Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 1217 3350 Osprey 0 2 53 Bald Eagle 0 5 77 Northern Harrier 1 26 381 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 406 4163 Cooper's Hawk 0 4 15 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 0 26 107608 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 15 101 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 92 1077 Merlin 0 3 34 Peregrine Falcon 0 6 26 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: 7 1804 116889 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess Observers: Jackie Quinones, 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: After a brief ceremony, sparsely attended by both human and avian beings, we laid the carcass of today’s hawk watch to rest. The event took place at noon. The rain came a little later; the birds hardly came at all. We were in the path of a rain system just to the west of us stretching all the way to the Gulf of Mexico; it was a no-go zone for most migrants. They had a strong SW headwind and chose to enter the country elsewhere. As the cold front passed, the temperatures dropped seven degrees and it will be cooler for the coming days. Barometric pressure was falling and, like the temperatures, will be lower in the next week. Winds will be coming from a westerly direction for a few days, at times varying a few degrees north and south of that. Raptor Observations: It took us a while to get rolling with no birds in the first hour, two in the second and a grand finale in the third hour with five birds. Of course, those birds were sharp-shinned, kestrel, and northern harrier. Birds that are not as wind sensitive as the buteos and TVs. Sharpies led the way with five, but only one kestrel and one harrier made the clicker today. Non-raptor Observations: Coots, shovelers, mallards, Caspian tern, and various gulls were noted today. Blue jays were very scarce and no monarchs were seen. Predictions: It’s difficult to say what tomorrow may bring. It depends on when, or whether, the rain stops falling. Winds should be brisk, six to twelve mph, and coming from the west during the watch time. The winds may turn the birds before they reach our site if they are too strong. Temps will top out in the mid-sixties as a decline begins, bringing them into more seasonal ranges. The sun is predicted to come out tomorrow. (Thank you, Annie). Time will tell. ======================================================================== 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