Photo of the Week: First Time Visitor at Detroit River Hawk Watch

When I go to the Detroit River Hawk Watch along the Detroit River in southeast Michigan, I expect to see hawks migrating over Lake Erie. High in the sky in kettles or streaming in a line over the lake as they head south. And that’s what I saw this week, as 35,000+ Broad-winged hawks were counted as they migrated south. An incredible sight to watch as thousands of hawks migrate over the water. But, along with about three dozen other hawk watchers scanning the skies for hawks, we had what I believe is a first sighting at hawk watch: a mink. Not sure how the mink got past us to the seawall, or whether it climbed up from the water. We were all surprised to see the mink walk along the seawall, pause, then turn back and stop under the park bench. It then returned to the seawall before it slid over the wall into a tangle of tree branches next to the seawall. Not the best photo, I didn’t have my Canon camera handy and took a few photos with my phone. Still, quite an experience to see it! The…