Date: 11/21/24 2:20 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (21 Nov 2024) 4 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 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, Jo Patterson, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark.
We have brochures and educational information we are happy to share. Let us
share our enthusiasm for migration and raptors with you! While we welcome
your questions and company, please know that our professional counter,
apprentices, and volunteers must communicate with each other frequently to
successfully conduct the count, and they also must maintain an unobstructed
view of the horizon.
Weather:
We had the Chinese buffet for weather today, a little of this and a little
of that. This being snow, and that being rain, with the palate cleanser
being a brief glimpse of blue sky and sunshine through the dominant gray
stratus clouds that were the order of the day. Temperatures were barely
above the freezing mark today, as a cold front associated with the
low-pressure area to the north of us, swept through during the night. The
winds were mostly westerly with small variations in speed on the plus and
minus side of ten mph. The barometer bottomed out at 29.58 inches, which is
pretty darn low. Most of the day our vision was obstructed by one means or
the other, and we finally gave in an hour early as the rain had become more
of a nuisance than we could bear.
Raptor Observations:
It was a day that was unlikely to produce many birds, as most of them skirt
this kind of weather, or sit it out. Golden eagles, however, seem to think
like the postal service, neither snow nor rain shall stay these birds. We
did have one that made a flyover around noon that accounted for twenty-five
percent of the birds count today. The rest of the posse consisted of one
red-tailed hawk, one sharpie, and one harrier. The weather deteriorated as
the day progressed, although the local birds did not seem to mind flying in
the precipitation.
Non-raptor Observations:
A pair of common loons were seen out towards the lake today. They stayed
all day, sharing the fish with a few pied-billed grebes. Lots of gulls were
up dancing on the edge of visibility in the low scudding clouds. Usually,
they are easily written off as gulls, but with poor viewing conditions, you
have to look at all birds. They were mostly ring-bills, with some herring
gulls, but Bonaparte’s gulls were present and a possible sighting of a
distant little gull (unconfirmed) increased the pulse rate for a few
moments. A few red-breasted mergansers raced by but the majority of ducks
were mallards. We did see one horned, er, horny mallard that was getting
jiggy with a female, head bobbing displays, and well you know the rest.
Practicing for the spring, I guess. Our local eagles were busy today, one
of them plucking a snack from the water nearby. Tree sparrows were making
occasional visits to a nearby maple tree.
Predictions:
Tomorrow might be a challenging day to sit outside. The winds will increase
in strength in the morning hours, blowing out of the northwest and possibly
exceeding the twenty-mph mark around noon. The barometer will rebound
somewhat but will still be below thirty inches. The cloud cover should be
substantial for the next few days. Temperatures will be higher, rising to
the mid forties in the afternoon but the wind will nullify about eight
degrees of that increase, keeping the real-feels in the thirties. This wind
usually benefits Holiday Beach more than us and especially when it reaches
double digit speeds.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
