Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 218 218 Osprey 0 9 9 Bald Eagle 0 25 25 Northern Harrier 9 128 128 Sharp-shinned Hawk 238 1734 1734 Cooper's Hawk 0 13 13 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 4419 4419 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 35 35 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 22 231 231 Merlin 0 7 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 4 Unknown Buteo 0 11 11 Unknown Falcon 1 5 5 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 19 19 Total: 270 6861 6861 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Shelly Andrews 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: Cloudy, with southerly winds of up to 8 mi/hour (5-14 km/hr). Very humid and warm; the temperature rose to 79 F (+26C) in late afternoon. A weather front is moving from the west; few drops of rain during the last hour of the count. Raptor Observations: A steady trickle of Sharp-shinned Hawks in late morning-early afternoon hours, with a total of 238. We also counted 22 kestrels and nine harriers. A small falcon that stooped at a prey behind the treeline was likely a Merlin, but we did not get a good look. No-show day for the Broad-wings and Turkey Vultures. Non-raptor Observations: Flocks of Blue Jay and Common Grackles moved through the area. Although the team recorded 1,568 jays, we undoubtedly missed some when we had hawks in our sight. Three non-native Mute Swans were seen near Celeron Island. Predictions: Rain is expected overnight as a weather front moves in. If it clears out in the morning and the wind switches to the East or North-East as forecasted, we may see more action, e.g., see the elusive Broad-winged Hawks. ======================================================================== 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