Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 3 4081 59884
Osprey 0 2 26
Bald Eagle 2 13 80
Northern Harrier 0 20 373
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 156 6560
Cooper's Hawk 0 11 50
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 7 168 486
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 21973
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 57 1903 3518
Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 4
Golden Eagle 1 45 60
American Kestrel 0 0 1068
Merlin 0 17 66
Peregrine Falcon 2 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
Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Alex Gilford, 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:
Today was a challenge to predict and a challenge to endure. The wind was
responsible for both of those conditions. Over fifteen mph for most of the
day, coming out of the west with occasional forays to a slightly more
northern direction, it gradually dropped to around ten mph at dayâs end.
The temperature reached thirty-seven degrees but the Feels-like temps were
in the twenties. Sunshine was plentiful with occasional intrusions by small
cumulus clouds, but mostly a classic high-pressure sky. The barometer had
climbed over thirty inches from yesterdayâs plunge, but took a small dip
towards the end of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Despite having to fly into a strong headwind, some of the raptors were up
to the challenge and managed to make some headway on their trip south.
Red-tails led the way with fifty-nine of them riding the gusty winds,
looking like sharpies at times as they were buffeted off their intended
course. Seven red-shoulders were noted in among the tails. Three turkey
vultures came by, one at a time. We saw five sharp-shins today getting
their moneyâs worth on the roller-coaster ride. Two bald eagles, one
adult and one subadult were seen passing high overhead. One subadult golden
eagle passed through in the morning. Two peregrine falcons were seen today.
The flight essentially shut down in the mid-afternoon hours for some reason
but this is something we have seen a lot lately.
Non-raptor Observations:
The first thing that caught our eye this morning was sixteen long strings
of ducks headed in the opposite direction to what they usually fly in. Not
sure what was up with that, but they may have been just stretching the
wings and staying in shape. We didnât see the usual gathering out on the
lake so they may have been airborne. Our local flock of Bonaparteâs
gulls grew to about thirty-five birds today and rather than feeding, they
just seemed to be up enjoying riding on the winds. A few small murders of
crows stayed low behind the trees to avoid the worst of the wind.
Predictions:
Tomorrow will look a lot like today visually. There will be one important
difference as the winds will be somewhat diminished. The barometer will
continue to climb, up to nearly 30.3â. Temperatures will stay in the
thirties again but the WNW wind will be in the four to six mph range so the
wind chill shouldnât be as bad. Hopefully, the birds will find the going
a little easier and come close to our site to be counted. Todayâs flight
lines were spread out and varied as the birds were pushed around and did
not fly in straight lines.
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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