Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 06, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 0 0 Northern Harrier 0 4 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 11 11 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 17 17 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 9 9 Merlin 0 4 4 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: 2 45 45 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic, requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the best of our abilities. Thank you. Weather: As the thunderstorms passed last night, I’m sure that those of us affected by power loss, tree and/or property damage from the recent tornado-spawning storm were paying closer attention than we might otherwise. Thankfully, the storms were more bark than bite this time. However, we had some residue left over this morning as rain started to fall soon after we took our stations at the watch. We had decided that since we had knocked off the long-tailed jaeger yesterday that we would concentrate on albatross today, but our hopes were dashed when the rain proved to be more persistent than anticipated, training up from the SW. Winds were also coming from the SW and peaked at fifteen mph. Temperatures reached into the eighties and the humidity was very high, only dropping as far as eighty-four percent for a short while before heading back up to over ninety. The barometer dropped about two tenths today and is close to its bottom. Raptor Observations: We did manage to snag a couple of the customary September birds with one kestrel and one sharpie that dodged the raindrops. Non-raptor Observations: Lots of great egrets are working the marshlands of the park, probably in the triple digits. A warbling vireo was singing his heart out when we arrived. No albatross. Predictions: In the morning hours of Thursday, the barometer will start to rise and the winds will first turn westerly, and finally to the north. Cloudy weather will persist and there may be a fifteen percent chance of rain. We will see how wide a berth the birds give this current low-pressure area tomorrow. The following two days, Friday and Saturday do have a moderate NE wind and rising barometer predicted, usually good signs but there will be a lot of cloud cover which can be unpredictable. Sometimes the appearance of the sun opens the gates. Saturday and Sunday will have less cloud cover and will be better than the last four days. Temperatures will be back to long pants levels, rising above seventy by only a couple of degrees, if at all. It should feel more like college football weather than the last week, unless your college is in the SEC, of course. ======================================================================== 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-2023