Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2024
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 699 4017 4950
Osprey 0 1 17
Bald Eagle 3 20 53
Northern Harrier 0 44 227
Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 352 2489
Cooper's Hawk 0 8 47
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2
Broad-winged Hawk 0 28 6776
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 63 118
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 60 339
Merlin 1 6 20
Peregrine Falcon 1 5 13
Unknown Accipiter 0 4 9
Unknown Buteo 0 5 18
Unknown Falcon 0 3 11
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 4 26
Total: 716 4622 15115
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Patrikeev
Observers: Ben Sehl, Don Sherwood, Michelle and Bill Peregord,
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:
A mix of sun and cloud in the morning, becoming mainly sunny in the
afternoon. Windy (12-16 miles or 21-26 km/hr); southerly winds changed to
steady westerly in the afternoon. It was warm, up to 78 F (+25 C), but the
winds kept the temperature in the comfort range.
Raptor Observations:
Today was unquestionably Turkey Vulture Day. Of 716 birds recorded, 699
belonged to that species. Between 9 and 11 AM, we counted several hundreds
flying low over treetops. Clearly these were birds which spent the night on
Celeron Island or in Gibraltar. After the wind shifted to the west, around
noon, Turkey Vulture migration slowed down. From time to time, we saw large
groups of them streaming, but more often they came in twos or threes, or
singly. Eleven Sharp-shinned Hawks were also seen, many straggling to make
headway in high winds. We also counted Peregrine, Merlin, and American
Kestrel, one of each.
Non-raptor Observations:
Blue Jay migration slowed down to a puny 81. Don counted almost as many
American White Pelicans (71) as there were jays. The pelicans soared over
Celeron Island and then came down by the jetty.
Predictions:
Winds from the north-west will bring cooler temperatures, beginning from
tomorrow. We expect seeing Turkey Vultures moving though the area, possibly
in high hundreds as in the last couple of days.
========================================================================
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.
