posted Sep 19, 2011 6:58 AM by Hawk Counter
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updated Oct 1, 2011 8:09 AM by Roy Bohling
]
After unstable weather between the 5 th and part of September 9th, migration very slowly increased in volume due to passages occurring south of the count site, especially on the 15th and 16th. The peak of broad-winged hawk migration occurred on September 17th. The estimated sample of 190,121 broad-winged hawks represented the highest one-day total recorded at the Lake Erie Metropark boat launch since monitoring began in the 1980s with a previous high count there of 71,334 on September 17, 2002. Sharp-shinned hawk migration was high between the 9th and 12th with a low of 117 and a high of 541. Northerly winds have contributed to lower than average numbers with a cumulative total on September 18th of 1,547 (long-term average, 1991-2008: 3,047). The 70 northern harriers are low (long term average: 260). Falcon migration is also well below average with 321 American kestrels (long-term average:706) and seven merlins (long-term average: 23). The 67 American kestrels on September 11 is the season’s high total. Only three peregrine falcons have been seen migrating. Bald eagles (56) are above the long-term average (44) and the 34 ospreys are below (long-term average: 108). All summary statistics lumping Lake Erie Metropark boat launch and Pointe Mouillee State Game Area are readily available here and will help people predict the peak of turkey vulture migration, which occurs around October 10th. There is a cumulative average of ten red-shouldered hawks by the end of September with passage starting in earnest just after the first week of October. The first good movements of turkey vultures will occur next weekend if weather is good. All data is available almost every night at HawkCount.org
Over 2,000 monarchs passed the count site on September 14th. Three American white pelicans were seen flying southeast over Celeron Island on 15 September. Shortly thereafter, a yellow-bellied sapsucker was spotted flying over. There were reports of a pileated woodpecker seen flying over the trees behind the watch area on September 16th. Nine American golden-plovers flew by early in the morning on September 17th. A sandhill crane was seen on 18 September. Thanks to all counters and outreach personnel contributing to these data.
Our team over the last week-and-a-half has been Jonathan Stein, Jeff Schultz, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis, Josh Haas, Rodney Laura, Raburn Howland, Fred Kirn, Pat Mulawa, John Elliot, Janet Fox, Denise Ward, Rita Montague, Tom Fountain, and Jim Lynch.
The purpose of the Detroit River Hawk Watch is to systematically sample the raptor migration at the Detroit Rivermouth in order to contribute to regional and continental raptor population trends. It is important to sample the migration consistently using robust analytical techniques. The protocol is available here. The Hawk Migration Association of North America is a leader in this work and has generously provided raptor population index analysis of data from 1996-2010 from Lake Erie Metropark. This analysis was available at Hawk Fest and will be available soon at www.drhawkwatch.org.
The Detroit River Hawk Watch is sustained through donations to the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance’s hawk watch budget. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a major partner in the Raptor Population Index project and the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge contributes staff time with an advisory committee to ensure the data collection meets the highest standards of scientific integrity. |
posted Sep 9, 2011 7:39 AM by Hawk Counter
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updated Oct 1, 2011 8:11 AM by Roy Bohling
]
The Detroit River Hawk Watch 2011 season began on September 1st and will be collecting migration data each day until November 30th. We have accumulated 49 hours of coverage as of September 8th. Weather was very hot, but generally typical of early September with southeast winds bringing few migrants over the count site. A low pressure system arrived on September 4th, with rain or blustery northerly winds on the 5th, 6th, and 7th,and heavy rain on the 8th. These conditions were not conducive to migration over the count site at the Lake Erie Metropark boat launch. Consequently, numbers have been extremely low in all species.
On the northerly winds between the 5th and the 8th, decent movements of birds occurred along the Ontario Lake Erie shoreline at Holiday Beach Conservation Area, with birds crossing into Michigan south of the Detroit River Hawk Watch count site.
Purple martin and swallow migration was heavy on the first four days of the count, with thousands passing by in the morning hours and continuing to a lesser degree in the afternoon. A small flock of sanderlings flew by the count site on September 7th.
