DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 36 505 505 Osprey 8 65 65 Bald Eagle 9 96 96 Northern Harrier 8 101 101 Sharp-shinned Hawk 216 2394 2394 Cooper's Hawk 11 97 97 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 4 195216 195216 Swainson's Hawk 0 5 5 Red-tailed Hawk 3 78 78 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 9 395 395 Merlin 2 11 11 Peregrine Falcon 5 13 13 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 13 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 3 3 Total: 312 198996 198996 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Patrick Mulawa, Raburn Howland, Rodney Laura Visitors: Paul Cypher, Darlene Friedman and Pete Przybylski all dropped by for extended spotting sessions. Bob Foppe, Jennifer Smolenski and Neil Waldman were also on hand. A big thank you to everyone for spending some your day at the picnic tables. Weather: It wasn't looking good at the start of the day, what with the rolling gray clouds dropping several bouts of drizzlemist on us for the first two hours. The dreary start quickly improved, though, as the blue skies beat back some of the gray, at least for a little while. The clouds did eventually return to full capacity but not until the very end of the watch. Winds were light to moderate out of the southwest for the entirety. Raptor Observations: Once it got going, today's flight was steady and species-rich, an 11 species day that turned into one of the more enjoyable outings of the season. Sharp-shinned hawks led the way numbers-wise but falcons were again the highlight with five peregrines and two merlins blasting through. Also, for the third day in a row, there was a lot of late September osprey activity. Great looks at an adult male northern harrier lumbering through the viewing area were a special treat. Non-raptor Observations: There was substantial warbler activity in the trees behind the watch site at the start of the day. It looked like mostly nashville, magnolia, bay-breasted and black-throated greens back there. Also, a few cape mays were hanging around later in the day. Chimney swift and swallow activity was again heavy with a few northern rough-winged swallows mixed in. Predictions: Rain again and from the radar it looks like there's a very good chance that all or at least part of the day could see heavy showers. On the plus side, it appears the wind will shift from the southwest to the northwest in the afternoon and then carry over into Saturday and Sunday, which could bode well for the weekend. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([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/
