Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2015
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 1
Turkey Vulture 1 1364 73482
Osprey 0 1 81
Bald Eagle 0 31 186
Northern Harrier 23 105 581
Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 188 5507
Cooper's Hawk 0 39 234
Northern Goshawk 0 1 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 17 193 669
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 72461
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1
Red-tailed Hawk 192 2143 3785
Rough-legged Hawk 1 7 11
Golden Eagle 4 34 88
American Kestrel 0 4 816
Merlin 0 5 46
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 35
Unknown Accipiter 0 5 16
Unknown Buteo 2 12 38
Unknown Falcon 0 0 4
Unknown Eagle 0 0 1
Unknown Raptor 2 10 40
Total: 250 4145 158088
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Jonathan Stein
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Frank Kitakis, Jim Lynch, John Elliott,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
3
Weather:
Heavy cloud cover and moderate southeast wind turned today into a six-layer
affair despite the mild temperatures.
Raptor Observations:
When the crows come, the buteos aren't far behind. That certainly held true
today. Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks seized our attention by
mid-morning, wasting little time pushing through. Riding the southeast
wind, most flapped hard from first sighting to last. And more so than
recent outings, their pumping propelled them far closer to us, which was
nice to see. Often shunning their typical lake-skimming flight line,
Northern Harriers had themselves a day as well, easily surpassing their
previous November high. And to conclude with some bigger birds, four more
Goldens galloped through the viewing area, though none particularly close.
Non-raptor Observations:
American Crow (6000+), Horned Lark (55+), American Goldfinch (30+),
Bonaparte's Gull (35+), Tundra Swan (70+), Red-breasted Merganser (5),
Hooded Merganser (2), Northern Pintail (3), scaup sp. (1500+)
Predictions:
Mostly cloudy with moderate temps, strong south wind and an 80 percent
chance of afternoon rain.
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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.
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