Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 48 218 218 Osprey 1 9 9 Bald Eagle 4 25 25 Northern Harrier 11 119 119 Sharp-shinned Hawk 239 1496 1496 Cooper's Hawk 1 13 13 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 298 4419 4419 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 35 35 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 33 209 209 Merlin 0 7 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 4 Unknown Buteo 0 11 11 Unknown Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 3 19 19 Total: 640 6591 6591 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Bill and Michelle Peregord, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis, Jo Patterson, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We had 120 visitors on the first day of Hawk Fest. We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park. We are willing to spread the gospel with pamphlets and information cards, along with tips on identifying the raptors, and photography tips for those behind the cameras. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with you. Weather: It rained overnight, but otherwise we had another sunny day with only wisps of clouds. Westerly winds prevailed through the day, gradually changing from NNW to SSW; 0.5-6 miles/hour (1-8 km/hr). Temperatures reached early 80s F in late afternoon (+28C). It is very warm for late September! Raptor Observations: Today, we logged twice as many raptors as yesterday (640 vs. 347). The four fifths of them were the Broad-wings (298) and Sharp-shinned hawks (239). The total of Broad-winged Hawks recorded to date is unusually low, a tiny fraction (4%) of their numbers counted by September 22nd, 2023. We also observed 48 Turkey Vultures, 33 kestrels, and 11 harriers. Non-raptor Observations: American White Pelicans showed up at the count site in early afternoon. One flock contained as many of fifty birds; a smaller one of about 20-25, seen half an hour later, might have splintered off the larger group. Blue Jays are moving through the area; 1,385 were counted today. We also saw several Northern Flickers and one Black-crowned Night-Heron. Predictions: Rain is forecasted for tomorrow, but whether in the afternoon or the evening remains to be seen. We hope to see at least some raptors in the morning hours, probably Sharp-shinned Hawks, kestrels and harriers, perhaps also the Broad-wings. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (erika_vankirk@fws.gov) 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