Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1 444 65109 Osprey 0 0 16 Bald Eagle 0 0 65 Northern Harrier 0 2 377 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 8 5845 Cooper's Hawk 0 1 68 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 18 351 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 3 178 3187 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 2 19 American Kestrel 0 0 981 Merlin 1 2 70 Peregrine Falcon 1 1 61 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: 7 656 143500 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, 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: Alright folks, move along, nothing to see here…. another day in the company of the Wicked Wind of the South with little to show for it. Today was a brighter day on the surface as the air-soup that had dogged us finally dissipated for the most part. As if to compensate for the increased visibility, the wind picked up and blew the birds further out of sight. The wind actually oscillated in strength with peaks and valleys throughout the day but gradually edged up, much like the stock market in times of volatility. It worked up to fifteen mph at one of its peaks and this trend will continue tomorrow with the National Weather Service already issuing high-wind warnings as 20+ mph is in the cards. The barometer was gradually falling and that will continue tomorrow too. A cold front will pass, likely bringing rain at the height of the wind’s strength. Temperatures reached the high sixties today; that will be repeated tomorrow before the cold front passes. Raptor Observations: Good news! We had over three times as many birds today as yesterday, the bad news is that we only had two birds yesterday. Leading the way were the red-tailed hawks with 3 birds. A pair of falcons showed up today in the form of one peregrine and one merlin. One turkey vulture could barely be seen some miles off in the hazy distance rocking in the wind. The prize bird of the day was a young golden eagle that surprisingly passed within distant sight but could still be positively identified. Non-raptor Observations: Some crows did pass today but some were below the tree lines trying to stay below the wind. Although we were relatively sheltered, whitecaps were showing on the lake and the birds that we did see were showing signs of discomfit in the air. We were visited by a downy woodpecker and our usual red-bellied woodpecker today. A Carolina wren serenaded us throughout the day. Bonaparte’s gulls continue to hang in the hood. Predictions: The Wicked Wind of the South will turn even more wicked tomorrow. Abandon hope all ye who enter here in other words. The temperature will be pleasant enough but the wind will help defoliate the trees that have so far resisted letting their leaves go. The barometer will bottom out in the 29.6” range, four tenths drop from what we saw at the watch’s end today. Rain should happen, but how much and exactly when, is always a question that is more easily answered after it falls, rather than before. There may be a stray bird or two but another low count is likely. Our fortunes may turn around, with the winds, next week as we have NE winds in the forecast. ======================================================================== 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