Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2020
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 2 671 72164
Osprey 0 0 31
Bald Eagle 1 4 59
Northern Harrier 2 25 409
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 72 4993
Cooper's Hawk 3 13 83
Northern Goshawk 0 0 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 84 690
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 16407
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 48 403 3017
Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 11
Golden Eagle 0 22 40
American Kestrel 1 2 641
Merlin 1 5 58
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 96
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 2
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 1
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 74 1306 98704
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood
Visitors:
While Lake Erie Metropark is currently open to the public, for the safety
of our counter and volunteers we encourage visitors to follow along with
the count virtually on HawkCount.org, or our Detroit River Hawk Watch
Facebook page. There will be daily updates and photographs.If you do decide
to join us in person, please help the counter and volunteers to follow
their mandated safety protocols by refraining from approaching them. Please
follow the recommended Covid 19 procedures by wearing a mask and
maintaining a safe social distance. Thanking you in advance for your
cooperation. Stay safe!
Weather:
The beat goes on. Another day of sun and southern winds, although this
morning the sky that greeted us was half filled with altocumulus clouds
that resembled the small island-like patterns left in swales at the beach
when the tide has receded. The clouds gradually cleared and left us with
the traditional November clear blue sky, or what has become the new
traditional November sky this year, in normal years it is leaden gray and
overcast hinting strongly that winter is coming. Winds stayed near the
south although we detected an eastern shift in the wind turbines that the
weather apps did not agree with. The winds were never strong but eased in
mid-afternoon to about three mph before rising again. The barometer started
at 30.3â and fell about a tenth and a half as we approach the back side
of the high.
Raptor Observations:
We are starting to think that the raptors are intentionally avoiding us,
going miles out of their way in a horizontal great circle route but giving
us distant peeks at them when they are obscured by the thermal haze created
by the temperature difference between lake and air. Or perhaps we are
losing our grip on reality from being sunburned in November. Whatever the
case, we wonât be talking about this day in the annals of history of this
site. A grand total of two turkey vultures were counted. Two harriers were
also noted. Twelve sharp-shins and three Cooperâs hawks passed through.
One bald eagle, a sub-adult was seen but alas, no goldens today. We had a
feeling the buteos were flying today but that we were on the edge of a
larger movement and that the flight line they were taking did not include
our site. Most of the birds were moving east to west in the morning hours
but we seemed to lose them later as has been the case the last few days. We
did managed to count four red-shoulders and forty eight red-tails despite
having very few of them close to us. A rare kestrel was noted, and one
merlin stole the show by capturing a swallow, that was not paying enough
attention, in flight.
Non-raptor Observations:
The flight of passerines and crows was not significant today although they
did pass though in small numbers. Starlings were helpful at times as they
form escort groups above the accipiters showing us where to look. A few
Bonaparteâs gulls were working the waters but spent a lot of time
swimming on top of them. Some migrating duck strings were seen off to the
east.
Predictions:
Tomorrow will finally bring a low pressure system to our neighborhood. The
barometer will drop and cloud cover will increase with rain predicted late
at night. This is a welcome change as the next cold front, the high
temperature will drop twenty degrees between Tuesday and Wednesday, comes
through. The temperature drop will be from seventy two F to fifty two as we
may break a record on Tuesday, as we have for the past three days in the
Detroit area. Winds will increase into double digit strength throughout the
day from, (where else?) the south. The strength may blow the birds too far
north for us to see but with the unusual flight lines we have seen lately
we may see some birds flying below the winds.
Tomorrow is the forty
fifth anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I would
respectfully ask that you spare a brief moment of reflection to think of
those lost souls.
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Report submitted by Kevin Georg ([email protected])
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285
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