Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 281 60371 61304 Osprey 0 2 18 Bald Eagle 1 102 135 Northern Harrier 0 135 318 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 1250 3387 Cooper's Hawk 0 36 75 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 166 166 Broad-winged Hawk 0 37 6785 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 11 865 920 Rough-legged Hawk 0 14 14 Golden Eagle 2 44 44 American Kestrel 1 121 400 Merlin 0 9 23 Peregrine Falcon 1 20 28 Unknown Accipiter 0 10 15 Unknown Buteo 2 18 31 Unknown Falcon 0 5 13 Unknown Eagle 0 2 2 Unknown Raptor 0 6 28 Total: 302 63214 73707 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Ben Sehl, Bill Peregord, Jo Patterson Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark! We have brochures and educational information we are happy to share. Let us share our enthusiasm for migration and raptors with you! While we welcome your questions and company, please know our professional counter, apprentices, and volunteers must communicate with each other frequently to successfully conduct the count and they also must maintain an unobstructed view of the horizon. Weather: Today was blustery one at the count site with wind out of the southwest averaging as high as 16 mph (26 km/h) and even higher gusts. Despite the high winds, it was warm with a comfortable high of 73 F (23 C). It was partly cloudy throughout the day with a distant haze. Raptor Observations: As we expected (and feared!) based on the weather, the raptors were largely absent from the count site today. Warm temperatures and high southwestern winds generally indicate few birds flying overhead. The conditions left us with just 302 total migrating raptors counted. The low total count didnât mean there was no excitement! The 281 turkey vultures that we did see were pushed low by the wind and made for some good views. There were 11 red-tailed hawks interspersed with the meager streams of vultures and we enjoyed spending time looking closely at each bird. In our meticulous combing through of vultures, we delighted to find the dark silhouettes of 2 golden eagles. A couple falcons made quick visits as well. A kestrel whizzed by frantically fighting the wind and its larger relative, the peregrine falcon, flew low over the channel managing the windy conditions a bit better. Our only other migrating raptors consisted of 3 sharp-shinned hawks, a determined bald eagle, and a couple distant buteos distorted by haze. Non-raptor Observations: While watching the diving of Forsterâs terns and their allies, the Bonaparteâs gulls, we saw them scatter at the approach of the peregrine falcon. In between that excitement and counting raptors, the long stretches of birdless time left us to ponder the behaviors and identities of other count site creatures. We admired (and related to) a northern water snake relaxing in the sun to warm up. The valiant counters fended off a barrage of Asian lady beetles trying their best to get into pockets, bags, scopes, hats and anywhere else they could find. A handsome parasitic wasp took a rest on a water bottle. All of this while the leaves our beloved maple began to cover the ground around us. Predictions: Tomorrow is shaping up to be a similar day to today, with warm temperatures and possibly even higher winds. We are not expecting large movements of birds until these winds shift and things cool down but as we discussed at the count site today, these birds have to fly sometime! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (erika_vank...@fws.gov) 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 -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: birdnews@ontbirds.ca. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at birdn...@ofo.ca. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
