. A few clouds drifted in and out throughout, providing a helpful spotting background much of the time. Lighting was just about perfect. The wind was moderate and out of the northeast. Raptor Observations: First bird of the day: golden eagle. Second bird of the day: red-shouldered hawk. Third bird of the day: golden eagle. Fourth bird of the day: red-shouldered hawk. And it only got better from there. The first two hours of the watch were the most active we've had in some time. Six more golden eagles were seen in addition to those first two. Red-tailed hawks also asserted themselves in a big way, moving through in waves of 5-10 birds in the early morning. In the afternoon, when things were a little quieter, we got some great looks at another northern goshawk and some nice scope looks at two distant rough-legged hawks, one dark morph and one light morph. Red-tailed hawks made another big push during the last hour with many birds crossing right overhead. Non-raptor Observations: More than 10,000 American crows moved through during the first two hours. At one point, there were four brown creepers chasing each other around in the spruce behind us. That was fun to watch. Other than that, not much else of note. Predictions: Overcast. A small chance of light showers in the morning and a 90 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. The wind will be moderate to strong and again out of the northeast. We'll see if there's anything on the move in the morning because the afternoon is looking like a washout. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) SMRR- Lake Erie Metropark information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The primary site used by the Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and it's Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. A secondary site, the Headquarters of Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is used during certain wind conditions. When staffing is available, both sites can be used at the same time. The season begins on the first day of September and concludes on the final day of November. For details and directions, log on to www.drhawkwatch.org Directions to site: Lake Erie Metropark: >From I-75, exit at Huron River Drive (exit 27). Continue east on Huron River Drive. Turn left on West Jefferson and proceed a few hundred yards to the entrance of Lake Erie Metropark. After paying the entrance fee, follow the signs to the Boat Launch. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
