Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 14, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 9 120 120 Osprey 0 9 9 Bald Eagle 1 16 16 Northern Harrier 7 41 41 Sharp-shinned Hawk 27 269 269 Cooper's Hawk 0 1 1 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 803 3931 3931 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 6 62 62 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 10 155 155 Merlin 1 3 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 864 4611 4611 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Sam Heilman 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 we had a visit from Dr. Strangehaze. An unusual haze dimmed the morning sun leaving us to guess at its origin. The barometer was high at 30.4” which it held all day despite a seeming change in the wind direction and a definite change in look of the sky. The wind was from the N in the early hours and went slightly more easterly as the day progressed. The sky held the smoky look for most of the morning but gradually larger clouds began to fill in from the west and as we reached the late afternoon hours petulant gray bottomed schooners were crowding each other in the harbor. Raptor Observations: The day started ordinarily enough with sharpies appearing on the horizon, twenty nine were counted today. The early morning flight was a little misleading though as it dried up for the most part with irregular appearances of various species. Nine turkey vultures were noted. One adult bald eagle was seen with a flight of broad-wings. Seven harriers were observed. Ten kestrels flew through our air space. Six red-tailed hawks soared through. One merlin was counted. The morning hours saw some sporadic broad-winged flight but the day was saved by the appearance of the largest kettle that we had seen together so far. Approximately six hundred and fifty birds passed at about 1330 but after that it was few and far between. We ended up with seven hundred and fifty three on the day. Non-raptor Observations: The gulls were out in force today and at the heights usually reserved for broad-wings. They can kettle in a similar fashion and more than once have quickened the pulse of observers only to disappoint when their features can be discerned. One Forster’s tern was seen working the bay along with the Caspian terns. Pied-billed grebes seemed more plentiful today. The cormorants continue to fly in small groups and soar at times, another dark bird that can be mistaken for a raptor at first glance. They are present in huge numbers at this time of year and can be seen in long lines flying just over the water’s surface as they seek out schools of fish. Our local bald eagles enjoyed the winds today and seemingly played tag for long periods. Predictions: The next couple of days show winds shifting to the southern quadrant with increasing strength and a falling barometer. Possible rain is predicted late Wednesday. This sets up the rebound on Thursday and Friday. Thursday shows a lot of cloud cover but the winds should be NNE at about ten miles per hour. Friday shows almost the same conditions with a little stronger wind. Given the time of month and the favorable wind and barometric conditions those may be the days. Cheers! Andrew S. ======================================================================== 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: http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285