Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2417 88253 90386 Osprey 0 2 53 Bald Eagle 1 29 101 Northern Harrier 2 114 469 Sharp-shinned Hawk 53 3015 6768 Cooper's Hawk 1 47 58 American Goshawk 0 2 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 28 275 275 Broad-winged Hawk 0 109 107691 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 261 1267 1353 Rough-legged Hawk 1 15 15 Golden Eagle 2 9 9 American Kestrel 2 298 1283 Merlin 3 15 46 Peregrine Falcon 2 28 48 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 2773 93480 208561 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Jackie Quinones 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: I’ll huff and I’ll puff and blow your house down. That seemed to be the theme for today as the NW wind grew in strength as the day grew longer. Temperatures did reach the forty-four degree mark but the real-feel temp was six degrees lower. Winds were up near fifteen mph with gusts that grew stronger over time. The barometer was starting to climb off its low during the rain system that recently passed. The late afternoon sky did show a few glimpses of blue and we did feel the sun for a short time, a very short time, but the general mood of the day was dark and ominous. Raptor Observations: Despite a healthy NW wind, the birds did fight their way into our end of the lake. Turkey vultures lifted off early in the morning as they must have roosted nearby. They kept up a steady flow of streams of differing sizes, mostly small, during the day. Our total was 2,417. Red-tailed hawks were really on the move today with 261 of them tagging along with the vultures, or creating their own streams at times. Sharpies beat out the red-shoulders for the bronze with fifty-three of them flying into the wind. On this particular wind they did not seem to be buffeted around as much as they usually are in high winds. Red-shoulders showed their crescents twenty-eight times. Two northern harriers were noted. All three falcons made appearances with three merlins, two kestrels, and two peregrines making the late show. Two golden eagles made the clicker. One bald eagle was counted. A light morph rough-legged was seen and one Cooper’s hawk was tallied. Non-raptor Observations: We started to see, and hear, tundra swans today. At the end of one vee was a lone snow goose. We had a short visit from a small group of twentyish Bonaparte’s gulls. The Forster’s terns continue to use the base of the entrance buoy as their gathering spot. Plenty of ducks were up in the invigorating winds stretching those breast muscles in preparation for longer journeys to come. The local eagles were up in force today soaring most of the day. One did pluck a fish from the water in front of us. A flock of waxwings flew by the site. Only one large slug of crows passed through, staying below the trees for shelter from the wind. Predictions: Winds will drop in strength tomorrow and turn from NW to SW, fluctuating up and down in speed. Temperatures, despite the southern winds, will drop even further down to the forty-degree mark with real-feels near thirty-five degrees. Skies will be mostly cloudy and the barometer will rise. We may have a white Halloween according to some forecasts showing a chance of flurries. You won’t have to worry about the chocolates melting while trick-or-treating. As for birds, we have had a good run lately and if the SW winds are not too strong, the flight lines may be visible off to the north, or may not. ======================================================================== 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