A Red-tailed Day - 17 Nov 2025

Skies were clear, and despite a breezy, chilly afternoon I headed down to Detroit River Hawk Watch at 12:30 pm. Andrew, Don, Johannes, and Jo were bundled up and scanning the skies for mostly Red-tailed Hawks today.

One Golden Eagle was seen this morning, and we had another this afternoon. The bird was merely a speck in our scopes as it streamed north but we saw enough of a golden nape, hint of white on tail and general shape to call it an adult Golden Eagle. 

Winds were keeping birds at a distance again, NW and shifting to WNW, gusting at times. When things slowed I turned the camera on a swim-by Ring-billed Gull.

A late-afternoon push saw small kettles of 5-6 Red-tailed Hawks, a few Red-shouldered Hawks, a fly-by Cooper's Hawk, 

and a pair of Northern Harriers flying by to the south.