Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 666 666 91294 Osprey 0 0 53 Bald Eagle 2 2 112 Northern Harrier 1 1 471 Sharp-shinned Hawk 23 23 6814 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 58 American Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 17 17 294 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 107691 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 83 83 1477 Rough-legged Hawk 1 1 16 Golden Eagle 1 1 14 American Kestrel 0 0 1284 Merlin 0 0 46 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 49 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: 794 794 209679 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Jackie Quinones, Kevin Georg, Rosemary Brady, 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: The NW wind was not a horn of plenty today, producing a moderate count of birds. It was sandwiched between days of SW winds though, and yesterday had inclement weather thrown in for good measure. Some of the western lake-effect snow-belt areas got six to eight inches of snow yesterday. Our site had a light dusting that stayed white on the fallen leaves that were shaded for some time. Temperatures that were below freezing at the start of the watch helped in that regard. They eventually reached forty-one degrees, saving us from descending into a state of torpor. The winds did change directions a little as the day went on, causing the flight line to wander and it ended the day at WNW with birds extremely high, flying just below the bottoms of the hefty cumulus clouds. The barometer reached the 30.34” mark today, that is pretty high as well. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures took a couple of hours to lift off but ended the day with 666. I wish that were not so, but it is the correct number, he said, making the sign of the cross. (Some of the current counts shown in the totals for the day do not include the last hour’s birds, as I write this. We are trying to correct this.) The red-tailed hawks were taking advantage of the winds to tag along in the vulture streams, we tallied eighty-three today. Sharpies continued to fly by with a count of twenty-three. Red-shoulders totaled seventeen, flapping harder than their big brother red-tails. Two bald eagles were counted. Only one harrier made the clicker today. One rough-legged was also noted. A solo golden eagle also cruised through to the delight of visitors present at the time. Non-raptor Observations: The little gull moved into the slip today as the wind was from a new direction. It, and a small band of Bonaparte’s, did laps into the wind as they dove for minnows foolish enough to visit the water’s surface. Tundra swans were seen and heard overhead, their whoops announcing their presence. Significant lines of ducks were seen off in the distance to the east. Crows were also slow off the mark today but had some nice murders move through in midday and the afternoon hours. A small group of dunlin flew by in the morning. Predictions: The winds will be out of the SW tomorrow by the time we start the watch. Although we may see an hour of single digit speeds, winds will accelerate up to fourteen mph by watch’s end. I suspect a slow afternoon. Perhaps an Elizabeth Park kind of day as the northern track will be favored. Temperatures will start to rise tomorrow and gradually reach the upper fifties in about four days. The high pressure will remain but the cold air will condense moisture from the south into clouds, leaving a little room for sunshine to peek through. On paper, not a promising day, but there is always something to see in the great outdoors. ======================================================================== 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