Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 532 41595 48879 Osprey 0 2 16 Bald Eagle 1 21 52 Northern Harrier 4 131 363 Sharp-shinned Hawk 162 2890 5766 Cooper's Hawk 1 36 60 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 48 51 Broad-winged Hawk 0 28 67350 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 15 525 706 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 8 8 American Kestrel 5 225 980 Merlin 2 41 66 Peregrine Falcon 1 34 56 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: 723 45584 124353 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Erika Van Kirk, 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: A day of change in which there seemed to be less enthusiasm for migrating than the previous few days. There were similarities in the wind and temperatures but an increasing layer of cloud cover and a falling barometer seemed to kill the count in the last couple of hours. The day started pleasantly with high cirrus clouds and altocumulus clouds showing the effects of the strong winds aloft developing feathered trains of ice crystals trailing behind them. As the day progressed, the clouds took on the more utilitarian look of rain delivery systems rather than delicate artistic designs. Surface winds came from the SSE and it was evident that the birds were feeling the push as they were carried sideways as much as forward. The temperature reached sixty-eight, which may be its zenith for some time to come. Rain looks likely tomorrow and cold air will come with the northerly winds that follow. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures were a little more visible today but they were still off to the north and flying low in among the tree tops from our view point. Haze was once again significant in that direction and did not help matters. Nevertheless, we managed to snag 532 of them as they played hard to get once again. Sharp-shins did their best but tailed off late in the day as the look of the sky changed. We did tally 162 of our most reliable, even if not most numerous, bird. The red-tails made the podium again today with a total of 15 birds. Most of them were closer than the turkey vultures and easier to ID. Kestrels numbered 5 today as our falcons were not as common as yesterday. A pair of merlins and a single peregrine falcon rounded out their contingent. Northern harriers made the clicker 4 times today. Cooper’s hawks and bald eagles each had a single tally. Non-raptor Observations: Crows were way down from their 4K total yesterday with less than one hundred noted. A few swallows are still working but the multitudes that previously had filled the sky have not been seen for a few days. A pair of Bonaparte’s gulls were noted this morning and the Forster’s terns are still here. Our gull count in general seems to be down but perhaps a wind shift might bring them back. A red-bellied woodpecker continues to ferry peanuts from somewhere on Gibraltar back to the mainland, his life-threatening incident with the merlin seemingly forgotten. Blue jays are still being seen in occasional small flocks. Blackbirds did not seem to be as numerous today. The warm days seem to bring out the monarchs with thirty-five fluttering by today. Predictions: Rain; to be succinct about the forecast for tomorrow. There is a long green swath on the radar and precipitation seems likely. The barometer will continue to fall and near total cloud cover will fill the skies. How long the rain will last is still in question as sometimes, like a bowling ball, it hooks more than expected. The Thursday looks to more have promise as the barometer will rebound and winds will be moderate from NNE and NE. We will wait to see if we finally get a good buteo day with a golden eagle thrown in for good measure. ======================================================================== 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