Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2016 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 13 32366 33686 Osprey 0 5 23 Bald Eagle 1 56 110 Northern Harrier 1 100 323 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 1732 4238 Cooper's Hawk 0 60 104 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 148 149 Broad-winged Hawk 0 130 17529 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 993 1127 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 7 7 American Kestrel 0 67 545 Merlin 0 19 37 Peregrine Falcon 0 23 27 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 5 Unknown Buteo 0 32 41 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 12 Total: 21 35741 57965 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 10:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Dustin Brewer Observers: Andrew Sturgess Visitors: Our sole visitor today was Marianne, on vacation from Kentucky. Weather: We were cold and battered by wind coming off of the lake this morning. The temperature actually dropped between 7 and 8. Barometric pressure was exceptionally high, which seemed unusual given the overcast conditions. The rain began just before 10, at which point we retreated. The rain continued all day, so we did not return.  Raptor Observations: Despite the sub-par weather conditions, we had a fairly good morning, despite seeing no raptors during the first hour. This lack of raptors in the first hour reassures us that not much will be missed now that, starting tomorrow, we begin the count an hour later. During the two hours after the first, before the rain started, we spotted a nice mix of migrants, including several Sharpies, a Northern Harrier which tried to sneak by (it was spotted at the last moment), a Bald Eagle, a Red-shouldered Hawk, 13 TVs, and a Golden Eagle. At least one non-migratory Osprey is still sticking around. Non-raptor Observations: A black river flowed overhead today, in the form of at least 1,500 American crows. We also spotted a large, round flock of what appeared to be Rusty Blackbirds, as well as several Bonaparte's Gulls. Predictions: Rain will be possible all day, though is most likely in the morning. The northwest winds that are predicted for the afternoon could provide favorable conditions for raptor-viewing. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Detroit River Hawk Watch (greg_norwood@fws.gov) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org