Date: 10/10/24 4:21 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (10 Oct 2024) 5959 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 10, 2024
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess
Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis, Jo Patterson,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site by the boat launch in Lake Erie MetroPark.
We are willing to spread the gospel with pamphlets and information cards,
along with tips on IDing the raptors, and photography tips for those behind
the cameras. Let us share our enthusiasm for this miracle of nature with
you.
Weather:
Whenever the subject of the ug…er, least attractive bird comes up, the
turkey vulture is always on the short list of candidates. Some say they
have an unfair advantage due to the caruncles on their faces that show up
as psoriasis-like patches on the heads of the southeastern and midwestern
birds: a face only another turkey vulture could love is a common consensus.
All of these denigrations fall by the wayside when the bird is seen flying
in long streams, resembling bomber formations, as was the case today. Words
like majestic, regal, stately, and even cool, describe the procession as
the birds effortlessly glide overhead in congregations that never seem to
end. A crisp but sunny start to the day gave us a preview of the day to
come. Clear blue skies persisted, although a few small cumulus clouds made
an attempt to populate the sky, only to fade away. Winds were favorable
most of the day, starting in the north, working to the northeast as it
increased in strength, but turning south in the overtime period and pushing
the flight line more to the north as a result. The strength ebbed and
flowed, starting at three mph and climbing to eight by day’s end. The
temperature climbed to just over the sixty-degree mark, which could be
comfortable, or not, depending on the amount wind off the lake, or the
amount of shade, or sunlight, your seat was in. The clear sky told you the
barometer was high, staying around the thirty and a quarter inch mark.
Raptor Observations:
We started off with our traditional zero birds in the first hour, the winds
being insufficient to provide lift. Turkey vultures started to fly in the
second hour but saved the show-stopper for the final two hours of the watch
with impressive streams of over 1600 birds each hour. We ended with a total
of five thousand, eight hundred, and eighty-nine. This is their month to
shine and they nearly surpassed the September broad-winged count in one
day. Their presence must have dispirited the other migrants as they did not
put up much of a fight today. Sharpies took the silver with a disappointing
twenty-six birds. Red-tailed hawks, a lot of them gliding in the turkey
vulture streams, were barely behind with twenty-four birds. Kestrels made
occasional appearances with seven being counted. Red-shouldered hawks and
harriers tied with four birds apiece. Three bald eagles were hitching a
ride with the TV’s up high where the winds were a little stronger. Two
tardy broad-wings were also noted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were out today for a brief while, numbering about eighty birds
in all. I didn’t see any terns today, however gulls were up hawking
insects in big numbers. Flickers made plenty of noise today. The egrets are
still gathered in the marsh on the drive into the park. Blue jays were seen
in fairly low numbers, less than seven hundred, but were often off to the
north and barely visible. Lots of cormorants seemed to be migrating, flying
in vees over the site. A pied-billed grebe was noted. Most of the
vegetation they usually dive under has died off by now. We were pleased to
note that the replacement of the steel seawall in front of Gray House has
neared completion as we had to listen to a pile driver rattling away for
hours today.
Predictions:
Tomorrow a strengthening southwest wind may change our fortune. Southern
winds bring hotter air so the temperature will be hotter by about thirteen
degrees, reaching the mid-seventies. The barometer will start to fall
during the watch, a sign that rain may be in the forecast for Saturday and
Sunday. The wind strength will climb from eight to thirteen mph and stay
southwest all day. Cloud cover should increase. This wind is the opposite
of our favored NE wind and may push the birds too far to the north to
repeat today’s good luck.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
