Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 03, 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 2 4 4 Bald Eagle 1 1 1 Northern Harrier 8 10 10 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 19 19 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 70 162 162 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 8 8 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 7 22 22 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 99 228 228 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Frank Kitakis Visitors: We are still dealing with the residue of the Covid 19 situation. The workers at the site will be in an enclosed area that is designed for four people only. We still love to interact and share our love of hawk watching with visitors, we just don’t want their cooties. Feel free to ask questions and look over our shoulders to help you follow the birds. Watch the weather for favorable forecasts as the birds are predictable to some degree based on weather situations. One other thing of note this year; the boat-launch bathroom building has been shut down for the foreseeable future due to plumbing issues. There are Porta-Johns in the parking lot should you require them. Weather: Today was the start of the transition away from the reigning high-pressure system that has shed its bounty on us with a very good start to the first week of the season. The barometer peaked during the day and started on a downward slide which will continue through the day tomorrow. The winds were shifting and erratic, at times nonexistent, only to spring up fresh from a new direction. We started with our favored NE wind and by the time it was finished it was coming from a much more southerly direction. The strength was never significant but the flight lines changed as the wind changed directions. The sky was an ever-changing tableau of cloud formations. High cirrus to start the day, foretelling the possibility of rain in the future. These clouds eventually formed a solid ceiling with lower cumulus clouds showing over the bodies of water that were still donating moisture to cloud formation. Just when it seemed we had settled on a theme for the day those clouds went their merry way and we were treated to high ice clouds radiating into the sky from the west as if Jack Frost had used a very broad brush on a bright blue window pane. Another sign that our future may be wet as low pressure will take over for Saturday. Raptor Observations: Although we never had a large contingent of birds at any one time during the day, we had a steady trickle that lasted through most of the day with a couple of short breaks as the winds shifted. Eleven sharp-shinned hawks were noted flying high with the broad-wings. Seventy of that species were counted but never in large groups. Seven kestrels flopped their way past. Today was a fairly good day for harriers with eight noted. Osprey and bald eagles are two species that give us a little heartburn; we have such strong local contingents that it’s difficult at times to separate them from the migrating birds. We look for specific flight patterns to help us. Strong determined flight in one steady direction is the first clue and usually these birds may be higher than most as they pass through. We know that eventually all the ospreys will migrate but the same is not true for the eagles as the bodies of open water that surround us are magnets for this species in the winter. Taking all that into account, we put two ospreys and one bald eagle on the clicker today. Non-raptor Observations: We saw more cedar waxwings hawking insects today from perch in a nearby alder tree. The young Caspian tern followed its mother pleading for another fish as is their habit. The contrast in their voices is striking. We did see a Forster’s tern make a brief appearance today but it did not stay long in our area. Plenty of cormorants are winging their way around but they have not yet formed the massive groups that we see decimating the bait fish schools a little later. Ring-billed gulls dominate the gull contingent and mallards represent the ducks. Predictions: The forecast for tomorrow says that suntan lotion may not be required as it will be mostly cloudy. The barometer will be falling throughout the day as potential rain may fall later in the evening. Winds will be variable again with a forecasted jump in strength about the time we start the watch to high single digits and just beyond. These winds will be mostly from the southerly direction which is our least favored wind at our site. Traditionally it is hard to get through the Memorial Day or Labor Day holiday without one day of wet weather, this wet patch should clear about the time we start the watch on Sunday but when highs and lows mix it is hard to forecast precise times. ======================================================================== 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-2021