Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 19, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 71 621 621 Osprey 1 37 37 Bald Eagle 5 53 53 Northern Harrier 11 234 234 Sharp-shinned Hawk 140 3003 3003 Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 11015 106609 106609 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1 53 53 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 62 785 785 Merlin 2 26 26 Peregrine Falcon 2 12 12 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 1 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 11311 111443 111443 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Jackie Quinones, Mark Hainen, Rosemary Brady 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: We are becoming slightly concerned. Side-eye glances have been exchanged. It has been posited that during the recent tornadic activity in our area, we may have passed through a hitherto unknown wrinkle in the space-time continuum and entered a world where we were assigned the Sisyphean task of counting broadwings on an endless loop. The task made even more difficult by the elusive nature of this particular hawk. Now you see it, now you don’t. We had a fair amount of that today as the once blue morning sky, lightly populated with clouds, constructed a dense barrier of battleship gray clouds in which birds are naturally camouflaged. The winds, which were more energetic in the morning, eased off the pedal, allowing more of the broadwings to pass over our location, albeit at very high altitudes at times. Even coming from the SW, it was light enough not to be a deterrent. Temperatures did break the seventy-degree barrier, but not by much. The barometer is still climbing from the rainy patch that passed on Sunday, passing through 30 inches today, reaching 30.1” before falling a little. Raptor Observations: Our broadwings were slow off the mark today, but built up as the day went on and the wind lessened. We totaled 11,015, many of them hard-earned in a difficult sky. One was noted hawking insects, probably a dragonfly, and eating on the wing. Sharp-shinned numbers have fallen from their highs but still mounted the podium on the silver medal step. Turkey vultures continue to drift by in small numbers but no substantial kettles yet. They got the bronze with seventy-one specimens. Kestrels totaled sixty-two birds today. Northern harriers are also slowing down with eleven making the tally today, still not a bad number. Bald eagles were seen accompanying the broadwings on the really-high way. They numbered five. One osprey was noted, as well as one red-tailed hawk. A pair of merlins gave us good looks today as they seemed to be cruising the tree tops, looking for birds that were not paying enough attention to their surroundings. Two peregrines were also noted, very efficient speed machines indeed. We had a distant unknown buteo that was doing unusual, speedy maneuvers that we did not associate with any of the species we normally see. In retrospect, after seeing another broadwing hawking insects today close by, it was probably a broadwing doing the same thing. Non-raptor Observations: Some warblers were seen today, but not identified. Monarchs numbered fifty-six today but they are wind sensitive and their numbers should rebound with more favorable winds. Mallards continue to fly in formations as if preparing to leave, getting the breast muscles in shape. Our resident Caspian terns are still complaining in loud voices at slights, real and imagined. A great egret has also been carping every time he takes to the air to change positions. Usually, the great blue herons are the ones making noises so this seems a little unusual. Mark has been doing fingertip pushups to improve finger strength and endurance in preparation for counting blue jays on the clicker when they arrive. Predictions: Tomorrow may be similar to today in most respects. The general direction of the wind should be SE but it is forecast to rise to eight mph as the day progresses. The early hours, when the wind is lighter, may be more productive in that case. Skies should have plenty of clouds keeping each other company. Temperatures should be slightly higher, just above seventy-degrees. The barometer should rise in the morning and fall in the afternoon, much like today. Hard to say what to expect, the winds are not good, but the forecasts have not been particularly accurate lately. Even today, our weather app was telling us little white lies, saying winds were from one direction, while the Canadian wind turbines, which are too polite to lie, told us something else. ======================================================================== 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