DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 24, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 22 257 257 Osprey 4 45 45 Bald Eagle 5 73 73 Northern Harrier 5 88 88 Sharp-shinned Hawk 117 1800 1800 Cooper's Hawk 5 67 67 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 35 193002 193002 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 17 357 357 Merlin 0 8 8 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Accipiter 2 6 6 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 212 195783 195783 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Don Sherwood, Rodney Laura Visitors: Lots of great visits today. Two large groups, one a class from Michigan State led by Dr. Gerald Urquhart and the other a Boy Scout Troop working on their bird study merit badge, stopped by as did many others including Jim Lynch, Pat Mulawa, John Whitehead, Cathy Carroll, Veronica Goldwater, Denise Ward, Frank Kitakis, Jim Maki and Paul Cypher. Weather: The rain stayed away, a welcomed change that enabled us to get a full day of counting in. But the clouds hung low and thick, which, I suppose, could be interpreted as good or bad, either helping us spot the low birds we could see or obscuring the high birds we couldn't. By 3 pm, most of the clouds had floated from view, leaving us with blue skies at the finish. The wind, mostly from the southeast, strengthened as the day progressed. Raptor Observations: It was a pretty good day all things considered. The southeast winds didn't help us out much but we were still able to pick out a few single-digit broadwing kettles, a couple nice-sized groups of vultures, plenty of sharpies and a harrier or five. Non-raptor Observations: A very photogenic bright yellow adult male cape may warbler had his picture taken numerous times while he foraged in the spruce tree near the watch site. Predictions: Another day, another forecast showing a 30 percent chance of rain. Heavy cloud cover and temperatures reaching the 60s are to be expected. Winds should be light and again from the southeast. It could wind up being very similar to today if the rain holds off. And hopefully it does because Monday is looking like another washout. ======================================================================== 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/
