Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2430 32778 40062 Osprey 0 2 16 Bald Eagle 1 16 47 Northern Harrier 10 82 314 Sharp-shinned Hawk 108 1046 3922 Cooper's Hawk 6 26 50 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 7 48 51 Broad-winged Hawk 0 28 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 56 436 617 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 8 8 American Kestrel 2 133 888 Merlin 1 15 40 Peregrine Falcon 1 23 45 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: 2623 34641 113410 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Patrick Mulawa 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: Well, that was interesting. A day that started with relative calm after the sturm und drang of yesterday had its own tale to tell of change and adaptation. Clear blue skies greeted us and we felt no wind when we arrived. The wind eventually woke up after a slow first hour and came from a SW direction. Each hour that we recorded after that, winds were from a different direction, including a major shift at the last hour when the wind went from SSE to NNW and came with more determination. Apparently, we were at the intersection of a warm front that passed yesterday and a cold front that came in today. As we left at day’s end, the cold air coming from the north was making itself felt. Tomorrow is forecast to be much colder than today. The clouds went through a series of changes too. Clear skies, followed by icy cirrus clouds showing the effects of high winds aloft developing delicate forms with feathered edges, next came gloomy lower stratus clouds of some substance that looked more like what we expect from mid-October. Even these clouds began to fracture and show, at first glimpses, and then more open looks at a deep blue sky above. All of this change affected the flight paths that the birds took as they adapted to each wind shift with changes in direction and altitude. The barometer fell each hour but in small increments. Temperatures peaked just above sixty degrees at midafternoon, starting to decline in what will be a significant drop. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures continue to move, although some of their flight paths were easier to track than others. When the wind went to the south, the birds went to the north into a very hazy sky that distorted the viewing of birds that would ordinarily be easy to see at the same distance on a clear day. We totaled 2,430 despite having to work harder for some than others. Let’s hear it for the hard-working sharpies that surprisingly showed up later in the day, turning their normal schedule on its head. We tallied 108 today, not bad considering we only had sixteen in the first four hours. The buteos finally showed up in numbers. They too followed the sharpie’s pattern of showing up later in the day, perhaps due to the shifting winds. We hit the clicker 56 times for red-tailed hawks and 7 times for red-shouldered hawk. Northern harriers notched 10 of their species. Only a pair of kestrels were seen today. Single tallies included a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a merlin and a peregrine falcon. Non-raptor Observations: The swallows had decreased in numbers today but they made their presence known when we arrived, we serving as the sun to their rapid orbits around us collecting unseen insects nearby. The pelicans were not in flight-mode today but gathered together on the water to fish at the river’s mouth, numbering about eighty-five birds. They are restless birds so their numbers waxed and waned during the day. A pair of sandhill cranes flew by early in the watch. Yellow-rumped warblers continue to show interest in the small maple to our left. Blue jays were on the move today in larger numbers than we have seen for some time. A flight of crows was observed early in the day, along with multiple flights of blackbirds and starlings. The local kingfisher made an appearance today. Both Forster’s terns and Bonaparte’s gulls were working the waters in front of us today. Even the monarchs staged a resurgence with nearly forty counted. Predictions: Temperatures will be in the mid-forties tomorrow and western winds will be climbing up to twenty mph by the end of the watch. The end of the watch may come early as rain is in the forecast for the next two days. Of course, these forecasts have a way of changing overnight so we’ll take a peek in the morning. It may not be a fit day out for man nor beast as Mr. Fields would say. ======================================================================== 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