Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 24, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 153 500 500 Osprey 0 12 12 Bald Eagle 1 23 23 Northern Harrier 6 161 161 Sharp-shinned Hawk 176 2189 2189 Cooper's Hawk 0 9 9 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 3 57246 57246 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 117 117 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 646 646 Merlin 1 21 21 Peregrine Falcon 0 14 14 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 342 60938 60938 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Michelle Peregord, Sarah deGuise Visitors: We are located by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark in a fenced off area at the Hawk Watch site. This does not mean that we do not welcome interaction with any and all visitors. We enjoy talking about what we do and sharing our knowledge with beginners and experts alike. Please feel free to come up and talk to us. We usually have our backs turned to the parking lot as we scan the skies in front of us. This should not be interpreted as a sign of reluctance to engage; this is how we do our job. We have friendly people that do not bite and the welcome mat is always out. Weather: The afterglow of yesterdays excellent adventure wore off early as the slight chance of rain turned into actual precipitation which caused us to delay the kickoff by one hour. The morning hours were fairly drab with a gray stratus layer blocking the sun. The clouds had an interesting washboard-abs look, similar to mine if you were to remove the protective keg-shaped layer. The promised partly cloudy weather showed up later in the afternoon. The birds did not show up in any appreciable numbers except for sharpies and turkey vultures. The barometer continued to fall throughout the day, dropping below 30 inches by days end. This, foretelling that there should be more rain tomorrow if the forecast holds. Winds were small variations around the true south direction in moderate strengths that we did not feel due to the trees doing windbreak duty behind us. Temperatures peaked in the mid-sixties so the day was comfortable. Raptor Observations: It looked like a sharpie kind of day and they ruled the roost, accounting for all but one of seventy-two birds in one hour. We ended the watch with a total of one hundred and seventy-six. The turkey vultures are starting to kettle and move on their annual journey. We counted one hundred and fifty-three. The haze was significant today and it was difficult to track what is usually an easy target to see. Six northern harriers made the effort to travel today. One bald eagle was counted. Two red-tailed hawks were seen soaring by. Only three broadwings were seen at the site today. Last, but certainly not least, was a merlin that was making terroristic threats against a gull that had the mistaken notion that he belonged in the same sky as the merlin. Merlins fight well above their weight class and fight often. Sometimes their aggressiveness is a clue to their identity at a distance. Non-raptor Observations: The great egrets continue to feast in the marsh in large numbers. The shallow water is to their liking and they have been gathering to share stories of their exploits before heading south for the winter. The blue jays continued their flight to safety with 3,700 noted. We have had warblers in the nearby trees the last couple of days but haven’t had time to investigate the species. The laugh of a flicker was frequently heard behind us. We haven’t seen the Forster’s terns for a few days so they may have moved, either to a new roosting spot, or further south. The Caspian terns continue to dive with occasional raucous contretemps between adults. Swallows are still busy working the sky in front of us. Predictions: Tomorrow’s forecast does not look promising for the watch. Rain is predicted with a high percentage of actually falling. The barometer will continue falling and stay low for a couple of days. The next days that look promising for good movement are in mid-week as the barometer will be rising and winds will be from the northerly direction. Not our favorite NE wind but it should provide movement for some. ======================================================================== 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-2022