Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 2031 38519 Osprey 0 0 23 Bald Eagle 0 13 137 Northern Harrier 2 31 368 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 103 4451 Cooper's Hawk 1 45 156 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 129 441 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 17529 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 1123 2862 Rough-legged Hawk 0 13 18 Golden Eagle 0 46 74 American Kestrel 0 4 551 Merlin 0 3 40 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 28 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 7 Unknown Buteo 0 6 62 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 2 3 Unknown Raptor 0 2 14 Total: 4 3554 65288 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Dustin Brewer Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Raburn Howland, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We had few visitors today. David stopped by, and showed us a nice picture of a Peregrine Falcon that he took. A couple also stopped by at the end of the count. Weather: Thick fog had descended upon the count site by the time that we arrived. After about an hour, it quite abruptly retreated but, like an army which refuses to surrender, remained for most of the day to block our view of Canada. Barometric pressure dropped as the day progressed, and the wind always had a southerly component. Again, we had unseasonably warm temperatures. All of these conditions likely contributed to our exceptionally slow day. Raptor Observations: Only four raptors were spotted all day: two harriers, a Cooper's Hawk, and a Red-tailed Hawk. Even the local eagles weren't spotted today. The fog could have blocked our view of some migrating birds, but it seemed like mostly simply weren't migrating, possibly due to the low pressure system which has been with us for several days. Therefore, we stopped the count at 3. Non-raptor Observations: There were exceptionally few birds of any kind in the sky today, including the usually common gulls. We did spot a flock of Northern Shovelers, and a couple flocks of migrating Mallards. A group of 14 Great Blue Herons also flew overhead. Predictions: Tomorrow is predicted to have similar conditions as today, so it could be another day without many raptors. However, with all of these low-raptor days, we might be set up for a big day relatively soon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Detroit River Hawk Watch ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
