Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2013
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 601 63463 67685
Osprey 0 11 71
Bald Eagle 7 134 272
Northern Harrier 3 71 194
Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 1296 3154
Cooper's Hawk 6 201 394
Northern Goshawk 1 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 155 367 369
Broad-winged Hawk 1 3 49628
Swainson's Hawk 0 2 5
Red-tailed Hawk 646 1995 2294
Rough-legged Hawk 8 20 20
Golden Eagle 4 13 13
American Kestrel 1 184 681
Merlin 1 25 49
Peregrine Falcon 0 33 43
Unknown Accipiter 1 14 46
Unknown Buteo 3 12 17
Unknown Falcon 0 3 3
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 11 23
Total: 1456 67859 124962
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Jonathan Stein
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis, Fred Kirn,
Jim Lynch, John Elliott
Visitors:
6
Weather:
It was overcast today but a high, thin ceiling made spotting somewhat
easier. Warmer, a gentle breeze out of the east and northeast kept
conditions pleasant for the most part.
Raptor Observations:
A little bit of everything today, variety, volume and a handful of
memorable moments, on another exceptional late October outing.
By midday, gobs of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks flooded the sky,
swirling in magnificent mixed kettles and then shooting southwest in groups
of fours and fives. Along with them came a nice run of Turkey Vultures,
Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles, a single straggling Broad-winged Hawk and,
most impressively, eight(!) Rough-legged Hawks, the most seen in a day here
since November 2006.
After a few idle hours in the early afternoon, the flight got going again
late with wave after wave of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks streaming
out high overhead. We ended with an astounding 155 Red-shouldered Hawks,
our most in a single day here since October 2002. And if that all weren't
enough, just as we were nearing shutdown, an adult(!) Northern Goshawk
decided to try and sneak past, our first Gos of the season and a very
memorable way to end a very memorable day.
Non-raptor Observations:
American Crow (25000+), American Coot (500+), American Robin (30+),
Pied-billed Grebe (4), Ruddy Duck (8), Common Loon (1), Forster's Tern (7),
Bonaparte's Gull (6), Red-winged Blackbird (2000+), Tree Swallow (150+),
Cedar Waxwing (20+)
Predictions:
Overcast then mostly cloudy, warmer with light and variable wind.
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Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected])
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.drhawkwatch.org
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