Saturday may very well see rainy conditions and low to moderate northwest winds. Winds will be from the south on Sunday, with a low chance of rain and mostly cloudy conditions. If rain holds out, Sunday afternoon will likely be the highest chance for the first push of migrant raptors at the metropark, and likely bring the first significant batch of broad-winged hawks. Stable weather will arrive for Monday with moderate southwest winds and strong southwest winds on Tuesday. Monday will be the highest chance for a push of broad-wings. The season cumulative average by September 12th between the years 1991-2008 is 6,223 birds. |
posted Aug 12, 2011 7:15 AM by Hawk Counter
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updated Aug 12, 2011 7:19 AM
]
posted Dec 21, 2010 5:08 PM by Hawk Watcher
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updated Oct 1, 2011 8:14 AM by Roy Bohling
]
posted Dec 21, 2010 5:07 PM by Hawk Watcher
[
updated Dec 21, 2010 5:08 PM
]
Count is closed today due to weather. The 2010 season is complete.
|
posted Nov 29, 2010 12:40 PM by Hawk Counter
This is directly from Hawkcount.org. DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 2830 122325
Osprey 0 0 63
Bald Eagle 3 22 220
Northern Harrier 0 59 465
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 49 6504
Cooper's Hawk 0 92 834
Northern Goshawk 0 13 21
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 211 488
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 79572
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1878 3207
Rough-legged Hawk 0 29 29
Golden Eagle 4 58 76
American Kestrel 0 2 675
Merlin 0 4 52
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 40
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 17
Prairie Falcon 0 0 3*
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 5
Total: 7 5251 214597
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 10:00:00
Observation end time: 13:30:00
Total observation time: 3.5 hours
Official Counter: Rob Payne
Observers: Patrick Mulawa, Rodney Laura
Weather:
A gorgeous day at the count site, and probably the last comfortable day
till spring. Winds followed the exact same pattern as yesterday, which is
pretty odd. They were light out of the south west until a shift to the east
around 1pm, which of course shut the count down completely. Temperatures
were the warmest in a while, with a high of 49f. The visibility was also
fantastic, with no haze to speak of. Simply a great day to close out the
count season.
Raptor Observations:
Very very unusual is the only way to put it. We saw absolutely no hawks or
falcons, just eagles. I'm not sure that has ever happened before, and on
the last day none the less. Our numbers are historically low for November,
and the raptors could still be in Canada. I'm sure if someone were to go
out on the next nice day in December raptors would still be on the move.
A total of 7 Eagles were counted of 2 species.
Non-raptor Observations:
Predictions:
All day rain for the last scheduled day of the season. The weather casters
have had this predicted for over a week. I have no idea how they called
that one, but can't get the others right.
Good Hawk Watching, Rob Payne 2010 Official Counter |
posted Nov 29, 2010 12:24 PM by Hawk Counter
This is directly from Hawkcount.org. DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 28, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 1 2830 122325
Osprey 0 0 63
Bald Eagle 3 19 217
Northern Harrier 1 59 465
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 49 6504
Cooper's Hawk 2 92 834
Northern Goshawk 2 13 21
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 211 488
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 79572
Red-tailed Hawk 4 1878 3207
Rough-legged Hawk 0 29 29
Golden Eagle 4 54 72
American Kestrel 0 2 675
Merlin 0 4 52
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 40
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 17
Prairie Falcon 0 0 3*
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 5
Total: 18 5244 214590
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 10:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Rob Payne
Observers: Don Sherwood, John Elliott, Rodney Laura
Visitors:
Not the huge party I tried to turn it into, but 6 people isn't bad. Is that
a shin-dig or a hootenanny? Maybe a get together?
Weather:
Today was exceptionally nice for late November. The day was sunny for the
most part, clearing up more as the day went on. Winds light from the
northwest, until 1pm when the wind shifted to the east and picked up speed
a bit. Today also held some of the best visibility we've had all month.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor migration went as predicted. Though numbers were still relatively
low, the day was action packed, at least till the winds shifted and shut
down the count. Eagles stole the show with 4 for Golden Eagle and 3 for
Bald Eagle. The first bird of the day was a juvenile Northern Goshawk,
which came through close just to the south of the count site. A second
Northern Goshawk, an adult, came through an hour later to our north. A
single Turkey Vulture made a push through, it must have had passport
problems in Canada.
A total of 18 raptors were counted of 8 species.
Non-raptor Observations:
Our local female Long-tailed Duck was back with the American Coot raft
today. 17 Tundra Swans were noted flying south today.
Predictions:
Warmer and sunnier for what looks to be the last day of the season. For the
first time all season the weather casters have predicted rain for Tuesday
for over a week. Odds are Tuesday's count will not happen.
