Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 1 1 1 Bald Eagle 1 1 1 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 1 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 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: 5 5 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Rosemary Brady 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 Hawk Count.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 forecast for the day did not look promising with potential scattered thunderstorms predicted for a late afternoon arrival. A fairly robust southerly wind had furled the lotus leaves in the channel causing them to show their lighter underside for most of the day. It brought with it plenty of humidity that hung in the air like a light veil as the sky alternated views of billowing cumulus clouds with intervals of blue. Although there were times when the weather looked mildly threatening, the storms did not materialize and allowed us a full day of observation. The wind had enough of an eastern element to blow off the lake and keep us comfortable in the heat and humidity. The barometer did not fall as much as predicted but trended downward at the end of the day. Raptor Observations: Most raptors seem reluctant to fly in the face of a strong southern wind and today was no exception. We did see local birds with ospreys frequently flying by and a few bald eagle sightings. Three turkey vultures were lazily soaring in the area. We did see a red-tailed hawk for a few moments. A surprise kestrel made the crossing. A local Cooper’s hawk teased the photographers by flying over us a couple of times but not presenting his best side to us. Non-raptor Observations: The Caspian Terns and gulls kept us entertained today. No Forster’s Terns were seen today and normally they are present. A flight of mute swans was seen over the tip of Celeron Island. Cedar Waxwings were observed hawking insects a few times along with indefatigable barn swallows chasing tiny unseen morsels. Small packs of red-winged blackbirds were seen winging their way by. A couple of single blue jays were seen as a reminder of the thousands to come later in the season. A Lesser Yellowlegs landed on the mats of algae and vegetation in front of us, feeding as we wondered at its ability to stand on such a precarious surface. Predictions: The unsettled weather may continue into the morning hours. The wind will shift to the west and stay fresh, climbing into double digits as the day advances. The barometer will be relatively low with chances of rain and cloudy weather. Given that the early days of the watch are not generally too productive and that the weather does not seem encouraging I would not expect a large movement tomorrow. ======================================================================== 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