Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 258 69705 71493 Osprey 0 9 31 Bald Eagle 0 30 55 Northern Harrier 3 253 384 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 2965 4921 Cooper's Hawk 1 60 70 Northern Goshawk 1 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 7 604 606 Broad-winged Hawk 0 677 16407 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 93 2489 2614 Rough-legged Hawk 1 8 8 Golden Eagle 0 18 18 American Kestrel 0 252 639 Merlin 1 34 53 Peregrine Falcon 0 66 94 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 2 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 385 77174 97398 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood 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: Today’s sunny opening was a pleasant change from the last few days’ persistent thick cloud cover in a visual sense. The winds were not our friends today though as they pushed relentlessly from the S in double digit strength causing the white horses on top of the waves on Lake Erie to run freely. Birds were shoved against their will along the tree line across the cove often abandoning their first attempt to cross the water. The barometer was high to begin at 30.4” but had dropped by a tenth and a half as a depression centered over Ann Arbor took its toll. Skies were clear to begin with and then in late morning icy mackerel clouds flew high overhead foretelling the rain to come. The skies cleared to clear blue again but they were mostly cleared of raptors in the later hours due to the wind strength and direction. Raptor Observations: Today was a disappointing day in terms of numbers but those of us there at the beginning of the watch went home happy. The birds that were near to the site at the start of day had a better chance to cross closer to us since the wind did not have as long to work on them. As the day progressed the birds became distant specters in the haze well to the north of us. Turkey vultures came mostly in the early hours and numbered two hundred and fifty eight. Three harriers rowed by fighting the tough wind. Seven red-shoulders and ninety three red-tailed hawks worked their way through. The red-tails seeming most at ease in the wind although they had to make adjustments to their usual style. One light morph rough-legged hawk passed later in the day. One merlin was the only falcon observed. Today was a special day because of one bird; we scored the accipiter hat trick! Twenty sharp-shins, who usually fly below the tough winds made the crossing joined by one Cooper’s hawk and….wait for it, one northern goshawk that chose to fly right over our heads at 1050. (Pictures on FB later) Non-raptor Observations: Another slow day for non-raptors as the winds kept most at bay. Crows were moving in occasional murders, some of decent size. A couple of Bonaparte’s gulls worked the other side of cove along with the ring-bills. A common loon was noted in the air over the lake. Some small flocks of migrating passerines were seen but nothing close enough to ID. Large flights of ducks were noted in the morning hours. The last hour was disturbed by the loud strains of the MSU fight song emanating from somewhere on Gibraltar, source unknown. Predictions: Assuming all goes to plan, there will be early morning rain during the bottoming out of the barometer near 29.76” followed by a rapid rebound and increasing winds from WNW. The winds should reach into the twenty+ mph range which will make it interesting for the raptors that choose to move. Although the rain is predicted for before the watch starts, 0400, we will see when it actually occurs. It will be cold, and probably not comfortable for birds or humans, so bundle up. The depression is expected to last throughout the week in the Ann Arbor region. ======================================================================== 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