Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 270 60641 61574 Osprey 0 2 18 Bald Eagle 3 105 138 Northern Harrier 0 135 318 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 1252 3389 Cooper's Hawk 0 36 75 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 166 166 Broad-winged Hawk 0 37 6785 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 7 872 927 Rough-legged Hawk 0 14 14 Golden Eagle 0 44 44 American Kestrel 2 123 402 Merlin 0 9 23 Peregrine Falcon 0 20 28 Unknown Accipiter 0 10 15 Unknown Buteo 0 18 31 Unknown Falcon 0 5 13 Unknown Eagle 1 3 3 Unknown Raptor 0 6 28 Total: 285 63499 73992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev Observers: Don Sherwood, Jo Patterson Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metropark! Come visit us for ID tips and other educational information. While we welcome your questions and company, please know our professional counter, apprentices, and volunteers must communicate with each other frequently to successfully conduct the count and they also must maintain an unobstructed view of the horizon. Weather: The unseasonably warm weather continued today. Temperatures ranged from 18C - 24C (64F - 75F). A strong SSW breeze continued to strip the leaves off our maple, although the leaves hit us with less vigor than yesterday. Cloud cover increased throughout the day and the barometer remained around 30 inHg. Raptor Observations: 285 raptors today, only slightly worse than yesterday. The bulk, of course, were Turkey Vulture. 270 vultures glided across the treetops to the North. They flickered in and out of the haze, traveling painfully slow in the headwind. 2 Kestral, 7 Red-tail, 2 Sharp-shins, and 3 Bald Eagle also braved the wind. Non-raptor Observations: Although there were not many migrants, we still had a wonderful time observing our local diversity. A local Bald Eagle with a fish was chased and harassed by a young Herring Gull. Unfortunately for the gull, its attempts to make the eagle drop its snack were unsuccessful. The local Cooperâs was observed shadowing another Starling ball. The same Coop was also seen hunting the Gibraltar birdfeeders. Lots of Asian lady beetles continued to crawl around us, but we also found a native twice-stabbed ladybug! A red-veined meadowhawk dragonfly caught a fly and ate it at our feet. Predictions: Tomorrow is predicted to be similar to our last two days: temperatures in the high 60s, strong SSW winds, and variable cloud cover. However, we do have a chance for afternoon rain showers. Halloween may not be the best day for our migrants, but we are hopeful that the incoming rain and cold front will bring a glorious Friday flight. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk ([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 -- 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 To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
