Gotfredson Road Raptors - 22 Nov 2019
With the building shut down for the day I worked from home. The sun began to break so it was a good opportunity to look for the Gyrfalcon that was reported the last few days. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon was reported Thursday at Grace Lake (Visteon) but the larger falcon had not been seen (Curt Powell had it out at Willow Run Airport Thursday but only at a distance).
The Gyrfalcon would not show but the day was not a wash. Willow Run Airport produced a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and an American Kestrel at a distance, and I managed to see a fly-over Rough-legged Hawk while talking to Phil Odom. Curt had seen 3 Rough-legged Hawks out at Vreeland Rd. just prior to coming to Willow Run, so I decided to make the 10 minute drive out there to look for something to photograph.
Willow Run Airport (restricted access), Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 22, 2019 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
3 species
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
A Northern Harrier was in the field to my right as I drove slowly down Gotfredson Rd south of Vreeland. It flew across the road and over the field to my left, but the Sony a9 struggled to lock focus (Tracking Wide). When it did lock focus the wingtips were captured, and focus struggled due to convection currents. Another harrier popped out over the field, followed by a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and a Rough-legged Hawk. I managed a few focused images, but lost perhaps 90% of my frames due to fuzzy images at long distances. Still, I managed a few keepers for the afternoon.
The Gyrfalcon would not show today, but it was still a nice day spent out at the 3 locations. We will see what the weekend brings.
Nov 22, 2019 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
3 species
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
A Northern Harrier was in the field to my right as I drove slowly down Gotfredson Rd south of Vreeland. It flew across the road and over the field to my left, but the Sony a9 struggled to lock focus (Tracking Wide). When it did lock focus the wingtips were captured, and focus struggled due to convection currents. Another harrier popped out over the field, followed by a pair of Red-tailed Hawks and a Rough-legged Hawk. I managed a few focused images, but lost perhaps 90% of my frames due to fuzzy images at long distances. Still, I managed a few keepers for the afternoon.
Gottfredson Rd. at Vreeland Rd., Washtenaw, Michigan, US
Nov 22, 2019 3:00 PM - 4:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
3 species
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Nov 22, 2019 3:00 PM - 4:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
3 species
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
The Gyrfalcon would not show today, but it was still a nice day spent out at the 3 locations. We will see what the weekend brings.
