Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 4078 59881 Osprey 0 2 26 Bald Eagle 0 11 78 Northern Harrier 0 20 373 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 151 6555 Cooper's Hawk 0 11 50 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 161 479 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 21973 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 1846 3461 Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 4 Golden Eagle 0 44 59 American Kestrel 0 0 1068 Merlin 1 17 66 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 68 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 1 6356 94142 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 2 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess Visitors: We are still dealing with the residue of the Covid 19 situation. The workers at the site will be in an enclosed area that is designed for four people only. We still love to interact and share our love of hawk watching with visitors. Feel free to ask questions and look over our shoulders to help you follow the birds. Watch the weather for favorable forecasts as the birds are predictable to some degree based on weather situations. One other thing of note this year; the boat-launch bathroom building has been shut down for the foreseeable future due to plumbing issues. There are Porta-Johns in the parking lot should you require them. Weather: Rain was predicted today and birds were not, and so it was. When we reported to our stations this morning there was hardly any wind, but it soon began to increase. Mostly from the S with a little W thrown in for flavor, it climbed to about ten mph by the time we left due to the aforementioned rain. It was a gray day with an ever-darkening demeanor as the showers approached. The barometer was dropping and will continue to do so until later this evening, losing about two tenths of an inch. The lack of wind made for a comfortable stay even though the temperatures were in the thirties. It’s safe to say that we are overdressed for anything but sedentary activity. Raptor Observations: “One is the loneliest number” …. even Three Dog Night, who made Nilsson’s song famous, had three dogs. Our lonely bird today was a merlin making a mad dash among the trees seeking companionship, no doubt. We did see one more raptor, but it was a local red-tailed hawk landing in a tree on Celeron Island. I don’t know how many times we have counted that bird this season but there is a chance that it has inflated our numbers a little. We usually try to ignore it if is “kiting” over the island but sometimes it wanders into the flight lines. Oh well. Non-raptor Observations: The duck hunters were out in force today, busting the sky with their usual gusto, echoes ringing off the islands in front of us. The ducks seem to have taken heed and were not so much in evidence today. A small flight of hooded mergansers did fly by in their usual rapid manner. We saw a line of tundra swans flying much lower than usual so they may have settled nearby. They do congregate here during the winter months along with mute swans. Bonaparte’s gulls are flying by flashing the prominent white on their wings most of the day now. Predictions: Tomorrow has a couple of things to like. The barometer is climbing at a steep angle on the graph and the winds are coming from WNW. High pressure is shoving the low out of the way and traditionally that makes for a good day. The problem is that the winds will be too enthusiastic for our purposes, reaching as high as twenty mph. This is an irresistible force as far as the birds are concerned and will affect their flight lines. The winds will start at the beginning of the watch and fall after it ends. Hopefully, we can see a few birds fighting their way through. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kevin Georg (kevin.l.georg@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