Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 101 1052 1052 Osprey 1 11 11 Bald Eagle 0 20 20 Northern Harrier 0 96 96 Sharp-shinned Hawk 109 1143 1143 Cooper's Hawk 2 6 6 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 8 15626 15626 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 3 113 113 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 3 264 264 Merlin 0 8 8 Peregrine Falcon 0 8 8 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 227 18350 18350 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Sam Heilman Visitors: While Lake Erie Metropark is currently open to the public, for the safety of our counter and volunteers we encourage visitors to follow along with the count virtually on HawkCount.org, or our Detroit River Hawk Watch Facebook page. There will be daily updates and photographs. If you do decide to join us in person, please help the counter and volunteers to follow their mandated safety protocols by refraining from approaching them. Please follow the recommended Covid 19 procedures by wearing a mask and maintaining a safe social distance. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation. Stay safe! Weather: The day started pleasantly enough with a more southerly wind that was light enough to allow flight. The barometer was still very high at 30.5”. The sky was clear of any clouds but the haze around the sun had returned making for difficult viewing conditions for our mature eyes. As the day progressed, the wind at our location shifted to ESE as it was following the contours of Lake Erie on the south shore. This was a cool wind and all the layers that we had peeled off in the morning hours were hurriedly replaced. North of the lake it was blowing almost directly from the south and pushing any migrating raptors in a northern direction. The flight slowed dramatically and it was another day in the windy doldrums, if you will permit the oxymoron, with little to show for our effort. Raptor Observations: Although we were not expecting to be overwhelmed with raptors today, we did expect to see sharpies and they did arrive in the first hours. We counted one hundred and nineteen during the day before the wind shifted. Turkey vultures also showed some interest in moving but even the early lighter winds pushed them to the north and one of the most identifiable birds with its large black profile and rocking motion was shimmering in the haze. One osprey went through on a determined flight path. Two Cooper’s hawks also made the crossing. Eight lonely broad-wings were wondering where all their friends had gone. Three kestrels reached our location in the morning hours. Red-tailed hawks numbered three on the day. Non-raptor Observations: The cormorants were out in numbers today. Diving into a school of gizzard shad and swallowing their catch with a flick of the head. The gulls accompany them and also dive into the melee as the fish seem to be close to the surface. The swallows and gulls did not seem to find insects close by today as they were not seen blocking the view as much as usual. They are very nomadic chasing their prey. Blue jays continue to pass in fairly large numbers but most were well to the north today and were hard to spot. Predictions: The barometer will start to ease tomorrow; over the next few days it will be a slow gradual decline. The winds should be lighter and from the SW. Not a favored wind at the site but if it is light enough the sharpies will come. We have seen some unusual local wind conditions this year so although our spot may have one direction, the flyway that the raptors take from Canada may have another that affects our ability to see them. It will be nice to see this high pass and get back to a more normal cycle. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kevin Georg (kevin.l.georg@gmail.com) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org More site information at hawkcount.org: http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285