DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 230 230 Osprey 0 38 38 Bald Eagle 2 62 62 Northern Harrier 5 81 81 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 1634 1634 Cooper's Hawk 7 59 59 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 0 192967 192967 Swainson's Hawk 0 5 5 Red-tailed Hawk 0 66 66 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 334 334 Merlin 0 7 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 4 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 22 195495 195495 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Jim Linch, Rodney Laura Visitors: Jim Maki came by to chat after his walk and just before the rain came. Paul Cypher was excellent company during the afternoon hours. Weather: Heavy fog again characterized the early morning hours. A 15-minute rain shower popped up around 10 am, which was followed by some clearing and a heavy dose of sunshine. Canada, though, remained shrouded in fog for the entirety of the day. Winds were mostly out of the south and southwest. Raptor Observations: Very, very quiet and subdued all day. Only four species made an appearance on the count sheet and all of those were in limited numbers. Not a single falcon or buteo was seen at any point, migratory or otherwise. Non-raptor Observations: The first american wigeon and lesser scaup of the season flew by the count site. Seven purple martins passed overhead during the 9 o'clock hour. At least 15 chimney swifts were noted. And blue jays were again abundant with well over 1,000 making their way south. Predictions: Only a slight chance of rain tomorrow. Temperatures should be in the 60s for a lot of the day. Fairly light winds will be out of the southwest to start and then out of the west later. Hopefully, the fog stays away or, at the very least, clears out quickly and we see a nice, big push of pent-up raptors. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Greg Norwood ([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/
