DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 871 871 1388 Osprey 3 3 72 Bald Eagle 11 11 108 Northern Harrier 10 10 112 Sharp-shinned Hawk 182 182 2593 Cooper's Hawk 15 15 114 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 2 Broad-winged Hawk 150 150 195366 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 5 Red-tailed Hawk 5 5 83 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 101 101 505 Merlin 0 0 11 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 13 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 14 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 4 Total: 1348 1348 200392 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Don Sherwood, Greg Norwood, Rodney Laura Visitors: Lots of wonderful visits today. A large group from the Kalamazoo Nature Center stopped by for a lengthy visit after taking in a Hawk ID class. Rita Montalve, Aileen Dake, Mary Nodzam, Pat Bendett and Ruth Hart all made afternoon appearances. Judy and John Wilkinson and Stevie Kuroda and Bruce Watson all stayed until the end and were treated to some enjoyable vulture migration. Jim Maki again stopped by for some lively chatter in the morning. Darlene Friedman was a big help in the afternoon. And last but not least, a special thank you to Will Weber for providing a pair of updates on how the flight down by Point Mouillee was faring. Weather: Dreary and cold at the start, gray clouds filled the sky and dumped some more drizzle on us during the first few hours. But by noon, the clouds began to break up and we were finally granted some much-needed clearing. In the end, when the turkey vultures were coming through, the skies were completely blue. The wind was straight out of the north and again strong throughout. Raptor Observations: It's turkey vulture time. With the skies bright and clear after so many rainy, overcast days, our last two hours featured a steady procession of vultures wobbling gracefully south. Mixed in with them was a fair amount of broad-winged hawks, stragglers a little late to the party. While turkey vultures took over in the afternoon, it was kestrels that won the morning as we easily eclipsed our previous season-high daily total set early last month. Non-raptor Observations: Canada Geese were on the move all day in skeins large and small. Conservatively, there were more than 700 migrating geese to be seen from the count site. A flock of blue-winged teal again made a fly-by appearance. A few bonaparte's gulls were hanging around the channel. There were also a couple notable shorebird sightings. Two greater yellowlegs were seen early and another late. And a flock of ten american golden-plovers gave us a passing look during the 2 o'clock hour. Predictions: It looks like partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. The wind will be strong out of the north for a third straight day. Hopefully that rain stays away. Because if it does, tomorrow will likely be just as good as today and possibly even better. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) SMRR- Lake Erie Metropark information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The primary site used by the Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and it's Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. A secondary site, the Headquarters of Pointe Mouillee State Game Area is used during certain wind conditions. When staffing is available, both sites can be used at the same time. The season begins on the first day of September and concludes on the final day of November. For details and directions, log on to www.drhawkwatch.org Directions to site: Lake Erie Metropark: >From I-75, exit at Huron River Drive (exit 27). Continue east on Huron River Drive. Turn left on West Jefferson and proceed a few hundred yards to the entrance of Lake Erie Metropark. After paying the entrance fee, follow the signs to the Boat Launch. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
