Afternoon at Hawk Watch - 03 Nov 2019

Once again I arrived at Detroit River Hawk Watch and just missed 2 Golden Eagles that had flown by. At least Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Turkey Vultures were flying. But, they were mostly moving high and north so there weren't many photo opps. So, I turned my camera on the more challenging Tree Swallows and Forster's Terns that made close passes. A nice cloud of American Crows passed overhead and provided a few pics.

Clouds moved in and out all afternoon, and it was only near quitting time that the Sun broke through and nicely illuminated the Ring-billed Gull (adult) and young Herring Gull that were foraging for food nearby.

A Belted Kingfisher made a fly-by and I was too slow to get it in focus. It did, however, return a few minutes later a bit farther out, and this time I was able to get a couple dozen pics in flight. 

As I left the park a pair of Red-tailed Hawks were roosting in the trees. I managed a still of one adult while the other flew off through the trees.

Lake Erie Metropark--Detroit River Hawk Watch, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 3, 2019 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Stationary
9 species

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  4     Foraging in canal in front of hawk watch. Photos.
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  26
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  6
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  8
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  120
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160529911

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)