Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1119 25761 33045 Osprey 0 1 15 Bald Eagle 0 13 44 Northern Harrier 3 50 282 Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 755 3631 Cooper's Hawk 0 17 41 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 39 42 Broad-winged Hawk 0 28 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 3 361 542 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 5 5 American Kestrel 4 98 853 Merlin 0 13 38 Peregrine Falcon 2 20 42 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: 1149 27161 105930 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Erika Van Kirk, Mark Hainen 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: Batten down the hatches! A very robust wind from a mostly WSW direction kept dreadnaughts with gray-bottomed hulls sailing at flank speed across the sky, the occasional splash from the bow wave sprinkling us with light rain. A steadily increasing wind speed touched twenty mph at day’s end and gusts added a few more mph from time to time. Autumn colored confetti swept by us as the trees surrendered their leaves to the irresistible force. Whitecaps on the lake were prevalent and the water level was down over a foot today. Temperatures reached fifty-seven degrees and with the sun sneaking between the clouds and our generally wind-sheltered position, it was a surprisingly comfortable day. The barometer was steady. Usually, there is movement from hour to hour, even if it is very small. Today it was the same for five straight hours with only a one hundredth of an inch drop in the last hour. The winds look likely to continue for a few days so pile your leaves on your downwind property line for easy disposal. Raptor Observations: October is turkey vulture month and they are a bird that enjoys flying in conditions that other species might find too challenging. Flying at various heights, including some playing hide and seek below the tree line, others much higher in the sky, they kept a slow procession of birds coming and saved the watch from a dismally low count. They totaled 1,119 resolute travelers that would not allow the wind to hold them back. Sharpies, were relatively rare but still totaled 18 birds. It seems they are a perpetual runner-up this month to the turkey vultures, we’re number two. Kestrels sped by in the wind 4 times. Harriers and red-tails both tallied 3. A pair of peregrines were seen, even they seemed a little bothered by the wind, which is unusual for them. Non-raptor Observations: Of course, the pelicans made an appearance, but limited numbers were seen. A flight of dunlin came by and enlivened the scene with their frantic changes of direction flying by us a couple of times before departing for good. The turbulent sky kept the skies fairly clear but the local eagles were very happy to cover miles of territory with ease today. The occasional blue jay was noted and a couple of flights of crows did advance scouting for the thousands to follow. Predictions: Winds are projected to be energetic again tomorrow in the ten to twenty mph range, growing during the day, coming from the SW. Temperatures will be a few degrees warmer, reaching sixty-degrees. Skies should be a little sunnier. There may be some showers later at night but after the watch hours. Let’s hope the turkey vultures continue to fight their way south and drag some hitchhikers with them. I think the western element may have helped us today but SW is not our best wind and the birds may pass to the north. ======================================================================== 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