Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 717 67644 69765 Osprey 0 2 53 Bald Eagle 0 18 90 Northern Harrier 0 88 443 Sharp-shinned Hawk 91 2171 5868 Cooper's Hawk 1 31 42 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 101 101 Broad-winged Hawk 0 99 107380 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 328 414 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 270 1240 Merlin 0 6 36 Peregrine Falcon 0 17 37 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: 812 70777 185473 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Mark Hainen 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: We are nestled on the back side of a low-pressure system with the usual unpredictable showers and rainfall. We delayed the start of the watch one hour because of light rain. Winds were SW trying to get round to W and variable in strength. The shift to NW will come tomorrow. Temperatures did reach the high fifties. The sky was roughly textured with various types of multi-hued clouds at different altitudes trying to coexist peacefully. After several spritzes from the lowest of those clouds, one came along that was dark enough to tell Luke “I am your father.” This one dropped a heavier payload and we called the watch one hour early due to rain. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures led the way but it was a slow trickle rather than a mass exodus. The birds were visible behind a gloomy veil of moisture-laden atmosphere, but just barely. We managed to count 717 of them. Sharp-shins keep on coming in respectable numbers, especially given the conditions. Ninety-one of them passed by today. Slim pickings for the other birds, two red-tails, and one each of Cooper’s hawks and kestrels. Non-raptor Observations: A tuxedo duck chose today to come and visit us, grooming itself for a long time near the rock pile. This duck usually hangs out down the slip so it was slightly unusual to see it there. Blue jays are still on the move, we saw a few hundred today. Plenty of various types of blackbirds seem to be accelerating their movement too, although no crows were seen. Otherwise, a slow day, although a Say’s Phoebe was reported in the marina parking lot in the south end of the park. Predictions: Tomorrow will have the same cloud cover with the potential for more rain. The highest chance of rain appears to be later in the day after the watch is over. Winds will turn NW and pick up strength as a high-pressure system moves in over the next two days. The winds should be over ten mph and temperatures will be in the low fifties causing more wind chill than today. The barometer will climb slowly, but most of the upward rebound will take place on Sunday. The usual suspects, sharpies and vultures, will probably move tomorrow but Sunday still looks to be a better day on paper. ======================================================================== 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