Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 3156 3156 10431 Osprey 0 0 14 Bald Eagle 0 0 31 Northern Harrier 3 3 234 Sharp-shinned Hawk 66 66 2942 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 25 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 5 Broad-winged Hawk 2 2 67261 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 24 24 205 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 10 10 764 Merlin 2 2 27 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 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: 3266 3266 81960 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Don Sherwood, Patrick Mulawa, Rosemary Brady, 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: We were witness to a standoff today as a high-pressure ridge and the remnants of Hurricane Ian wrestled for supremacy producing high winds reaching double digits. To the left was bright clear blue sky and to the right, at first, ethereal mare’s tails mingled with other wispy cirrus clouds that later were replaced by lower stratus clouds with some heft to them. The earlier icy clouds produced a partial sun halo with Roy G Biv well represented. It seemed that there was a barrier that neither side could pass as the sky remained divided in virtually the same line of demarcation most of the day. The gusting wind, however, felt no such barrier as it blew from the north unimpeded with mounting levels of rage to our site. This northerly wind was too much of a good thing and affected the flight lines of the migrants in various ways. A lot of the birds went high to find less turbulence and the turkey vultures made a hard right over Canada and headed north, not to be seen again. The temperatures did reach a balmy 69 degrees but our site is a micro-climate at the water’s edge and with the northern wind we were still layered up. The barometer slowly eased off the pedal all day but still managed to stay above 30 inches. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures carried the day, as expected at this time of year. It took them until midafternoon to really get started and most were far off in the distance. The good thing about turkey vultures is their profiles are so distinctive that recognition at a distance is not generally an issue. We managed to spot 3,156 today. Sharp-shins were next down the list at 66 birds. A lot of these birds were very high today and the bulk of the birds came in the morning hours. The late afternoon was fairly quiet. 24 red-tailed hawks rode the winds with their distinctive slight dihedral and turned-up primaries giving them away. American kestrels were next with 10 making the show. Northern harriers were not flying near us today with only 3 counted. A pair of merlins was noted. Red-shouldered hawks also numbered 2, as did the broadwings, their race having mostly been run. Bringing up the rear was a single Cooper’s hawk. Non-raptor Observations: I will lead with the pelicans again today. I think they sensed that it was too rough for their close formation flying so they roosted on the stone jetty that was built to protect Celeron Island. In past years, we have usually seen the pelicans on one or two days; this year has been a treat to watch them more frequently. Gulls, gulls, gulls! They were up in great numbers today forming tornado kettles and making it hard to find the few raptors that were flying near us. A pied-billed grebe has returned the last couple of days. We usually see more of that species staying for some weeks. The cormorants are still skimming the top of the waves seeking the shad schools. Yesterday, in the distance, I watched a bald eagle that may have plucked a fish being harassed by three large gulls. The tables were suddenly turned when the eagle took a run at one of the gulls which promptly dove into the water. The gull flew up but the eagle chased it down into the water again. No apparent damage was done but if you tug on Superman’s cape, be prepared for the consequences. Predictions: The winds will still dominate the conditions tomorrow. Although from a normally favorable NE direction, it will exceed the favorable limit and probably affect the flight. The barometer will be climbing tomorrow which is usually a good sign. Skies should be more homogenous tomorrow with the sunny side winning out. Temperatures will be in the lower sixties. I would expect more turkey vultures but winds may affect their path and our ability to count 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