Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 626 2379 3312 Osprey 0 1 17 Bald Eagle 1 12 45 Northern Harrier 2 44 227 Sharp-shinned Hawk 43 332 2469 Cooper's Hawk 2 6 45 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 6 28 6776 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 11 50 105 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 5 53 332 Merlin 0 5 19 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 10 Unknown Accipiter 2 3 8 Unknown Buteo 1 3 16 Unknown Falcon 1 2 10 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 25 Total: 702 2925 13418 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Bill and Michelle Peregord, Don Sherwood, Jerry Jourdan, Jo Patterson, Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady 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: Sun and cloud in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon. Winds from the north and north-east at 5-8 miles per hour (8-13 km/hr). The temperature was in a pleasant range between 57 and 72F (+14 to 22C). Raptor Observations: Of 702 raptors recorded today, 626 (or nearly 90%) were Turkey Vultures. They slowly moved over the area, often low, in kettles of up to 60-80 birds. Some kettles lingered over Gibraltar before moving on. Flight condition s were clearly not perfect for the vultures, and we saw quite a bit of flapping as the birds were trying to get higher and catch an updraft. Sharp-shinned Hawks were relatively few and far between. In the last hour, Don spotted two Red-shouldered Hawks, one distant, in a kettle of vultures, and another right over the parking lot! Non-raptor Observations: Large flocks of Blue Jays in the early hours, including 7,450 between 9 and 11 AM EDT. Low hundreds in the afternoon. In total, we ended up with 8,295 jays. Jerry counted nearly 300 American Coots downstream of the count site, and Don spotted some Bonaparte's Gulls above Celeron Island. Chimney Swifts are still around, and the Carolina Wren was heard was singing in the adjacent woods. Predictions: Sunny skies and warm temperatures are in the forecast for the next couple of days; wind direction will likely change from easterly to less favorable southerly. We anticipate hundreds of Turkey Vultures, and look forward to seeing more Red-shouldered 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