Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 15 465 465 Osprey 1 14 14 Bald Eagle 0 31 31 Northern Harrier 0 166 166 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 1987 1987 Cooper's Hawk 2 29 29 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 3 6207 6207 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 48 48 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 2 271 271 Merlin 2 13 13 Peregrine Falcon 0 7 7 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 5 Unknown Buteo 0 13 13 Unknown Falcon 0 8 8 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 21 21 Total: 45 9285 9285 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Ben Sehl, Don Sherwood Visitors: 12-15 visitors. We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park. We are willing to spread the word with pamphlets and information cards, along with tips on raptors identification. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with you. Weather: Overcast, although we were treated to glimpses of blue skies in the afternoon; occasional light drizzle. Persistent winds from NNE and NE at 16-21 km/hour (10-13 miles/hr). Temperature steady at +19 to 20C (66-68 F). Raptor Observations: We did better than yesterday, ending up with forty-five raptors. Two-thirds of these were Sharp-shinned Hawks and Turkey Vultures, the latter appearing only in the last hour. Three Broad-winged Hawks were sighted between 1 and 2 PM EDT. We also saw a Peregrine heading in the opposite direction, and a resident Bald Eagle snatching a small fish from the water surface. Non-raptor Observations: We counted 1,119 Blue Jays, and probably missed at least that because many flocks flew at or slightly over the treeline over Gibraltar. A flock of Double-crested Cormorants, of at least 500 strong, flew downstream between Gibraltar and Celeron Island. A kleptoparasitic Ring-billed Gull chased a Caspian Tern, and managed to wrestle a small fish from the latter. Predictions: Low pressure remnants centered south of Lake Erie will influence tomorrow's weather, and some rain is likely in the morning. However, if it breaks in the afternoon, we'll likely see good numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks, kestrels, turkey vultures and buteos which were stranded on the opposite side of the river by the weather. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (erika_vankirk@fws.gov) 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