Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 27, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 127 450 450 Osprey 0 13 13 Bald Eagle 3 31 31 Northern Harrier 6 166 166 Sharp-shinned Hawk 93 1966 1966 Cooper's Hawk 11 27 27 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 903 6204 6204 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 8 46 46 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 5 269 269 Merlin 2 11 11 Peregrine Falcon 1 7 7 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 5 Unknown Buteo 0 13 13 Unknown Falcon 2 8 8 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 21 21 Total: 1161 9237 9237 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Cheryl McIntyre, Jo Patterson, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie MetroPark. We are willing to spread the gospel with pamphlets and information cards, along with tips on IDing the raptors, and photography tips for those behind the cameras. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with you. Weather: Windy conditions governed the count site today. We saw strong and consistent NE winds averaging 29 kph. At 2pm, the winds picked up with gusts over 50 kph. The barometer slowly dropped throughout the day while the sky remained overcast. Raptor Observations: The strong winds lead all raptors to hurtle past us; no flapping required. The morning brought Broad Wings low and directly overhead. Most came as singles or in small groups, but we did encounter a few larger kettles of several dozen. We ended with 903, a good day for this slow year. Turkey Vulture kettles made an appearance later in the afternoon: 127 were seen, our biggest day so far. Despite struggling to stay on course, 93 determined Sharpies sailed past. One bird was even spotted going tail-first for a while before correcting itself. Several Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Cooper Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, and one Peregrine also graced our skies today. Non-raptor Observations: 5,690 Blue Jays were recorded. However, this number may not even be half of the true value that flew today. With hawks consistently covering the high sky, we struggled to even remember the jays at the tree tops. An afternoon frenzy of gulls and cormorants dashed in and out of the Lake Erie waves. Predictions: Tomorrow should bring an overcast sky with the potential for scattered showers. Hopefully any rain will dry up before the count begins. Winds are predicted to be ENE at 15 to 25 kph, leaving potential for another late surge of Broad Wings and perhaps climbing numbers of Turkey Vulture. ======================================================================== 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