Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 814 31023 34771 Osprey 0 17 69 Bald Eagle 0 62 183 Northern Harrier 6 66 198 Sharp-shinned Hawk 61 1638 3268 Cooper's Hawk 28 139 276 Northern Goshawk 1 2 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 20 109 127 Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 40923 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 3 Red-tailed Hawk 131 488 674 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 1 138 510 Merlin 0 12 33 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 28 Unknown Accipiter 1 17 37 Unknown Buteo 6 14 28 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 5 30 66 Total: 1074 33773 81200 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Patrick Mulawa Visitors: Rodney Laura, Paul Cypher, Steve Cashell, Karen Morris, Ellen Sieniarecki and a handful of others. Weather: Completely clear at the start, cloud cover increased throughout the day, leading to progressively cooler temperatures. A thin layer of lingering haze limited visibility. The wind was moderate and mostly out of the south. Raptor Observations: Our first Redtail kettles of the season! Red-tailed Hawks were itching to move and came over in bunches in the early afternoon. Pushed by the south wind, many birds crossed well to our north, which made Turkey Vultures especially difficult to spot in the haze. Cooper's Hawk numbers are finally starting to pick up and we also added another juvenile Northern Goshawk, one that was nice enough to come right overhead! Non-raptor Observations: Red-winged and Rusty Blackbirds were abundant during the morning hours once again and were joined by more Common Grackles than usual. Smaller numbers of American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, American Pipit and Yellow-rumped Warbler were on the move as well. Predictions: Mostly cloudy with highs in the low 70s and moderate southwest wind. There is a 70 percent chance of showers. ======================================================================== 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/
