Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 24, 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 4 4105 59908 Osprey 0 2 26 Bald Eagle 1 14 81 Northern Harrier 1 24 377 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 163 6567 Cooper's Hawk 0 11 50 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 171 489 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 21973 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 1982 3597 Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 4 Golden Eagle 0 46 61 American Kestrel 0 0 1068 Merlin 0 17 66 Peregrine Falcon 0 14 70 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: 9 6552 94338 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Rosemary Brady 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: Last night, when I drew the tarot card for today’s forecast, it was No. XII in the Major Arcana, The Hanged Man. A card that represents consequence, surrender, stagnation and a situation that must be waited out, and so it was. The lake was quite choppy when we arrived indicating the southern winds were there well before we were. White horses were galloping freely on top of the waves. The resultant northward push on the raptors from these winds was sure to make our day a long one. At least we were fairly comfortable as the temperature rose to forty-seven degrees and we are sheltered from most southwest winds. The barometer started its decline towards a bottom tomorrow when the rain comes. Clouds were high cirrus for the most part, foretelling the rain. Towards the end of the day, lower and thicker stratus clouds arrived on scene darkening what had been a fairly bright but barren day. Raptor Observations: Most of the raptors we expect to see at this time of year are buteos. They seem to be especially sensitive to wind direction, taking flight lines that depend on the angle and strength of the wind. For the most part, with a strong southern wind we see very few birds at our site. Today was one of those days as we netted nine birds on the day. Four of those birds were turkey vultures that were taking routes that kept them well below the tree line with only occasional glimpses of them. Two birds were red-tailed hawks. One bird was an extraordinarily colored bald eagle. We didn’t get a good look at this bird but it had an unusual amount of white on it. It too was staying low behind the trees. One harrier made its way against the wind early in the day. A single sharpie was observed fighting its way along the tree line. Non-raptor Observations: Lots of ducks were winging their way to the wintering grounds today. There seemed to be some large gatherings of them out on the lake, although not as large as last week. A few flights of horned larks passed by today. Our Bonaparte’s gulls were sitting out the wind at times, bobbing on the unsettled water. A pair of mute swans made an early morning appearance. Predictions: Tomorrow will be a day of rest for the hawk watch. The weather will be rainy and the barometer will be low. Winds will be from the SW area again, although not as persistent as today’s. Not a lot to like there so we will take advantage of the holiday. I should like to wish everyone a peaceful Thanksgiving in which you are mindful of the things in your life that make it worthwhile and are worthy of thanks. ======================================================================== 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