Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 60 60
Osprey 0 16 16
Bald Eagle 0 24 24
Northern Harrier 0 97 97
Sharp-shinned Hawk 311 1217 1217
Cooper's Hawk 0 5 5
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 17028 17028
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 34 34
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 6 421 421
Merlin 0 6 6
Peregrine Falcon 0 11 11
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 1 1
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Mark Hainen
Visitors:
We are still dealing with the residue of the Covid 19 situation. The
workers at the site will be in an enclosed area that is designed for four
people only. We still love to interact and share our love of hawk watching
with visitors. Feel free to ask questions and look over our shoulders to
help you follow the birds. Watch the weather for favorable forecasts as the
birds are predictable to some degree based on weather situations.
One other thing of note this year; the boat-launch bathroom building has
been shut down for the foreseeable future due to plumbing issues. There are
Porta-Johns in the parking lot should you require them.
Weather:
A different colored mantle greeted us today as the blue dome of yesterday
was completely papered over with scraps of clouds of various hues and
densities. Light rain greeted us, and also ushered us out a little early at
the end of the day. The winds had an eastern element to them and once again
that may have saved the day. Winds grew gradually from the SSE reaching
eight mph, although the way the birds were racing though, crabbing on the
wind, it seemed stronger. The barometer took a subtle drop as it begins a
two-day downward trend. Temperatures reached the mid-seventies as the
southern winds were warm and humid.
Raptor Observations:
We decided to employ the Henry Ford business model today in that you could
have any color raptor you wantedâ¦â¦.as long as it was a sharpie. The
first hour was slow but they picked up the pace hour by hour, peaking at an
even one hundred during the first afternoon hour; dropping the next hour to
eighty-four before the flight abruptly dried up, and the weather became
wetter. We totaled three hundred and eleven sharp-shinned hawks on the day
with only six kestrels as a counter point. Another slightly odd day to add
to this yearâs odd happenings.
Non-raptor Observations:
The side-show attraction today was the attack of the cormorants of a school
of bait fish out in the lake. They poured out by the hundreds; flying low
over the water in a single file formation from behind Horse Island. They
settled in a tight group with just their heads and necks above water,
resembling a field of black stalks emerging from the ground. The gulls,
intent on thievery, circled over them providing a sound track of cries and
screams which surely is what the fish would have done if they were capable.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks iffy. Showers and scattered thunderstorms are predicted for
nearly all day. The barometer will stay fairly steady until the evening
hours when it should drop a little more. Winds will be robust from the S,
reaching a possible 16 mph at midday. It looks to be a somewhat turbulent
day and this will be a prelude to another much cooler day of rain to follow
on Wednesday. A fitting day for the first day of fall. Itâs possible that
a few more sharpies may move but I think most birds will sit the dance out
until this wet weather clears
---======
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-2021