Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 85 303 303 Osprey 2 11 11 Bald Eagle 0 25 25 Northern Harrier 7 135 135 Sharp-shinned Hawk 40 1774 1774 Cooper's Hawk 3 16 16 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 272 4691 4691 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 36 36 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 6 237 237 Merlin 1 8 8 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 4 Unknown Buteo 2 13 13 Unknown Falcon 1 6 6 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 2 21 21 Total: 422 7283 7283 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Ben Sehl, Jerry Jourdan, Mark Hainen, 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: A low pressure system, moving through the Lower Peninsula, brought much needed rain and somewhat cooler temperatures to the count area. Overcast, but there were sun-breaks in late morning and early afternoon. The wind was blowing steadily from the north-west quarter, reaching 7-11 mile per hour (11-14 km/hr). Temperature rose to 70 F (+21C) in mid-afternoon. Raptor Observations: Several kettles of Broad-winged Hawks were seen between 10 AM and 1 PM giving us a hope that perhaps today is the day, and the Broad-wings will finally stream over Detroit River in huge numbers, darkening the sky. Alas, it was not the case, and we ended up with 272 counted. Turkey Vultures were on the move in the morning, and we logged 85. The trickle of Sharp-shinned Hawks almost dried up for no apparent reason. If yesterday, they flew in groups of two or four, the majority seen today seemed to travel along; forty were counted, as well as several kestrels and harriers. A Merlin chasing a swallow was sighted overhead. Migration slowed down after 1 PM, as if our birds were grounded by weather elsewhere. Non-raptor Observations: Flocks of Blue Jays are moving through the area; today, we counted 809, half the number seen in the preceding days. We also spotted a small raft of American Coots (40-45) and several Wood Ducks. Predictions: Northeasterly winds and cooler temperatures, forecasted for tomorrow, may bring the long-awaited kettles of Broad-winged Hawks ... or, it may not. We are beginning to wonder if the bulk of Broad-wings, traditionally migrating over Detroit River in tens of thousands, somehow bypassed us and the neighboring Holiday Beach this year. If that is true, September 2024 will go down in history as the lowest hawk count at this site since 1996. ======================================================================== 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