Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 70 1345 1345 Osprey 0 51 51 Bald Eagle 0 67 67 Northern Harrier 0 331 331 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 3588 3588 Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 107481 107481 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 68 68 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: 70 113906 113906 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, 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: We were thinking of canceling today’s watch due to low ticket sales. The rain that was predicted to last all of the day, was long gone of course, by the time we started the watch. What wasn’t gone was the Bermuda Triangle effect of being in the zone where cold air from the north meets with hotter moisture laden air from the south in this high-pressure system. The high barometer says we should have clear skies, but our skies have been anything but. The raptors, apparently, have not been delighted either. Winds were between NE and ENE before finally settling in the east in the afternoon. Except for one lull in the afternoon, it stayed just above five mph. Temperatures were slightly above sixty degrees. Cloud cover was complete. Raptor Observations: If you build it… they, after an interminable wait, will come. That was today’s theme as the first birds did not show up until after two pm. Turkey vultures are feeling the urge to migrate but they are making sure everything is secure before leaving home. Seventy of them passed by today. The only species counted on a dreary looking day. Non-raptor Observations: Lots of great egrets were in the marsh again today, some of them squabbling over fishing rights. Forster’s terns were fishing in front of us today alongside the Caspians. We now have a few northern shovelers that seem to like it in our neighborhood as they are now seen more regularly, in flight and on the water. Plenty of mallards do occasional flyovers as they are feeling the urge to fly, practicing their drafting positions for, potentially, a long journey ahead. Our local first-year eagle stationed itself in a dead tree nearby. A couple of distant blue jay flocks were noted but they were hard to pick out in a dark sky. A pair of young pied-billed grebes were diving nearby, the stripes on their head still faintly visible. The general emptiness of the sky was a little unusual in the morning hours, we couldn’t even buy a sharpie. Predictions: Perhaps we will leave this purgatory that we have been stuck in tomorrow. The sun may be seen again, the temperatures will be rising as a warm spell is coming; seventy degrees tomorrow, eighty is on the way. The barometer should be rising, albeit slowly. Winds are predicted to be mostly on either side of NE during the day and at fairly moderate speeds around five mph. As per usual, we will have to see whether the dreary gray system we are stuck in actually moves on before we do our happy dance, but fingers crossed. ======================================================================== 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