First Broad-winged Hawk Flight - 03 Sep 2024

Days 1 and 2 at the Detroit River Hawk Watch have been a bit slow with only a few raptors reported by the crew. Winds have been the culprit as Holiday Beach across the Lake has had two 400+ days of raptor reporting. Today is forecasted to be a bit better with lighter winds, but clear skies will make seeing a bit difficult. Understatement...

This year we welcome Michael Patrikeev as our new counter; he replaces Kevin Georg after 7 years. We also welcome Ben Sehl and Jo Patterson as our Hawk Watch Apprentices. Jessie Fletcher and husband Taher are moving to Vermont this fall so Erika Van Kirk will be our new fearless Leader!

We were happy to report the first flights of Broad-winged Hawks during the first hour of the count, but the birds tested the limits of our binoculars and scopes. The first two birds were Sharp-shinned Hawks, but they could've easily been Broad-winged Hawks given the distance. We would see small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks, but they would disappear as they approach and we'd only see specks as they passed over high in the stratosphere. But, we'd get a few birds pass close enough for the cameras (even if we needed to crop heavily).

Our local Osprey.

Michael spotted a falcon in the trees behind us. A scope view and digiscoped image later revealed a Merlin w/ a fresh-caught swallow.

I had to leave at lunch time, so I'm hoping that the afternoon improved in both sighting and numbers.

Lake Erie Metropark--Detroit River Hawk Watch, Wayne, Michigan, US
Sep 3, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:     Detroit River Hawk Watch totals from 9 - 12 plus local birds. Sunny, cool, 60F
39 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  26
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  8
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  12
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  4
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  46
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  7
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)  120
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1
Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  35
Purple Martin (Progne subis)  6
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  12
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  11
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  3
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  7
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S194030860

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)