DetroitRiverHawkWatch2018SeasonSummarySubmittedby:JeromeS.Jourdan,DetroitRiverHawkWatchSteeringCommittee(PrimaryAuthor)KevinGeorg,2018ContractCounterAndrewSturgess,DetroitRiverHawkWatchSteeringCommitteeJessicaFletcher,WildlifeBiologist,DetroitRiverInternationalWildlifeRefuge

Broad-wingedHawkkettle.©2018AndrewSturgessSuggestedCitation:Jourdan,J.S.,K.Georg,A.J.Sturgess,andJ.Fletcher.2018.DetroitRiverHawkWatch2018SeasonSummary.U.S.FishandWildlifeService,DetroitRiverInternationalWildlifeRefuge.

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AbstractThe2018countwasthe36thconsecutiveseasonofmonitoringdiurnalraptorandturkeyvulturemigrationatthemouthoftheDetroitRiver,andthe21styearofconsistentcoverageatLakeErieMetropark.Therewere551hoursofdatacollectionwithcountsconductedon81daysbetween1Septemberand30November.120,712totalturkeyvulturesandraptorsof15specieswerecounted,whichincludes6unknownbuteos,3unknownfalcons,and5unknownraptors.Thistotalwasonly5%belowthelong-termaverage(LTA)forthecountsite.Wecomparethisseason’stotalstotherespectiveLTAforeachspeciessince1998.Turkeyvultures(25%),Americankestrels(24%),merlin(19%)andperegrinefalcons(69%)weretheonlyspeciescountedabovetheLTA.Osprey(-68%),baldeagle(-55%),Cooper’shawk(-74%),northerngoshawk(-89%),broad-wingedhawk(-25%),Swainson’shawk(-28%),red-tailedhawk(-32%),rough-leggedhawk(-39%)andgoldeneagle(-50%)weresignificantlylowerthantheirrespectiveLTA(wherevalues>15%areconsidered“significant”forthecount).Northernharrier(-9%),sharp-shinnedhawk(-11%),red-shoulderedhawk(-10%)numberswereinsignificantlylowerthantheLTA.TwonortherngoshawkandthreeSwainson’shawkwerecountedthisyear.MethodsAnhourlycountofmigratingdiurnalraptorsandturkeyvultureswasconductedeachdaybetween1Septemberand30November2018withatotalof551hoursofcoverageattheLakeErieMetroparkBoatLaunch(LEMP;N42.0792,W83.1937).ObservationprotocolwasconductedaccordingtoTheDetroitRiverHawkWatchMonitoringProtocol1exceptinthecaseofhourlyweatherrecording.Insteadofrecordingwinddirection,speed,relativehumidity,barometricpressureandtemperatureusingaKestrel3500®PocketWeatherMeter,thehourlymeasurementswererecordeddirectlyfromtheGrosseIleWeatherStationatWeatherUndergound.ReasoningbehindthisdeviationwasthatlocalmeasurementsfromtheLEMPcountsitehadnobearingonwhetherraptorsmigratedpastthesite.Countersattemptedtoestimatebirdsexitingkettlesinastream-likefashionduringperiodsoflargemigrationvolume.HourlyresultswerereportedattheendofthedaytoHawkCountwhereresultsarethenusedtobuildaraptorpopulationindex(RPI)toassessspeciespopulationtrends.ResultsreferencedbelowarereportedasapercentdeviationinrelationtoLEMP’slong-termaverage(LTA)since1998,whenconsistentcoveragebeganatLEMP.Ifthedeviationbetweenthisyear’stotalcountofagivenspecieswaswithin±15%oftheLTA,weconsideredthatspeciestohavebeencountedin“approximatelyaverage”numbers.Ifthedeviationwasgreaterthan15%fromtheLTA,weconsideredthatdeviationtobestatisticallysignificant.

