GIBRALTAR, MI — Visitors to Lake Erie Metropark on Tuesday were treated to an incredible sight as more than 29,000 turkey vultures soared overhead throughout the day, breaking a single-day record for vultures at the location.
The new increase in numbers was reported this week in a social media post from the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and anyone currently visiting the area should be on the lookout for a chance to see turkey vultures during their fall migration. he added.
Yellow-bellied vultures spend their summer breeding season in the northeastern and western United States and southern Canada. According to Cornell University’s All About Birds guide, this time of year they fly in flocks called kettles to the southern states of the United States or even further afield to Central America.
A traveling vulture spotted over Metroparks this week was counted as part of the Detroit River Hawk Watch, a long-term bird monitoring project that runs from September to November each year.
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During these months each year, the lower Detroit River becomes a corridor for migratory birds, including hundreds of thousands of birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, peregrine falcons, and vultures. This metropark’s prime location just south of the river makes it the perfect location for Hawkwatch staff to systematically count birds and collect data to drive future research and conservation measures. It becomes.
Visitors can come to the park’s boat launch to watch hawkwatches in action and witness the sight of migratory birds with their own eyes.
This monitoring program is conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance.Click here for details
