Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 290 1635 1635 Osprey 0 51 51 Bald Eagle 0 67 67 Northern Harrier 3 334 334 Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 3600 3600 Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 30 107511 107511 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 5 73 73 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 917 917 Merlin 0 29 29 Peregrine Falcon 0 19 19 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 340 114246 114246 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess Observers: Frank Kitakis, Mark Hainen, Rosemary Brady, Sabrina Salome 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: The door that had been holding back the birds cracked open today and let a few pass through. We started the day in the usual fashion as of late, with gloomy one hundred percent cloud cover and zero birds for the first two hours, but in the ensuing hours the gray stratus layer began to show blue cracks in its facade and it was eventually replaced with much lighter hued cumulus clouds. Winds were up and down in strength but retained a mostly NE flavor to them. The barometer changed very little during the watch staying around 30.15 inches. Temperatures did reach seventy degrees, but with a northerly wind, a plus-one layer was recommended. Time to bid adieu to the gloom as the next few days will have a lot more sunshine. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures are starting to show in larger formations than before, as is to be expected at this time of year. They far outnumbered any other species today with 290 birds. A lot of the other birds we saw were in the same streams as the vultures, including broad-wings, of which we saw thirty. Sharp-shins were also occasionally in the entourage with twelve counted. Three northern harriers were seen today. We had a larger number of red-tails today with five in long glides as they flew by. Non-raptor Observations: You could make a very good case for the blue jay as the bird of the day. 16,600 of them flew by. They continued well into the afternoon, usually they are mostly seen in the morning hours. The monarchs failed to keep pace with only forty-four passing today. Great egrets continue to fill the marsh seeking sustenance. Our kingfisher has not been seen lately since they cut down his perch tree in what can only be described as a chain saw massacre. Other nearby trees were also taken to the chipper as well. We have been seeing an osprey that looks too familiar lately. I think a first-year bird has stopped over for a few days and so it was not counted today. It was involved with in a dogfight with a local eagle over possession of a small fish it had in its talons today. Although the area in front of us was unusually quiet today, the sky was filled with gull kettles acting as decoys to make our task a little more difficult. Warblers were reported on the trails this morning. Mute swans are beginning to gather out by the rock jetty near Celeron Island. A small raft of coots was noted again today. Predictions: Tomorrow looks more promising since it should be sunny most of the day with light NE winds, and a rising barometer. The winds may not be as consistent as predicted since very light winds are often variable in both strength and direction. Temperatures should be fairly comfortable at seventy-two degrees. Light winds can lead to multiple flight paths and high-flying birds seeking stronger winds so hopefully we are included in their flight plan. ======================================================================== 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