Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1177 36979 44263 Osprey 0 2 16 Bald Eagle 0 17 48 Northern Harrier 4 89 321 Sharp-shinned Hawk 85 1303 4179 Cooper's Hawk 1 31 55 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 10 474 655 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 8 8 American Kestrel 5 164 919 Merlin 0 17 42 Peregrine Falcon 0 24 46 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: 1282 39184 117953 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 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: Today was an alchemist’s dream with heavy clouds of lead and pewter that would surely turn to gold with the right procedure. It was not to be, although the skies did lighten towards the end of the day. The wind was gusty and persistent until the last hour when it declined a little. Ranging from twelve mph at the start of the watch to eighteen mph at its peak, it dropped back to its starting point by day’s end. It came from WNW most of the day but went NW later in the afternoon. The barometer was headed north but with some trepidation as it dipped a little in midafternoon before resuming its journey. The clouds were fully laden with water which fell around midday, the light rain forcing us the to the automobiles to watch the migration through glass again. Temperatures reached the mid forties although the real feels were lower by a few degrees. Raptor Observations: The weather did not stop all of the birds from moving today. The rain was light when it lasted, although Canada seemed to get the worst of it as it continued to fall there after it had cleared our site. Turkey vultures naturally led the way with 1,177 of this species noted. Once again, they had a turbulent ride and had trouble holding a steady course. The sharpies don’t seem to care about winds or weather, they just fly. We tallied 85 of them today. Their sine wave shaped flight paths were not easy to follow in the crowds of swallows. Red-tailed hawks were 10 in number today and once again they struggled when the wind was at full strength. American kestrels showed up 5 times. Northern harriers had one less bird, with 4 of them pumping by. A single Cooper’s hawk was noted. Non-raptor Observations: The pelicans are moving closer every day chasing the fish and feeding just across the slip from us. Restless birds, they splinter into smaller groups when flying or fishing, breaking into smaller groups and then reassembling to fly in formation in very large numbers. The few cormorants that remain often join them over the baitfish schools. Another fish predator, the pied-billed grebes, have increased in number today from one to five or more. Our resident muskrat made a rare appearance today, swimming in front of us. Another murder of crows was spotted today. Some blue jays are still moving by but in very small numbers. The swallows are still plentiful but a little thinner in number right in front of us today. The kingfisher made a pass in front of us while we were in the cars during the rain. Predictions: Another cloudy day tomorrow, although possibly after the watch it may break up a little. I hope so, I think my Seasonal Affective Disorder is starting to kick in after the last few days of deprivation of sunlight. Winds will remain healthy tomorrow, staying between ten and fifteen mph from the SW. Temps will be about the same as today, mid-forties, maybe a couple of degrees higher. This, in contrast to the following days when the high sixties make a comeback. The barometer will decline a little tomorrow and waffle around till Friday when it starts to climb for three days. SW may be a challenging wind for us as it usually moves the traffic well to the north, especially when it is robust. That may affect our TV count as they usually go with the winds, hopefully they will be in sight and bring some sharpies with them. ======================================================================== 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