Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 177 2085 3405 Osprey 1 3 21 Bald Eagle 0 11 65 Northern Harrier 3 38 261 Sharp-shinned Hawk 112 564 3070 Cooper's Hawk 2 13 57 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 8 9 Broad-winged Hawk 1 116 17515 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 69 203 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 34 512 Merlin 0 4 22 Peregrine Falcon 5 12 16 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 4 Unknown Buteo 0 2 11 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 12 Total: 304 2961 25185 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Dustin Brewer Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We had several visitors today, including a couple who decided to come look at hawks rather than band birds in Ohio. If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, how many hawk specks in the sky is a bird in the hand worth? We birders may need a new adage... Weather: Today was mostly sunny, with wind that came predominantly from the south and east, gradually increasing in strength as the day progressed (a max of 2.2 km/h at the beginning of the count, and 16.2 km/h at the end). The cool wind off of the lake caused jackets to be put back on this afternoon after an early morning shedding. Raptor Observations: Though it seemed as if today would be a good day to see large numbers of Turkey Vultures, it was not. The 'TV' kettles were small and not numerous. There was, however, a steady trickle of Sharpies, with a peak flow between 11 and 12. Most of these hawks were feeling self-conscious today, and therefore didn't come close enough to get their picture taken (the SE wind is the more likely cause of their flight path. This wind probably also blew the soaring birds like Turkey Vultures and Buteos north of us). Non-raptor Observations: We spotted a couple Common Loons flying over the count site (if you aren't familiar with their vocal repertoire, use Google to find recordings of their incredible calls!). Blue Jays (1,795+), Red-winged Blackbirds (390+) and Monarch butterflies (13+) were also migrating today, as well as distant streams of unidentifiable ducks. Predictions: Tomorrow is predicted to be mostly sunny, though the south winds may again cause many birds to fly to the north of us. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Detroit River Hawk Watch ([email protected]) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
