Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 1061 53992 54925
Osprey 0 2 18
Bald Eagle 1 74 107
Northern Harrier 8 126 309
Sharp-shinned Hawk 57 1188 3325
Cooper's Hawk 2 33 72
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 132 132
Broad-winged Hawk 0 37 6785
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 28 630 685
Rough-legged Hawk 2 9 9
Golden Eagle 2 28 28
American Kestrel 0 120 399
Merlin 0 9 23
Peregrine Falcon 1 19 27
Unknown Accipiter 0 8 13
Unknown Buteo 0 13 26
Unknown Falcon 0 4 12
Unknown Eagle 0 1 1
Unknown Raptor 0 5 27
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev
Observers: Jo Patterson
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park.
We have brochures and educational information we are happy to share. Let us
share our enthusiasm for migration and raptors with you! While we welcome
your questions and company, please know that our professional counter,
apprentices, and volunteers must communicate with each other frequently to
successfully conduct the count, and they also must maintain an unobstructed
view of the horizon.
Weather:
Overcast and light drizzle in the morning, but skies cleared by 3 PM EDT.
Southerly wind changed to westerly in the afternoon, diminishing to 10
km/hour. Temperature reached +16C (60F).
Raptor Observations:
It did not look very promising at the beginning (southerly winds and
drizzle). Few Sharp-shins and six Northern Harriers made their way across
the river, and a kettle of ca. 70 vultures was sighted over Canada. A two
hour lull followed, until the wind turned to WSW around 1 PM.
Almost immediately, birds took to the air. At first crows filled the sky
(see below), and then Turkey Vultures streamed over Gibraltar in hundreds,
bringing guests in their midst. We counted nearly 30 Red-tailed Hawks, two
Golden Eagles, two Rough-legged Hawks, and others. A Peregrine Falcon took
an instant dislike of one of the Red-tails, stooping at it and chasing it
away. We counted 1,162 raptors overall. Frankly, many more than we hoped
for on a day like today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Large flocks of American Crow streamed across the river after 1 PM. Some
flocks were sizable (200-300 birds). Overall, we counted 933 crows. Blue
Jays also made a brief appearance (25 in total).
Predictions:
Northwestern winds will bring cooler temperatures to the area tomorrow.
Although winds from the north-east would have created more favorable
conditions for migrating, we, nonetheless, expect to see thousands of
vultures with a retinue of other raptors.
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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