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MonthlyReportsOurcountthisyearseemedtohavebookendsofweatherthatbelongedtoanotherseason.ThefirstdaysofSeptembercouldbeover90degrees,andthegalesofNovembercameearlyandoftentoclosetheseason,givingawintervibetothelastweeks.Encroachmentoftheseunseasonableweatherconditionsprobablyhurtourcountsomewhat,butoverallitwasstillaproductiveyear.Tounderstandtheimpactofweatheronbirdmigration2istoappreciatethechallengeahawkwatchsitecanundertakewhenmonitoringraptorpassage.Inthemostgeneralsensetheidealtimeforflyingoftenoccursthedayafteracoldfront–northerlywinds,droppingtemperatures,risingairpressureandclearingskiesproduceconditionssuitableforagoodmigration.Evidenceofthistrendwasobservedatthecountsitethisseason.Figures1–3showdailytemperature,wind3,andpressure4recordsfortheDetroitRiverHawkWatchfortheperiod1Septemberto30November.Generally,thedayswiththebestflightcountsoccurredwhenwindsshiftedfromthesouthtomorenortherlydirectionsandbarometerwasontherise.September

Septemberisthemonthofthebroad-wingedhawk.Whencertainbirdsmigrate,theytravelinlargeflocksofwheelingkettlesandstreaminglinesacrossthesky.Thebroad-wingedhawkisoneofthosebirds.EvenwiththemodestnumbersweseeatDRHWrelativetomoresouthernsites,theycanprovideexhilaratingsightswiththeskyfilledwithwhirlingmassesofraptors.Wearefortunatetobeapartofthatspectacle.Ofcourse,weatheralwaysinfluenceseachyear’sseasonalraptorcounts.2017gaveusaverylowcountofbroad-wingedhawks,butwehadanicereboundthisSeptemberaskinderwindsblewthebirdstousontwobigdays,andmanysmallerflightsonotherdays.Althoughtheseasongotofftoaninauspiciousstartwhenwewereshutoutonthefirstdayofthewatch,withonlylocalraptorssighted,bythethirddaywehadbroad-wingsonthemove.

Broad-wingedhawkimagecourtesyofA.SturgessDailytemperaturesmatter,butwinddirectionisprobablymostimportanttothecountsite.Forexample,long-term(1981-2010)averagetemperaturesforGrosseIle,MIinSeptemberhavebeen~66°F(59–74°F)5.DuringSeptember2017theaveragetemperaturewas65°F(45–84°F)6while2018sawtheaveragemonthlytemperatureclimbanother2degreesto67°F(45–90°F)7.Thoughthesesingle-digitincreasesdon’tseemsignificant,theyareusuallyassociatedwithperiodsof

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strongsoutherlywindsthateitherdelaymigrationorpushbirdseastorwestofthecountsite.Thetwolargestbroad-wingedhawktotalsoccurredduringdayswhenwindswereoutofthenorth(seeFigure1).Inpreviousyearsthepeakofbroad-wingedhawkmigrationhadbeenassociatedwithhotdaysandstrongsoutherlywinds,sothisyear’sfavorablewindshelpedproduceanicerebound.Youcan’tvisittheDetroitRiverHawkWatchlonginSeptemberwithouthearingthecall“Sharpie!”Sharp-shinnedhawksaveragedoverfiftyadayforthemonthandkeptcomingevenstrongerinOctober;thenumbersdiminishedinthefinalthirdoftheseason.Thefrequencyofthecallsmightmakeyouthinkit’seasytodistinguishthesebirdsfromotherslikeCooper’shawkandAmericankestrel.Atthistimeofyear,itis.ThereareplentyofAmericankestrelsintheairtoprovidefrequentlooksatthem.Themostly“local”Cooper’shawks,asimilar-lookingaccipiter,yieldedonly23birdsduringthemonthcomparedto1627sharp-shinnedhawks.Laterintheseasonitcanbecomehardertodifferentiatethetwowhenthemorechallengingfallweatherconditionsofhighwindsandgloomyskiescanproducealotof“tweener”birdsthatseemtohavecharacteristicsofbothaccipiterspecies.

