Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 643 51684 55803 Osprey 0 5 24 Bald Eagle 0 35 67 Northern Harrier 0 161 353 Sharp-shinned Hawk 27 3473 6384 Cooper's Hawk 0 29 39 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 5 313 318 Broad-winged Hawk 0 18 21973 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 117 1554 1615 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 14 15 American Kestrel 0 422 1068 Merlin 1 26 49 Peregrine Falcon 2 30 56 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 795 57765 87766 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Rosemary Brady Weather: A haunting day that will not soon be forgotten, no matter how much one may try. Man’s inhumanity to man was on full display with bodies torn asunder and hopes and dreams dashed on the hard rocks of reality. Despair is too shallow a word to convey the true depth of revulsion felt by those unlucky enough to witness the horrific display on All Hallows’ Eve. I am, of course, referring to the Detroit Lion’s 44-6 loss on home turf today. Otherwise, it was a fair to middling day at the watch with steady winds from the mostly W direction although occasionally shifting a few degrees to WNW or NW. The speeds were in the five to ten mph range, growing as the day progressed. Temperatures rose to the high fifties making for a comfortable day despite the winds. The barometer was stable today at, or near, 29.77 inches. Skies were indeed clear to begin the day as promised. Cumulus clouds did eventually return making for an attractive sky but as the Eagles ran up the score on the defenseless Lions, an ominous looking stratus layer took over as the mood, and the sky, darkened. Raptor Observations: We were happy to see birds fly at all after yesterday’s pittance. The skies were not filled and it was slow off the mark but at least we were rewarded for working hard. Turkey vultures lead the way with six hundred forty-three volunteers. We at the end of their migration month so diminished numbers are to be expected. Hopefully, their race is not completely run. Red-tails were popping up over the trees in fours and fives at times. One hundred and seventeen made the clicker today. Sharp-shins showed up every hour but the last with a total of twenty-seven on the day. Twelve red-shoulders showed their crescents today. The falcons were represented by two peregrines and one merlin, all of them in a bad mood and hungry as they all dove on other birds. Non-raptor Observations: The local bald eagles were up in force today and try as we might, we could not turn them into golden eagles. Crows were observed migrating again, making a slight nuisance of themselves as they blended in with the turkey vultures at times. Our local northern water snake came out to sun himself in front of us. A small flight of female buffleheads flew by in the morning. Lady bugs were out in large numbers today and seemed attracted to the rocks in front of us. Flights of migrating ducks can be seen in the distance racing by. Their rapid flap rate is truly amazing to watch when you consider how far they travel. Predictions: Tomorrow looks to share some of today’s attributes. Sunny day to start, with clouds to follow around midday. Winds from the western quarter with a bump in strength about the time the clouds start to arrive. The winds may top out around thirteen mph, which may affect our flight lines. The temperature will rise about ten degrees tomorrow like today but it’s starting point will be in the high thirties instead of high forties. The barometer will continue to rise fairly sharply which often coincides with a good flight, winds permitting. ======================================================================== 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