Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2022 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 4250 7406 14681 Osprey 0 0 14 Bald Eagle 4 4 35 Northern Harrier 7 10 241 Sharp-shinned Hawk 89 155 3031 Cooper's Hawk 4 5 29 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 5 7 10 Broad-winged Hawk 19 21 67280 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 102 126 307 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 1 American Kestrel 12 22 776 Merlin 2 4 29 Peregrine Falcon 2 2 23 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 4497 7763 86457 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Kevin Georg Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, Sarah deGuise Visitors: We are located by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark in a fenced off area at the Hawk Watch site. This does not mean that we do not welcome interaction with any and all visitors. We enjoy talking about what we do and sharing our knowledge with beginners and experts alike. Please feel free to come up and talk to us. We usually have our backs turned to the parking lot as we scan the skies in front of us. This should not be interpreted as a sign of reluctance to engage; this is how we do our job. We have friendly people that do not bite and the welcome mat is always out. Weather: If Leonardo DiCaprio had stood in the bow of the Titanic facing a gusty wind of nearly fifteen mph for eight hours, as we did, I doubt that he would still be proclaiming himself King of the World. We had a second day of energetic winds from the NE, give or take a variance of a few degrees, that tested our endurance as well as that of the birds. Skies were sunny and clear all day, except for a short-lived parade of small cumulus clouds that had little effect. Temperatures were what should have been a more comfortable sixty-six degrees but the wind kept all our layers on. The barometer rose until noon but then started a slow decline that will be just a temporary dip if the forecast is to be believed. Had we not had to deal with the wind, it would have been a very pleasant October day. Although NE is our favorite wind, it has to be in the right measure and today our cup overflowed. Raptor Observations: Despite the handicap of the wind changing flight lines to make it harder to see more distant birds, we managed a decent day. Let’s get this out of the way first, today, thanks to the eagle eye (literally) of Don Sherwood, we had our first golden eagle. The bird was very high, as were most of the raptors today. The golden eagle is one of the Grail birds that we look forward to each season. Last year our first was on September 29th so we are not too far behind that date this year. Turkey vultures are the stars of October, at least numerically, today was no exception as we tallied 4,250. The winds had these birds taking various flight lines that changed throughout the day. Red-tailed hawks were next on the list with 102 noted. I think we could have had more of these birds with a more moderate wind. Sharp-shins are still anxious to get further south and 89 of them were observed today fighting their way into the wind. A few more broadwings were seen today with 19 counted. American kestrels numbered 12. We counted 7 northern harriers. Red-shoulders were 5 strong. Bald eagles took the high road today with 4 noted. Merlins and peregrines were 2 apiece. One of the peregrines gave us some entertainment as it took runs, first, at a sharp-shinned hawk, and later at a blue jay, with no apparent success. Non-raptor Observations: The pelicans were out in force today, although they spent more time roosting than flying. Their wheeling formations are something to behold, flashing bright white and then at times almost disappearing as they slowly turn. Approximately 5,700 blue jays sought asylum in the US today. Their flight tapered off in the afternoon but some of the morning flocks were as large as we have seen this year with 500 birds or more. A pair of sandhill cranes were spotted for the second day in a row at a great distance. The cormorants are still keeping us company, along with our resident Caspian terns. The younger tern, who spent a few weeks begging for food from its parent, now seems capable of catching its own meals. Today, we saw one of the terns, on the wing, flip a fish in the air a foot in front of it and catch it again to complete its meal. Predictions: Tomorrow, we continue our unusual streak of NE winds but the strength will be cut in half. More clouds are expected but will only cover half the sky. The barometer should remain high for most of the day before starting a decline expected to last another three days. Temperatures will be a few degrees cooler but still over sixty. It is hoped that the easing winds will bring more raptors closer to us and we can see the stately procession of turkey vultures up close and personal. They may not be the prettiest of birds but they do have impressive flying skills. ======================================================================== 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-2022