Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 754 22807 24127 Osprey 0 4 22 Bald Eagle 2 39 93 Northern Harrier 4 73 296 Sharp-shinned Hawk 172 1380 3886 Cooper's Hawk 2 50 94 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 23 89 90 Broad-winged Hawk 0 130 17529 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 28 559 693 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 0 64 542 Merlin 1 18 36 Peregrine Falcon 0 22 26 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 5 Unknown Buteo 0 23 32 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 12 Total: 986 25264 47488 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Dustin Brewer Observers: Andrew Sturgess, John Elliott, Rosemary Brady Visitors: We only had about seven visitors stop, and because of the chilly conditions the average visit time was not long. Weather: We delayed the start-time by an hour due to rain. It was cool and blustery all day, but dry after we started counting, with nearly complete cloud cover. The wind consistently came from the north-northwest, usually at a rate of at least 12 km/hr. Raptor Observations: Probably because of rainy conditions that held up birds yesterday, we had a relatively good flight today. Sharpies were moving early, and between 9 and 11 we had nearly 100 of these 'flying mushrooms.' Turkey Vultures fought the wind, and were often pushed back to where they had come from (making counting difficult). We had our best Red-shouldered Hawk day of the season, with 23 individuals counted. These beautiful birds (especially in mature plumage) are always special to see. Non-raptor Observations: A flock of over 350 Double-crested Cormorants flew very low past the count site today. These fish-eaters often leave just their long neck and head out of the water, looking a bit like snakes. Over 150 Red-winged Blackbirds flew over today, as did 45 American Crows. We saw a distant line of ducks that likely numbered in the thousands. Predictions: Tomorrow will likely be cool and sunny with strong northwest winds, so hopefully many raptors will fly overhead. ======================================================================== 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