Sharp-shinnedhawkimagescourtesyofA.SturgessOnebirdthatshouldbetheeasiesttoIDistheturkeyvulturewithitsblackpresence,bigdihedralandrockingflight.ThesebirdsstarttomigrateinlateSeptember,buttheyarereallyOctoberbirds.Wehad1558totalonflightsofonlyafewhundredperdayduringthelastweekofthemonth.Thisyearseemedtobeanirruptionyearforbluejays.Itcan’tbesaidwithcertaintythatthenumbersweregreaterthisyear(sincewedon’tofficiallycountthem),butmostobserversfeltthattheyweresubstantiallyhigherwithmanyimpressiveflightsofthousandsofbirdsperday.Table1summarizesthetotalraptorsurveyfromtheLEMPBoatLaunchsiteforthemonthofSeptember.Atotalof51,233turkeyvulturesandraptorsconsistingof14specieswerecountedduringtheperiod2Septemberto30September.Speciessurveyedincludedturkeyvulture,osprey,baldeagle,northernharrier,sharp-shinnedhawk,Cooper’shawk,red-shoulderedhawk,broad-wingedhawk,red-tailedhawk,goldeneagle,Americankestrel,merlin,andperegrinefalcon.Threeunidentifiedbuteos(UB)andtwounidentifiedraptors(UR)wereincludedinthemonthlytally.

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Figure1showsplotsofdailyweatherpatternsattheGrosseIleWeatherStationfortheperiod1Septemberto30September2018.Dailyraptortotals(inred)wereaddedtothegraphssoastocomparetotalswithsuchaspectsascloudcover,winddirectionandvelocity.Asmentionedpreviously,broad-wingedhawksweremostnumerouson19September(22,437birds)and22September(10,319birds)whennortherlywindswerepresent.The46,916broad-wingedhawktotalwasavastimprovementoverthesameperiodin2017whenonly10,009birdswerecounted.Sharp-shinnedhawknumbersgrewsteadilyfrom6Septemberthroughtherestofthemonthwithmid-monthpeakingatroughly100birdsperday.1628birdskeptcountersandphotographersbusy.ThisisabirdwhosenumberswillcontinuetoclimbwellintoOctoberandwillbeseenuntilthelastdayoftheseason.Only18baldeagles(comparedto43in2017)and28ospreywerecountedinSeptember.724Americankestrel,20merlinand27peregrinefalconswerehighlightsofthemonth,aswell.Dailyphotohighlights,non-raptorobservationsandcommentaryfromAndrewSturgessandMarkHainenweresubmittedtotheDetroitRiverHawkWatchFacebookpageduringthemonthofSeptember.Theirphotosandcommentarywerecompiledintoafulldocumentandarchivedonthewebsiteathttp://detroitriverhawkwatch.org.Thedocumentcanbeviewedhere.DetroitRiverHawkWatchalsowelcomedbackKevinGeorgasitsContractCounterfor2018.ThisisKevin’ssecondyearwithDRHWtogoalongwithhis30+years’experienceperformingraptorsurveys,mostrecentlyatMackinawStraights,MI.Hisexpertiseinidentifyingdistantraptorscouldnotbemoreappreciated.October

AsSeptemberpassesintotherearviewmirrorthereisasenseofcontinuityastheturkeyvulturesthatstartedtopassbythehundredsinthepreviousweeknowbegintopassbythethousands;achangethatmakesyourealizethatitmakesreallygoodsensetobuythemostrobusthandcounters(clickers)thatareavailableonthemarket.Thereisalsoasenseofchangeasthebroad-wingedhawksofSeptemberaretobereplacedbybiggergame.Thelargerbuteosandeaglesareapproaching,anditbecomesawaitinggameanticipatingthefirstexoticsoftheseason.Theweatherhasshakenthelastremnantsofsummer,temperaturesarestartingtodrop,andleavesbegintoturn.

