Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2024
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 48 218 218
Osprey 1 9 9
Bald Eagle 4 25 25
Northern Harrier 11 119 119
Sharp-shinned Hawk 239 1496 1496
Cooper's Hawk 1 13 13
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 298 4419 4419
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 2 35 35
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 33 209 209
Merlin 0 7 7
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3
Unknown Accipiter 0 4 4
Unknown Buteo 0 11 11
Unknown Falcon 0 4 4
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 3 19 19
Total: 640 6591 6591
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev
Observers: Bill and Michelle Peregord, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis,
Jo Patterson, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We had 120 visitors on the first day of Hawk Fest.
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park.
We are willing to spread the gospel with pamphlets and information cards,
along with tips on identifying the raptors, and photography tips for those
behind the cameras. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature
with you.
Weather:
It rained overnight, but otherwise we had another sunny day with only wisps
of clouds. Westerly winds prevailed through the day, gradually changing
from NNW to SSW; 0.5-6 miles/hour (1-8 km/hr). Temperatures reached early
80s F in late afternoon (+28C). It is very warm for late September!
Raptor Observations:
Today, we logged twice as many raptors as yesterday (640 vs. 347). The four
fifths of them were the Broad-wings (298) and Sharp-shinned hawks (239).
The total of Broad-winged Hawks recorded to date is unusually low, a tiny
fraction (4%) of their numbers counted by September 22nd, 2023. We also
observed 48 Turkey Vultures, 33 kestrels, and 11 harriers.
Non-raptor Observations:
American White Pelicans showed up at the count site in early afternoon. One
flock contained as many of fifty birds; a smaller one of about 20-25, seen
half an hour later, might have splintered off the larger group. Blue Jays
are moving through the area; 1,385 were counted today. We also saw several
Northern Flickers and one Black-crowned Night-Heron.
Predictions:
Rain is forecasted for tomorrow, but whether in the afternoon or the
evening remains to be seen. We hope to see at least some raptors in the
morning hours, probably Sharp-shinned Hawks, kestrels and harriers, perhaps
also the Broad-wings.
========================================================================
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.
