Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 55 707 90655 Osprey 0 0 29 Bald Eagle 0 17 166 Northern Harrier 3 21 500 Sharp-shinned Hawk 16 60 4004 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 66 American Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 45 214 Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 51922 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 52 283 1325 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 4 Golden Eagle 4 15 50 American Kestrel 0 0 964 Merlin 1 4 54 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 47 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 10 Total: 146 1158 150019 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Jo Patterson Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site as we are eager to share the joys of hawk watching with one and all. Although there may be times in which we are all very busy and need alone-time to concentrate, those are the times that are most enjoyable for visitors as the skies are filled with migrating raptors. Weather: Apparently, the Weather Gods could only sustain their November cruelty for so long before their conscience began to play on them. We were granted a one-day reprieve from the strong adverse winds that have been the main entrée on the weather menu this month. The next couple of days will be back in full beast mode. The sky was rather pleasant today with fibrous cirrus clouds feathering out into sinuous threads of considerable length. There was a mood-altering period, thankfully brief, when a fog-like alto-stratus slab passed over, blotting out the sun for thirty minutes or so. The temperature was a balmy fifty-nine degrees, balmy until you remember that it is still forty-degrees below your normal body temperature. The wind was blowing in the five to ten mph range with lulls and direction changes that seemed to help us when it settled in the southeast and dropped in strength, allowing the flight line to come closer to the site. Raptor Observations: We were beginning to despair that we would not reach our arbitrary goal of 150K. Side-eye glances were exchanged trying to suss out who might be the Jonah in our midst. The real problem of course, was the steady diet of ill winds that have been blowing for all of November. Today, in our one-day reprieve, we finally reached our target. Not by much, mind you, but the champagne would be flowing tonight, if we had any. Fifty-five vultures led the pack, winning the gold, but only by a nose. Red-tailed hawks are closing in with fifty-two counted today. Sharpies stayed on the lower step of the podium with sixteen of them flapping-and-gliding by. Red-shoulders also had a good day with fourteen members representing. Four golden eagles showed us their beautiful markings today. Three northern harriers pumped through. One Cooper’s hawk and one merlin were also noted. Non-raptor Observations: We finally got to see a good flight of tundra swans in their traditional V-shape and hear them whooping it up. I think the birds are already here in the southern end of the park, as we have been seeing some small flights lately. There were many ducks off in the distance in the morning hours as their migration continues. We did find an odd man out today while discussing the genetic variations of cross-bred tuxedo/mallard ducks in front of us. A very small green-winged teal was keeping close company with a pair of mallards. A single boney was working the slip today, as the others were not to be seen. A loon was noted bobbing up and down out in the trough of the lake waves. A pair of mallards were being amorous today, a little early for that type of action. One hundred and forty crows flew through today. Predictions: I have already mentioned that it was only a one-day reprieve. Tomorrow will be all bad. A plunging barometer, coupled with a raging southwest wind, will revive the stingy nature of November so far. Cloud cover should be nearly complete to further emphasize the gloom. The SW winds should bring in some warmer air with a projected high of sixty-three degrees. There may be a slight chance of rain when the barometer bottoms out near 29.39 inches. This should be a one-day low pressure system and next week may hold some promising days with winds of less strength and from more favorable directions. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (ajyes72@gmail.com) 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