Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1023 3453 5586 Osprey 0 2 53 Bald Eagle 0 5 77 Northern Harrier 5 31 386 Sharp-shinned Hawk 84 524 4281 Cooper's Hawk 1 5 16 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 4 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 26 107608 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 9 29 115 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 38 154 1139 Merlin 1 4 35 Peregrine Falcon 0 7 27 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: 1162 4244 119329 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, Rosemary Brady 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: Fall was finally ushered in today on the back of a wild and wooly wind. The tortured skies were full of a spectacular mix of brilliant white clouds with sunlit edges interlaced with dark navy-blue clouds to which no artist could do full justice. Full-bodied gray clouds showed up in the later afternoon, looking rather ominous and finally making good on their threat, delivering rain showers around, and finally on us. Winds were robust out of the WNW, challenging the birds to make their way into it. The cooler temperatures and the wind were extracting heat from the lake making the views in certain directions very hazy and the passing vessels in the Detroit River presented fun-house-grotesque caricatures of themselves. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures stepped up, taking various routes to accomplish their mission. They were moving in the first hour and probably before that since they were up and about when we got there. They stayed fairly low at times and it took some time for them to cross after various feints in other directions. We managed to count 1,023 of them. A few of the sharpies had scopolamine patches behind their ears today as they once again had a wild ride on the winds. Eighty-four of them managed to pass the test. Kestrels were up to the challenge with thirty-eight of them often using the trees as shelter before crossing. Nine red-tailed hawks were noted and one red-shouldered hawk showed up. Five northern harriers, one a gray ghost, rowed by today. One merlin and one Coper’s hawk were also noted. Non-raptor Observations: We had a small flight of American white pelicans make an appearance today. Six of them were high in the sky riding the winds. A juvenile black-crowned night heron made a brief appearance as it was also buffeted by the wind. A flock of common terns was noted out towards the lake. A small flock of Bonaparte’s gulls were also observed. We saw two kingfishers in the channel today, the first sightings in a few days. Over four thousand blue jays were noted. Predictions: The winds may be tempered slightly tomorrow but still in a range that will make things more difficult for both humans and birds. Temperatures in the mid-fifties will feel cooler due to the winds reaching the twelve-mph mark. A mixture of sun and cloud will once again decorate the sky. The barometer should be falling. Hopefully, the turkey vultures, who enjoy high winds, will be up to the challenge again. I suspect the early hours may be more productive since the winds will be lighter then ======================================================================== 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