Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 16, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 66 289 289 Osprey 3 23 23 Bald Eagle 9 90 90 Northern Harrier 19 69 69 Sharp-shinned Hawk 284 950 950 Cooper's Hawk 13 47 47 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1 Broad-winged Hawk 68193 82388 82388 Swainson's Hawk 2 2 2 Red-tailed Hawk 13 107 107 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 43 113 113 Merlin 5 15 15 Peregrine Falcon 1 5 5 Unknown Accipiter 1 6 6 Unknown Buteo 2 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 5 5 Total: 68655 84113 84113 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Jonathan Stein Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Fred Kirn, John Elliott Visitors: 50+ Weather: We were gifted a picture perfect hawk watching sky today. Overhead, it was mostly blue with a smattering of puffy white clouds for a nice bit of contrast. Some early morning fog burned off quickly, opening things up nicely. The wind was light and out of the northwest early, shifting more to the southeast late. Raptor Observations: In magnificent, swirling kettles and long, streaming lines, the broadwings arrived in awe-inspiring waves this morning. There was near nonstop action all day, with stream after stream alternately shooting through high overhead, out over the lake or past the stacks. From 1000 am on, just about every scan yielded at least one Broad-winged Hawk, and oftentimes many, many more than one. But it wasn't just the broadwings that were moving. Tagging along with them came a nice number of Northern Harriers, Merlins and Bald Eagles as well as our first two Swainson's Hawks of the season. Then, later in the day, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels decided to assert themselves more fully, leading to a raucous, highly entertaining afternoon flight. Of note, a third Swainson's Hawk was observed today, at Point Mouillee, crossing with a group of broadwings. Non-raptor Observations: Common Nighthawk (1), Cape May Warbler (2), Blue-winged Teal (2), Wood Duck (1), Pied-billed Grebe (2) Predictions: Clear skies with light and variable wind. Should be good. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jonathan Stein ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org Site Description: The Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and its Friends group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. The location is at the mouth of the Detroit River as it enters Lake Erie. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
