Date: 11/7/24 3:07 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (07 Nov 2024) 360 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 07, 2024
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess
Observers: Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis, Jerry Jourdan, Jo Patterson,
Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie MetroPark.
We are willing to spread the gospel with pamphlets and information cards,
along with tips on IDing the raptors, and photography tips for those behind
the cameras. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with
you.
Weather:
All hawk watches are dependent on the vagaries of the winds. Today, the
winds were especially vagarious and we watched the flight line change from
over the lake in the morning hours to the opposite side of the sky in the
afternoon. The day started with solid stratus overcast skies directly above
us but blue skies off to the west. The morning winds took care of that in a
hurry, ushering the clouds out over the lake and leaving us with a few
cumulus clouds of little mass that were soon to be distant memories as a
dome of blue took procession of the ether. Winds were all over the map as
the wind turbines in Canada were having difficulty keeping up. Essentially,
they traveled around the top half of the compass from northwest to south
with lulls and increases thrown in for good measure. Of course, the default
afternoon direction is south, which tends to move the birds further to the
north of us and makes our mission harder to accomplish. Not our favorite
wind and our count probably suffered due to that, along with the early
morning northwest wind which favors our colleagues at Holiday Beach. The
temperatures were in the mid-fifties range and the barometer was high after
rebounding from the rainy low-pressure that moved through a couple of
nights ago.
Raptor Observations:
It isn’t often that golden eagles earn a podium finish but it happened
today. Red-tailed hawks were in the mood to move as the high-pressure area
winds after the low were in their wheelhouse for migration. We counted one
hundred and sixty-four of them. I think we probably left some on the table
due to the unfavorable shifts in the winds. Turkey vultures have nearly run
their race as the October numbers dwindle down to triple digits. One
hundred and thirty-eight made the clicker today. Golden eagles were on the
third step of the podium with twenty-one handsome specimens flying by. The
clear skies and good light helped us to ID these magnificent birds from a
distance, although some were close when the winds were right. We often talk
about the “four o’clock golden eagles” and today, three of them
showed up as our final birds. Good ole sharpies came in next, with nine of
them finding their way south. Northern harriers mustered four birds, one a
gray ghost. Three bald eagles were migrants, but plenty of locals seemed to
be up playing talon tag in the morning hours. We missed the falcon hat
trick today for want of a peregrine, but we did have one each of the merlin
and kestrel species. Also in single digits was a dark-morph rough-legged
hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
White pelicans were seen over the lake today but only four in number, a
mere pittance by their standards. Outnumbering them were the mute swans who
mustered five in a late flyby. A pair of red-bellied woodpeckers were
playing chase in the nearby maple tree. Rusty blackbirds were reported
nearby. Bonaparte’s gulls are keeping the ring-billed and herring gulls
company. Cormorants were still migrating and being observed as single birds
nearby. A lot of ducks of unknown heritage were up stretching their wings
today in the distant skies. Crows were very much in evidence today with
nearly seven thousand being counted.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be similar to today in appearance, with mostly clear
skies, a fractionally warmer temperature and similar barometric pressure.
Winds are predicted to be from the west, turning northwest later in the
day, but who knows what will really transpire. Wind speeds are predicted to
climb from ten mph at the beginning of the watch, peak at twelve mph, and
then drop slightly as the watch ends. The winds do not particularly favor
our site but golden eagles don’t seem to care about no stinking wind so
maybe they will continue their pilgrimage through our area tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