Good Hawk Watching,
Rob Payne
2010 Official Counter
|
posted Nov 27, 2010 4:20 PM by Hawk Counter
Here is the data summary for the hawk counting done in October at Pt. Mouillee SGA. The
below data chart is directly from Hawkcount.org. It represents the
entire month of October at Pt. Mouillee, as seen from the last day
counted there in October. All text below the chart is a written
summary of the entire month and does not directly reflect the day of
the October 15th. DRHW- Pointe Mouillee State Game Area
Rockwood, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 1303 9933 10651
Osprey 0 0 3
Bald Eagle 2 7 32
Northern Harrier 2 6 50
Sharp-shinned Hawk 28 70 315
Cooper's Hawk 11 13 42
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 11 12 16
Broad-winged Hawk 10 17 74167
Red-tailed Hawk 47 64 91
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 5 50
Merlin 0 0 2
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 2
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 2
Total: 1415 10127 85423
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 00:00:00
Observation end time: 00:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: John Elliot
Observers: Don Sherwood, Mark Wloch, Rodney Laura
Weather:
The weather was not in favor of this count site this month. Only 2 days had the needed wind to switch the
count sites over. The days we were out here were fantastic though. Warm and sunny days, with little cloud
cover and great visibility.
Raptor Observations:
October 4th held a staggering number of Turkey Vultures both for this count site and our other at the
Lake Erie Metropark. We had 8,630 on the 4th, added to the 41,045 we had on the same day at the other
site, made for a record breaking day. We broke the previous day record by about 7,000, and we were about
2 weeks early historically. This count site is an odd one, if the weather is right there can be many birds
here than at our other site, but if the weather doesn't add up then it's quite dead. It does have the
potential to produce more numbers than the Metropark site, but it's always a flip of a coin to see if the
birds will come through there. This site would probably do better and be more accurate if there was someone
who could be there everyday.
Good Hawk Watching,
Rob Payne
2010 Official Counter
|
posted Nov 27, 2010 3:33 PM by Hawk Counter
Here is the data summary for the hawk counting done in September at Pt. Mouillee SGA. The below data chart is directly from Hawkcount.org. It represents the entire month of September at Pt. Mouillee, as seen from the last day counted there in September. All text below the chart is a written summary of the entire month and does not directly reflect the day of the September 26th. DRHW- Pointe Mouillee State Game Area
Rockwood, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 696 718 718
Osprey 0 3 3
Bald Eagle 6 25 25
Northern Harrier 4 44 44
Sharp-shinned Hawk 47 245 245
Cooper's Hawk 20 29 29
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 4 4
Broad-winged Hawk 1243 74150 74150
Red-tailed Hawk 20 27 27
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 11 45 45
Merlin 0 2 2
Peregrine Falcon 1 2 2
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 2 2
Total: 2052 75296 75296
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 00:00:00
Observation end time: 00:00:00
Total observation time: 19 hours
Official Counters: Jeff Schultz
Observers: Dave Boone, Jerry Jourdan, Pat Mulawa, Rodney Laura, Chuck Owens, Mark Wloch,
Jeff Loughman
Weather:
Only 4 days this month held the right circumstances to move the count to Pt. Mouillee. All 4 days were
excellent weather days, very sunny, warm, and with light winds. No major weather incidences were reported
this month here.
Raptor Observations:
On the 15th and 17th of September we saw as many Broad-winged Hawks at this site as we saw all season at
our other site. At one point on the 17th we had 33,724 in one hour. Many other raptors pushed through this
month, Bald Eagle numbers were outstanding with an average of 7 each time a count was conducted. 2 light
morph Swainson's Hawks were seen mid-month, 1 adult and 1 juvenile on separate days. The 718 Turkey
Vultures that were seen near the end of this month was good sign for the numbers we saw in early October.
Non-raptor Observations:
September 17th:
3 Indigo Bunting passed through the area, a fairly odd site for this location. 6 American Golden-Plovers
also graced us with their presence.
September 26th:
3 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were noted on their way out of the state. A
mixed flock of yellowlegs was hanging around with 6 Lesser Yellowlegs and 2
Greater Yellowlegs, for good comparison.
Good Hawk Watching,
Rob Payne
2010 Official Counter
|
posted Nov 27, 2010 5:34 AM by Hawk Counter
Today it is going to be very cold, with strong winds from the west. Winds are looking to average around the 20s, with stronger gusts possible.
Today is closed again due to bad flight conditions. Tomorrow still looks to be the last good day of the season, our current cold front will push out tonight, and leave us with a sunny no-wind day. Even if a random rain storm materializes tomorrow, the count will be open. Rain, sleet, snow, or the flu won't stop tomorrow's count. Monday looks to be decent, but not nearly as good as tomorrow. A rain out on Tuesday, the last count day of the season, is still expected.
Good Hawk Watching,
Rob Payne
2010 Official Counter
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