Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 18, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 86 550 550 Osprey 2 36 36 Bald Eagle 0 48 48 Northern Harrier 4 223 223 Sharp-shinned Hawk 123 2862 2862 Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 20929 95594 95594 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 52 52 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 24 723 723 Merlin 1 24 24 Peregrine Falcon 1 10 10 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 21172 100131 100131 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Jackie Quinones, Jerry Jourdan Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic, requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the best of our abilities. Thank you. Weather: I have been slightly annoyed lately with the lack of accuracy in the wind forecasts, I should have kept my mouth shut. Today our cup runneth over with NW winds that exceeded the predicted speeds and pushed all the birds off to an undisclosed location. (Actually, it was Pointe Mouille Headquarters) Although the early liftoff birds were not as affected, and we could still see them at the limit of visibility, that eventually changed, leaving us with mostly empty skies at the end of the day. Temperatures fell short of the seventy-degree mark by a couple, and with the wind and cloud cover, it felt a little cooler. Cloud cover lessened during the day leaving a mostly blue canvas with few subjects. The barometer was trying to get back to the thirty-inch mark and did come close, but no cigar. Raptor Observations: We still had a good day numerically, but not visually. Yesterday’s majestic fly-over was not repeated and the winds eventually scrubbed the sky clean of all but the most hardy of travelers. Our big hour for broad-wings was the second hour with 18,134 counted. They had advanced further north than might have been expected on the NW wind, but as they crossed were pushed out to the lake. Some of them stuck it out in the third hour and our total for the day was 20,929. The last three hours were single digit counts for that species. Sharpies started off with about twenty an hour, but their numbers dwindled as the day progressed, they finally gave in to a wind that buffeted them as they tried to pass. They totaled 123 at the end of the day. Kestrels were also being tested aerodynamically today; only twenty-four of them made it past our location. Turkey vultures must be feeling the migratory sap rising as we had eighty-six of them today, in small but growing groups. Northern harriers only accounted for four of the sum total today. We had two osprey that seemed hungry and paused to survey the waters in front of us. The local birds rarely hunted there when they were still present, and the migrants had no luck either. One merlin and one peregrine apiece were spotted, handling the winds much easier than the sharpies and kestrels. Two red-tails were included, and our local birds were up enjoying the added lift from the stronger winds. We didn’t count any migrant eagles today but eagles enjoy the strong winds and the locals were playing tag with each other with a few barrel rolls thrown in for good measure. Non-raptor Observations: Our local cormorants were gathered over a school of fish early in the day with the usual air cover from the gulls. Ducks seem to be in a moving mood the last few days with birds seen off in the distance. We are expecting the blue jays to start appearing soon but so far, we haven’t seen any flocks. The Carolina wren was working on a new song for its repertoire today. The kingfisher only has one taunting laugh. Some mute swans were noted nearby. Predictions: The winds should drop overnight but start to pick up from WNW when we start the watch. Fortunately, they should fall short of today’s maximum speed, topping out just about six mph. Around midday, they are predicted to turn to the dreaded SW direction, although as usual, the timing of these events is to be taken with a spoon of salt. (Did I say spoon? I meant to say grain.) Temperatures will be similar to today’s, falling just short of the seventy mark. We will have cloud cover that will increase during the day, but still allow sunshine to reach us. As long as the winds are moderate, we may get birds on the WNW wind, as it is not a punitive as the strong NW blow. If the winds turn SW early, then our fortunes may take a turn for the worst with the winds. ======================================================================== 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-2023