Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1615 77178 79311 Osprey 0 2 53 Bald Eagle 2 21 93 Northern Harrier 0 97 452 Sharp-shinned Hawk 132 2562 6315 Cooper's Hawk 1 38 49 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 8 165 165 Broad-winged Hawk 1 108 107690 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 48 575 661 Rough-legged Hawk 2 8 8 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 1 282 1267 Merlin 0 9 40 Peregrine Falcon 1 20 40 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 1811 81069 196150 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess, Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Jackie Quinones, Mark Hainen, Patrick Mulawa Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic, requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the best of our abilities. Thank you. Weather: Another day in which the wind seemed to be chasing its tail in the early morning hours before we started the watch. It finally settled on a southern direction and grew in strength during the day. It was pretty feeble during the first hours, and despite the steam rising from the frosted grass and temperatures in the thirties, it felt much warmer with the sun working its magic. That was to change as the cirrus clouds were replaced by heftier sun blocks and the winds picked up. Temperatures eventually topped out at just over fifty degrees and the wind at ten mph. The barometer peaked and started a slow decline which will continue over the next few days as cloudy weather with chances of rain are in the future. The increasingly stronger southern wind had the effect of pushing the later birds further to the north in a more cloud laden, hazy sky making our task more difficult than the early hours. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures were taking the scenic route today, appearing further to the north as the day wore on. No big kettles were spotted, but modest ones came during every hour save the first. We ended with 1,615 on the day. Sharp-shins continue to blaze trails across the sky with 132 being counted today. Red-tailed hawks won the bronze medal with forty-eight, most of them flapping more than usual, making the trip. I have a feeling that there were more of these birds to be had if the later viewing conditions to the north were better. Red-shouldered hawks numbered eight birds, they also moved more to the north as the day progressed. Two bald eagles were counted in transit. Birds with a one next to their name were Cooper’s hawk, kestrel, peregrine falcon and broad-winged hawk. The rough-legged hawks provided a pair of birds, one light-morph, followed fairly quickly by a dark-morph, our first of that persuasion. Non-raptor Observations: We received word one of our brothers-in-arms, a long-time hawk watcher at the Corpus Christi watch, Dane Ferrell, had passed during the night. He had recent medical issues that were insurmountable. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts. Predictions: I suspect the problems we had today with a more northerly flight line will be repeated tomorrow. The winds will be stronger at the start of the watch and still from SSW for most of the day. Temperatures, as to be expected with winds from the south, will rise to close to seventy-degrees. I would prefer northern winds and temps in the fifties but that decision is above my pay grade. It appears that the sky should be mostly sunny so we may have to shed some layers tomorrow. At least the sunny skies may allow better viewing of distant birds for plumage clues. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (ajyes72@gmail.com) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org More site information at hawkcount.org: https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285 Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at: https://dunkadoo.org/explore/detroit-river-international-wildlife-refuge/detroit-river-hawk-watch-fall-2023