Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 467 1183 68740 Osprey 0 0 56 Bald Eagle 9 14 259 Northern Harrier 15 19 323 Sharp-shinned Hawk 37 68 4539 Cooper's Hawk 14 23 425 Northern Goshawk 2 2 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 97 110 676 Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 184860 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 4 Red-tailed Hawk 506 642 3443 Rough-legged Hawk 6 8 18 Golden Eagle 30 31 82 American Kestrel 0 0 561 Merlin 0 0 43 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 47 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 28 Unknown Buteo 3 3 28 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 32 Total: 1186 2105 264173 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Joan Tisdale Visitors: 25+ Weather: Clear, blue sky greeted us upon arrival. Around midday, a high ceiling of thin, puffy cloud sprouted up, gifting us favorable spotting conditions for a time. Then, later in the day, the sky reverted to blue. Temperatures were below freezing at the start, warming up as the day progressed. The wind was light and out of the northwest early, shifting to the west later. Raptor Observations: Golden Eagles galore! A 23-eagle hour powered us to our best Golden Eagle flight of the fall and one of the most active and enjoyable outings of the season to date. For a 45-minute stretch during the early afternoon, a flurry of eagles dominated the viewing area, pumping through in small groups of two, three and four. But on a day filled with spectacle, the crowd-pleasing show put on by the Goldens was only foremost among many. Two more Northern Goshawks were added as well, one of which came in impossibly low, skimming the surface of the lake as it zoomed into the trees off to our right. Rough-legged Hawks didn't disappoint, either. Six were tallied, two of which decided to engage in an acrobatic aerial battle before gliding off. Again plentiful, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks on occasion amassed into awe-inspiring conglomerations before streaming out high overhead or off to our north. And last but not least, Northern Harriers put in their best showing since an impressive late September run of strong activity. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan (3), Canvasback (8), American Crow (800+), Pine Siskin (120+), Forster's Tern (3) Predictions: Partly cloudy, cool temps, moderate southwest wind. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and its Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. The location is at the mouth of the Detroit River as it enters Lake Erie. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
