Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 19 3369 93989 Osprey 0 0 52 Bald Eagle 1 33 141 Northern Harrier 4 27 491 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 148 6920 Cooper's Hawk 3 19 77 American Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 13 166 443 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 103457 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 165 1740 3133 Rough-legged Hawk 0 5 20 Golden Eagle 12 82 95 American Kestrel 0 5 1277 Merlin 3 6 52 Peregrine Falcon 0 10 59 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 240 5611 210213 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Don Sherwood, Jackie Quinones, Sam Heilman Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic, requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the best of our abilities. Thank you. Weather: Jackie again back to you with another Detroit River Hawk Watch summary! If you are getting sick of me don’t worry, Andrew will be back this weekend. Now onto the weather! Temperatures today were comfortable, getting to the high 40s. The sun made this feel even warmer. We dealt with the same ‘blue as far as you can see’ sky today that allowed the birds to practice their magic. They were there for a second, then they weren’t- completely lost in the hazy blue sky. This was easier to deal with in the morning, when the light NE winds brought them closer. However, in the afternoon the winds were stronger than expected when they shifted SW and southerly. This pushed the birds farther away, and the magic show continued. Raptor Observations: The first hour started off slow per usual, but then the day really picked up around 10am. The morning brought us a good run of Red-tailed hawks and even some Turkey vultures. The first Merlin of the day surprised us, zipping by swiftly to stoop in a backyard. Another followed shortly after. We soon got our first Golden eagles of the day, which were very distant. This brought much excitement- just in time for the drought. The winds brought a sudden stop to birds. We were just losing hope when four Golden eagles flew by one after the other. In the next hour and half, five more flew by. This end of the day parade was much appreciated, bringing our total Golden eagles of the day to 12! Non-raptor Observations: The non-raptor department was plentiful today. A lone- and very adorable- Pied-billed grebe was seen diving down and back up to the surface. Four Great Blue Herons were flying high right across the river from us. Around 25 Tundra swans were seen flying farther away above Celeron island as well. Hundreds of Crows passed in the morning, but only few remained in the afternoon, making today's total to 535. In the slowness of the afternoon, we watched two Ring-billed gulls fight over a quite large perch. I didn’t think they’d be able to get it down, but obviously they proved me wrong. Predictions: Tomorrow may not be our day. With strong winds from the SW all day, the birds may not be too inclined to come our way. There will be some blessed cloud cover in the morning, which should make it a little easier to spot the birds. But that’s if they decide to get close enough in the first place. Temperatures should be much warmer than today, reaching up to 58 degrees. I personally thought once it hit November it would stay cold, but I think Mother Nature has other plans. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jessie Fletcher (jessica_fletcher@fws.gov) 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 Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at: https://dunkadoo.org/explore/detroit-river-international-wildlife-refuge/detroit-river-hawk-watch-fall-2023