Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 1 Turkey Vulture 0 1402 73520 Osprey 0 1 81 Bald Eagle 1 42 197 Northern Harrier 0 112 588 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 195 5514 Cooper's Hawk 1 40 235 Northern Goshawk 0 1 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 195 671 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 72461 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 14 2204 3846 Rough-legged Hawk 1 11 15 Golden Eagle 0 35 89 American Kestrel 0 4 816 Merlin 0 5 46 Peregrine Falcon 1 4 36 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 16 Unknown Buteo 0 12 38 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 0 10 40 Total: 19 4278 158221 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 3.5 hours Official Counter: Don Sherwood Observers: Jonathan Stein Visitors: 1 Weather: Heavy snow limited visibility this morning, delaying the start of the count. The snow soon passed, revealing a low ceiling of misty, gray clouds that obscured the stacks. That held for a few hours before a wintry mix of rain and snow shut us down for good by mid-afternoon. As chilly as they've been all season, temperatures never rose above the mid 30s. The wind was moderate and out of the northeast with occasional strong gusts. Raptor Observations: Dropping down out of the clouds, Red-tailed Hawks appeared to materialize out of thin air today. On multiple occasions, we were heard to exclaim: "Where'd that bird come from?!" Then they were gone, vanishing into the mist once again. Less ephemeral, an adult Peregrine Falcon put on a winning aerial display out over the lake, diving at an assortment of terrified waterfowl before blasting into the trees off to our right. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan (80+), Common Goldeneye (2), Bufflehead (4) Predictions: Sunny and clear with chilly temps and moderate west 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
