Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2024
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 626 2379 3312
Osprey 0 1 17
Bald Eagle 1 12 45
Northern Harrier 2 44 227
Sharp-shinned Hawk 43 332 2469
Cooper's Hawk 2 6 45
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2
Broad-winged Hawk 6 28 6776
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 11 50 105
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 5 53 332
Merlin 0 5 19
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 10
Unknown Accipiter 2 3 8
Unknown Buteo 1 3 16
Unknown Falcon 1 2 10
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 3 25
Total: 702 2925 13418
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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, Jerry Jourdan,
Jo Patterson, Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie Metro Park.
We are willing to spread the word with pamphlets and information cards,
along with tips on raptors identification. Let us share our enthusiasm for
this miracle of nature with you.
Weather:
Sun and cloud in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon. Winds from the north
and north-east at 5-8 miles per hour (8-13 km/hr). The temperature was in a
pleasant range between 57 and 72F (+14 to 22C).
Raptor Observations:
Of 702 raptors recorded today, 626 (or nearly 90%) were Turkey Vultures.
They slowly moved over the area, often low, in kettles of up to 60-80
birds. Some kettles lingered over Gibraltar before moving on. Flight
condition s were clearly not perfect for the vultures, and we saw quite a
bit of flapping as the birds were trying to get higher and catch an
updraft. Sharp-shinned Hawks were relatively few and far between. In the
last hour, Don spotted two Red-shouldered Hawks, one distant, in a kettle
of vultures, and another right over the parking lot!
Non-raptor Observations:
Large flocks of Blue Jays in the early hours, including 7,450 between 9 and
11 AM EDT. Low hundreds in the afternoon. In total, we ended up with 8,295
jays.
Jerry counted nearly 300 American Coots downstream of the count site, and
Don spotted some Bonaparte's Gulls above Celeron Island. Chimney Swifts are
still around, and the Carolina Wren was heard was singing in the adjacent
woods.
Predictions:
Sunny skies and warm temperatures are in the forecast for the next couple
of days; wind direction will likely change from easterly to less favorable
southerly. We anticipate hundreds of Turkey Vultures, and look forward to
seeing more Red-shouldered Hawks!
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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
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