Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1163 1905 92533 Osprey 0 0 53 Bald Eagle 6 8 118 Northern Harrier 2 3 473 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 28 6819 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 59 American Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 18 295 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 107691 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 39 125 1519 Rough-legged Hawk 1 2 17 Golden Eagle 3 4 17 American Kestrel 1 1 1285 Merlin 1 1 47 Peregrine Falcon 2 2 51 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 1225 2098 210983 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Jackie Quinones, Sam Heilman 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: There was an attractive end to the day, at least in terms of weather, as the sky cleared, leaving icy cirrus clouds aloft with plenty of sunshine to warm us. The temperatures reached fifty-degrees, and were it not for the strong SW wind, which spiked in the afternoon pushing the birds away, it seemed Utopian compared to the cold of yesterday. The pressure stayed high all day, so did the wind, climbing from eight mph to eighteen mph around three pm before dropping towards the end of the watch. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures would not be denied today. They kept coming despite the adverse wind, numbering 1,163 at day’s end. No large kettles but a stream of small ones for a couple of hours made up the bulk of the number. The numbers dwindled in the afternoon as the wind peaked. Red-tailed hawks are also capable of traveling during times of high winds and took the silver medal today with thirty-nine, gliding with very little flapping into the wind. Bald eagles took the bottom step on the podium with six of them counted. The local eagles enjoyed the winds as they can soar all day with little effort. Sharp-shins were less successful at crossing today with only five being noted. Golden eagles can handle most any weather and three of them passed today, two of them traveling together. All of the falcons were counted today, two peregrines, and one each of merlins and kestrels. One, soon to be renamed, Cooper’s hawk was noted. One light-morph rough-legged hawk passed through. One red-shouldered hawk was also observed. Non-raptor Observations: The little gull and its companion Bonaparte’s gulls were hunting in front of us today. The darkish juvenile gulls were up in the sky today resembling raptors in the slightly hazy sky. Some midge-like bugs emerged into the sunshine. It’s always surprising to see how quickly insect life reemerges when the weather warms up. The winds have been moving the water around in Lake Erie, out on the lake white horses were running today. The level of the water in the slip in front of us is constantly rising and falling by a foot or two. Predictions: It looks like the clouds will return tomorrow, and the southerly winds will remain, once again blowing with gusto. They may top out at sixteen mph tomorrow but will be high for most of the watch. The barometer will stay above thirty inches, probably until Monday, when rain might fall. Temperatures were warmer than expected today, and will be even warmer tomorrow, reaching fifty-four degrees. The fly in the ointment is, of course, the strong SSW winds. Hopefully, some of the larger birds can fight their way into it and give us something to count. The conditions may be worse tomorrow since the wind, rather than spiking, will be in double digits all day. ======================================================================== 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