Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 677 60526 63742 Osprey 1 12 56 Bald Eagle 3 50 215 Northern Harrier 12 82 287 Sharp-shinned Hawk 137 1396 4214 Cooper's Hawk 6 156 355 Northern Goshawk 1 2 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 23 261 262 Broad-winged Hawk 0 169 184858 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 4 Red-tailed Hawk 141 1326 1620 Rough-legged Hawk 4 8 8 Golden Eagle 5 11 11 American Kestrel 5 97 555 Merlin 1 12 43 Peregrine Falcon 0 27 46 Unknown Accipiter 2 11 25 Unknown Buteo 3 12 20 Unknown Falcon 1 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 3 14 31 Total: 1025 64174 256358 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, John Elliott Visitors: 2 Weather: There was little consistency overhead today. Clouds moved in and out of the viewing area, shifting our spotting background from clear skies to overcast and everything in between. Early fog and distant haze limited visibility. The wind was light and variable early, shifting to the southwest after noon. Raptor Observations: Movement was minimal up until the late morning when the floodgates finally opened. For two hours midday, a flurry of Golden Eagles, Northern Harriers and Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Sharp-shinned and Rough-legged Hawks zoomed by, with smaller numbers of American Kestrels and Cooper's Hawks mixed in for good measure. The Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks were certainly a sight to behold but today's real treat was a Northern Goshawk that decided to pull up and soar right above us! For the second afternoon in a row, many birds rode the southerly wind and crossed well to our north. Non-raptor Observations: Red-winged Blackbird (8500+), American Crow (4000+), Blue Jay (150+), Rusty Blackbird (400+), Brown-headed Cowbird (30+), Common Grackle (60+), American Robin (60+), Pine Siskin (80+), Horned Lark (6), Caspian (2), Forster's Tern (20+) Predictions: Mostly cloudy with warm temps and moderate west wind. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and its Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. The location is at the mouth of the Detroit River as it enters Lake Erie. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
