A great day for buteos. Greeted by a hard overnight frost, the Hawks were slow to get moving, but by 10:30 the Red-shouldered Hawks quickly kettled up and moved south with 10 in view overhead at one time. Just before noon the Red-tails and Rough-legs dominated the migration and the counters were busy scanning the skies for the next 4 hours. Sunshine ruled the day (clouds had been forecast ) and the raptors took advantage of thermals and rose to tremendous heights before heading south over the Straits. Most afternoon birds were not visible without binoculars which meant constant scanning and some sore necks.
The Rough-legs were the stars of the day with a total of 86 tallied, the highest fall total ever in Michigan, and included 13 stunning dark morph birds. Other highlights were 415 Red-tails, 31 Red-shouldered, 2 Golden Eagles, and a very cooperative Peregrine Falcon which perched nearby for 15 minutes.
