Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 18, 2023
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 86 550 550
Osprey 2 36 36
Bald Eagle 0 48 48
Northern Harrier 4 223 223
Sharp-shinned Hawk 123 2862 2862
Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 20929 95594 95594
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 2 52 52
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 24 723 723
Merlin 1 24 24
Peregrine Falcon 1 10 10
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 21172 100131 100131
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Kevin Georg
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Jackie Quinones,
Jerry Jourdan
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site and are very willing to share migration
information, photography and ID tips with them. We have cards and
pamphlets, so come and talk to us. However, during times of high traffic,
requiring extra focus and concentration, we would respectfully ask that
everyone use their indoor voices and allow us to fulfill our mission to the
best of our abilities. Thank you.
Weather:
I have been slightly annoyed lately with the lack of accuracy in the wind
forecasts, I should have kept my mouth shut. Today our cup runneth over
with NW winds that exceeded the predicted speeds and pushed all the birds
off to an undisclosed location. (Actually, it was Pointe Mouille
Headquarters) Although the early liftoff birds were not as affected, and we
could still see them at the limit of visibility, that eventually changed,
leaving us with mostly empty skies at the end of the day. Temperatures fell
short of the seventy-degree mark by a couple, and with the wind and cloud
cover, it felt a little cooler. Cloud cover lessened during the day leaving
a mostly blue canvas with few subjects. The barometer was trying to get
back to the thirty-inch mark and did come close, but no cigar.
Raptor Observations:
We still had a good day numerically, but not visually. Yesterdayâs
majestic fly-over was not repeated and the winds eventually scrubbed the
sky clean of all but the most hardy of travelers. Our big hour for
broad-wings was the second hour with 18,134 counted. They had advanced
further north than might have been expected on the NW wind, but as they
crossed were pushed out to the lake. Some of them stuck it out in the third
hour and our total for the day was 20,929. The last three hours were single
digit counts for that species. Sharpies started off with about twenty an
hour, but their numbers dwindled as the day progressed, they finally gave
in to a wind that buffeted them as they tried to pass. They totaled 123 at
the end of the day. Kestrels were also being tested aerodynamically today;
only twenty-four of them made it past our location. Turkey vultures must be
feeling the migratory sap rising as we had eighty-six of them today, in
small but growing groups. Northern harriers only accounted for four of the
sum total today. We had two osprey that seemed hungry and paused to survey
the waters in front of us. The local birds rarely hunted there when they
were still present, and the migrants had no luck either. One merlin and one
peregrine apiece were spotted, handling the winds much easier than the
sharpies and kestrels. Two red-tails were included, and our local birds
were up enjoying the added lift from the stronger winds. We didnât count
any migrant eagles today but eagles enjoy the strong winds and the locals
were playing tag with each other with a few barrel rolls thrown in for good
measure.
Non-raptor Observations:
Our local cormorants were gathered over a school of fish early in the day
with the usual air cover from the gulls. Ducks seem to be in a moving mood
the last few days with birds seen off in the distance. We are expecting the
blue jays to start appearing soon but so far, we havenât seen any flocks.
The Carolina wren was working on a new song for its repertoire today. The
kingfisher only has one taunting laugh. Some mute swans were noted nearby.
Predictions:
The winds should drop overnight but start to pick up from WNW when we start
the watch. Fortunately, they should fall short of todayâs maximum speed,
topping out just about six mph. Around midday, they are predicted to turn
to the dreaded SW direction, although as usual, the timing of these events
is to be taken with a spoon of salt. (Did I say spoon? I meant to say
grain.) Temperatures will be similar to todayâs, falling just short of
the seventy mark. We will have cloud cover that will increase during the
day, but still allow sunshine to reach us. As long as the winds are
moderate, we may get birds on the WNW wind, as it is not a punitive as the
strong NW blow. If the winds turn SW early, then our fortunes may take a
turn for the worst with the winds.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess ([email protected])
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285
Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at:
https://dunkadoo.org/explore/detroit-river-international-wildlife-refuge/detroit-river-hawk-watch-fall-2023
--
Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario
Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario.
Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year
reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to:
[email protected].
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email
at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at
http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra
precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding
physical distancing and non-essential travel.
To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page
at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
