Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 699 4017 4950 Osprey 0 1 17 Bald Eagle 3 20 53 Northern Harrier 0 44 227 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 352 2489 Cooper's Hawk 0 8 47 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 0 28 6776 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 63 118 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 60 339 Merlin 1 6 20 Peregrine Falcon 1 5 13 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 9 Unknown Buteo 0 5 18 Unknown Falcon 0 3 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 26 Total: 716 4622 15115 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Ben Sehl, Don Sherwood, Michelle and Bill Peregord, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park. We are willing to spread the word with pamphlets and information cards, along with tips on raptors identification. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with you. Weather: A mix of sun and cloud in the morning, becoming mainly sunny in the afternoon. Windy (12-16 miles or 21-26 km/hr); southerly winds changed to steady westerly in the afternoon. It was warm, up to 78 F (+25 C), but the winds kept the temperature in the comfort range. Raptor Observations: Today was unquestionably Turkey Vulture Day. Of 716 birds recorded, 699 belonged to that species. Between 9 and 11 AM, we counted several hundreds flying low over treetops. Clearly these were birds which spent the night on Celeron Island or in Gibraltar. After the wind shifted to the west, around noon, Turkey Vulture migration slowed down. From time to time, we saw large groups of them streaming, but more often they came in twos or threes, or singly. Eleven Sharp-shinned Hawks were also seen, many straggling to make headway in high winds. We also counted Peregrine, Merlin, and American Kestrel, one of each. Non-raptor Observations: Blue Jay migration slowed down to a puny 81. Don counted almost as many American White Pelicans (71) as there were jays. The pelicans soared over Celeron Island and then came down by the jetty. Predictions: Winds from the north-west will bring cooler temperatures, beginning from tomorrow. We expect seeing Turkey Vultures moving though the area, possibly in high hundreds as in the last couple of days. ======================================================================== 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