Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2321 32796 34582 Osprey 2 8 31 Bald Eagle 4 19 44 Northern Harrier 9 152 283 Sharp-shinned Hawk 35 2252 4205 Cooper's Hawk 4 32 41 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 5 21 23 Broad-winged Hawk 5 676 16406 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 90 248 373 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 237 624 Merlin 0 14 33 Peregrine Falcon 3 52 80 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 2 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 2479 36509 56728 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Alex Gilford, Andrew Sturgess, Rosemary Brady Visitors: While Lake Erie Metropark is currently open to the public, for the safety of our counter and volunteers we encourage visitors to follow along with the count virtually on HawkCount.org, or our Detroit River Hawk Watch Facebook page. There will be daily updates and photographs. If you do decide to join us in person, please help the counter and volunteers to follow their mandated safety protocols by refraining from approaching them. Please follow the recommended Covid 19 procedures by wearing a mask and maintaining a safe social distance. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation. Stay safe! Weather: One of benefits of sitting out in the weather all day is that you experience it first hand and often see unusual interactions as air masses collide. Today was such a day, with a line of thunderstorms approaching well off to the west over Lake Michigan and a cold front that came through in the afternoon hours causing the winds to suddenly gust into the teens energizing the waves on the lake and the temperature to drop. The birds had long since departed the scene sensing that something was amiss. The morning hours were productive as the sky alternated between leaden cloud decks and rows of thin clouds resembling furrows in a field with Mediterranean blue crops growing in the seams. The barometer was a little low to begin at 29.9” but dropped a tenth and a half later in the afternoon. Winds were mostly from the SE direction although this was not what our apps were showing. Of interest was the direction change shown on Windy as the wind came off Lake Michigan and made a more than 90 degree shift to head north. Most weather forecasts are just what computers think is most probable but Mother Nature is still in control and she says what actually occurs. Raptor Observations: We were not really sure what to expect today as we knew change was coming. We were pleasantly surprised to see a healthy flight of turkey vultures and buteos in a flight line that made them relatively easy to see and count. The numbers diminished through the day though as the barometer dropped and had dried up completely at day’s end. Leading the way were turkey vultures with two thousand and twenty one passing the bar. Buteos, mostly in the form of juvenile birds, were more common today than recently. Red-tails came frequently with ninety one, five red-shoulders showed their crescents, and five broad-wings also showed up. Nine harriers made the grade. Two ospreys were noted racing through on the fresh winds. Four bald eagles took advantage of the air’s free energy to move south. The accipiters were on the move but not in the numbers we have seen recently. Sharpies numbered seventy five individuals and four Cooper’s hawks completed the group. Falcons were not plentiful today with one kestrel and 3 peregrines observed through the day. Non-raptor Observations: Not a pleasant day for the non-raptors. We are starting to see some crows come on down and still seeing some blue jays, but not many today. The gulls occasionally kettled up in the sky but were not as common as usual. Some large murmurations of starlings were seen over Canada in impressive numbers. Predictions: High pressure is coming in tomorrow with NE winds, but early in the day before the watch starts. After the first hour the wind will shift to SW and gradually rise to 10 mph. We will see if the timing is right on these predictions. If the SW winds prove to be too strong then we may lose the birds to the north but hope springs eternal. Cheers! Andrew ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kevin Georg (kevin.l.georg@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