Late Season Hawk Watch - 27 Nov 2024
I headed down to hawk watch this afternoon under cloudy skies and cool temperatures (45F). As expected for this time of year things were slow. Great Blue Herons outnumbered the raptors today as dozens crossed the channel in front of us.
A few Red-tailed Hawks were flying.
As were Red-shouldered Hawks.
The last bird of the day (for me) was an interesting one. Don spotted a presumed Red-tailed Hawk flying west over the Sycamore tree to the north and we put our scopes on it. Its flapping and gliding was typical for a Red-tailed Hawk but its size and dark profile had us suspecting a possible Golden Eagle when we saw a smallish head and large tail. Michael thought it flew like an accipitor and presumed Cooper's Hawk. However, when it started circling over the channel we could not help but notice how heavy the tail looked (much like a harrier).
I digiscoped the bird at full magnification (60X) as it soared under the dark skies. Even with an effective focal length of 3600 mm the bird was a small speck in the viewfinder. I'd create a composite of usable images and we would conclude that the bird was an American Goshawk!
Holiday Beach also reported an American Goshawk today, as well!
I'd leave at 2:30 pm just as the rain started falling, and the goshawk would be our last bird of the day. The count would end w/ 37 birds. 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks were unusual and marked by eBird!
Lake Erie Metropark--Detroit River Hawk Watch, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 27, 2024 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Don Sherwood, Michael Patrikeev, Rosemary Brady, Jo Patterson; visit by Erika Van Kirk. Ptly to mostly cloudy, 44F
16 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 14
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 1
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 6
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 11
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 2 Official count was 8. Two passed during my visit. ID based on wing-flap / glide pattern, and profile of a small accipiter.
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 2
American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) 1 Scoped by Michael, Don and me. Large raptor flying west over north side of metropark. Initially thought to be a Red-tailed Hawk based on wing-flap and glide tempo that was consistent with Red-tailed Hawk. However, when it banked and started to circle over the trees we took note of especially large tail and bulging primaries. Michael initially thought accipiter but noted size similar to Red-tailed Hawk. I digiscoped the bird at a distance of better than a third of a mile at EFL~3600 mm but the bird was still too small to ID by anything more than silhouette. Composite images show long and heavy tail and bulging wings. Some hint of tail striping is visible. Overall appearance is inconsistent with Golden Eagle and buteos. At one point it caught up with a Sharp-shinned Hawk moving in the same direction and physically dwarfed the smaller accipiter thus eliminating Cooper's Hawk.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 6
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Nov 27, 2024 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Don Sherwood, Michael Patrikeev, Rosemary Brady, Jo Patterson; visit by Erika Van Kirk. Ptly to mostly cloudy, 44F
16 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 14
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 1
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 6
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 11
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 2 Official count was 8. Two passed during my visit. ID based on wing-flap / glide pattern, and profile of a small accipiter.
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) 2
American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) 1 Scoped by Michael, Don and me. Large raptor flying west over north side of metropark. Initially thought to be a Red-tailed Hawk based on wing-flap and glide tempo that was consistent with Red-tailed Hawk. However, when it banked and started to circle over the trees we took note of especially large tail and bulging primaries. Michael initially thought accipiter but noted size similar to Red-tailed Hawk. I digiscoped the bird at a distance of better than a third of a mile at EFL~3600 mm but the bird was still too small to ID by anything more than silhouette. Composite images show long and heavy tail and bulging wings. Some hint of tail striping is visible. Overall appearance is inconsistent with Golden Eagle and buteos. At one point it caught up with a Sharp-shinned Hawk moving in the same direction and physically dwarfed the smaller accipiter thus eliminating Cooper's Hawk.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 6
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
