Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2022
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 2642 7275 7275
Osprey 0 14 14
Bald Eagle 0 31 31
Northern Harrier 12 231 231
Sharp-shinned Hawk 108 2876 2876
Cooper's Hawk 6 24 24
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 3
Broad-winged Hawk 68 67259 67259
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 23 181 181
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 22 754 754
Merlin 2 25 25
Peregrine Falcon 1 21 21
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: 2884 78694 78694
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Frank Kitakis, Mark Hainen,
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 nothing else, it was a pleasant day to engage in our favorite pastime of
counting raptors. There were more clouds than predicted but they finally
cleared in the late afternoon hours. The winds generally stayed in the NE
to ENE direction, although our Gibraltar weather station on Weather
Underground did not agree with our observations and the wind turbines in
the last couple of hours. The barometer slowly declined all day, dropping
about two tenths of an inch. Temperatures reached the mid-sixties and with
the sun out at dayâs end, it was ideal fall weather. Cool enough to layer
up a little but bright enough to need the suntan lotion.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures take the spotlight at this time of year as the daily number
of broadwings wanes. Such was the case today with 2,642 TVâs counted. In
the morning they moved to the south of us close to the lake, but as the
winds shifted more easterly, they passed more to the north. They were
moving early and late with a lull during midday. Sharp-shinned hawks made
the number two position with 108 passing through. That tells you that the
broadwing count was not that high today with only 68 being tallied. Most
were not in groups that might be classified as true kettles. Red-tailed
hawks are started to edge up the list with 23 noted today. Some adults were
in the mix. Close behind were the kestrels with 22 making the clicker.
Northern harriers came by in the count of 12. Cooperâs hawks numbered 6
today. Two merlins and one peregrine completed the bill of lading on
todayâs ark.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were up in the air again today, coming closer than in previous
days, but in smaller groups. Our resident kingfisher was spotted once more.
Blue jays were busy with many thousands counted today. They usually follow
a fairly well-defined path on most days but lately they have been all over
the sky on different flight lines. Monarchs had a better day with 25
counted. The double-crested cormorants continue to fatten up for their
eventual departure. Bonaparteâs gulls were seen early in the morning but
they havenât come into camera range yet. Gulls were numerous in our local
sky today causing a few mild vulgarities to escape our lips as we were
fooled by the dark juveniles masquerading as raptors.
Predictions:
The barometer will continue to fall tomorrow but still stay above 30
inches. Winds should be NE and increasing during the day into double digits
near 15 mph. Skies are predicted to be cloudy so bring the suntan lotion
for sure. The temperatures are predicted to reach a little higher than
today near 67 degrees. There is a very slight chance of precipitation but
it is not really expected. NE winds that reach 15mph are usually good for
Pte. Mouille headquarters but at the beginning of the watch they should be
around 8 mph so we may catch some more turkey vultures on the move. They
should be fairly consistent movers from here till the end of October.
Broadwings may have some hidden pockets left but their usual season is over
except for stragglers as they let the TVâs take the spotlight. Other
buteos should continue to increase with red-tails leading the way. They are
a bird that can come in bunches when the conditions are right in October
and November.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess ([email protected])
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
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