TurkeyvultureimagecourtesyofA.Sturgess

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Turkeyvulturesareasignificantfractionofthetotalnumberofbirdsthatweseeeachyear.With57,000+inOctoberalone,theyhaveexceededthenumbersofanyotherspeciesfortheseason.Occasionallycomingdirectlyoverheadoverinlargestreamslikegently-rockingbutterfliesfloatingonthewind,theycreateanimpressivescenethatmakesyoufeelclosertomigrationsinceyouhaveaseatintheveryfirstrow.Ofcourse,theydon’talwaystraveldirectlyoverhead.Themostcommonrouteslatelyhavebeentothenorthoftheboatlaunch.OverGrosseIle,behindthetreelineintheNEandemergingaroundtheDTEEnergyTrentonChannelPowerPlantstacksnowseemstobethepreferredline.Thispresentssomedifficultiestothecounterseitherduetoveryhazy,distantviewsorsightingissuesasthetreesobscureourvisionofthebirds.Theopeningsthatweusedtouseforcountingareshrinking;it’snowhardertobesurethattheentiregroupisbeingcounted.Itrequirescloseattentiontoachieveanaccuratecount.FortybaldeagleswerecountedinthemonthofOctober.Thebaldeagle,ospreyandperegrinefalconaresurvivorsoftheDDTeraandtheirnumbershavereboundedconsiderablyoverthepastfewyears.Sincewehave“local”BE’snestingandlivingnearby,andthelocalareaisadestinationforwinteringBE’sduetoouropenwatersduringthefreezingmonths,thesightofaBEinflightisnolongerararesight.Whenthewindsareupitisnotuncommontoseesixtoeightbirdsofvariousagesflyinginourlineofsite.Thisdoescomplicatethecountingofthisspeciessincewearemakingjudgmentsbasedonflightdirectionandheights,amongotherfactors,astowhetherthebirdis“migratory”.Itmaybethatwehaveappliedatougherstandardtojudgethebird’sintentinmorerecentyears.Althoughthismayaffectourcountsitwouldbedifficulttodrawanynegativeconclusionsfromadiminishedcountsincethebirdisobviouslythrivingandpopulationsareincreasing.Ourfirstandsecondgoldeneaglesappearedon14October.Wehadarelativelyslowyearthisyearforthisspecies,butthiswasprobablywindandweatherrelated,sinceotherhawkwatchsiteswereblessedwithbetter-than-averagecounts.Thesebirdscantravelatgreatheightsanddespitetheirgreatsizecanbemissedinahighbluesky.Alwaysanexcitingbirdtoseethisyearwesawonlyhalf(50)ofourlong-termaverageof99birds.OurfriendsatHolidayBeachinOntario,justafewmilesaway,hadanevenworseyearwithonly15birdscomparedtoour49.Whatadifferenceafewmilesandwinddirectionscanmake.Table2summarizesraptortotalsfortheperiod1Octoberto31October2018.Atotalof64,352raptorswererecordedwith57,892consistingofturkeyvultures.Raindaysoccurredonthe1stand27thdaysofthemonthwhennocountsweremade.Dailyphotohighlights,non-raptorobservationsandcommentaryfromAndrewSturgessandMarkHainenweresubmittedtotheDetroitRiverHawkWatchFacebookpageduringthemonthofOctober.Theirphotosandcommentarywerecompiledintoafulldocumentandarchivedonthewebsiteatdetroitriverhawkwatch.org.Thedocumentcanbeviewedhere.

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November

Novemberistheboxofchocolatesmonthforhawkwatching.Youneverknowwhatmayshowuponthehorizon.Caseinpoint;arareNovemberSwainson’shawkshowedupon8November.Wesawamuchlargerthanusualmovementofsandhillcranesthisyearwithmanylargeflightsgoingoverhead.TurkeyvulturesarewindingdownfromtheirOctoberpeaks,buttheystillprovidedthebulkofthecounttotalswith3005forthemonth.Thenextmostprominentbirdisthered-tailedhawkwith1535birdscounted.Thesebirds,alongwithred-shoulderedhawks,tendtocomeinbignumberswhenwindsandweatherarefavorable.Northerlywindsofahigh-pressuresystemontheheelsofapassinglowusuallybringgoodresults.Ourcounttotalsfromyeartoyearmaydependonthenumberofthesesituationsthatoccurattherighttimeofdayintherightplace.

GoldeneagleimagecourtesyofA.SturgessAlthoughNovember2018seemednormalatthebeginningofthemonth,withthepatternofalternatinghighsandlowspassingthrough,ourseasonseemedtobecutsomewhatshortbypersistentheavyovercastskieswithouttheinterveninghighsthatusuallyoccur.Thelastweekwasthereforelongonchallengingweatherconditionsforwatchers,butshortonbirds,withonly24counted.Oneofourcorevolunteercounters,AndrewSturgesssummarizeshisthoughtsontheseasonwell

“Despitethetruncatedendtotheseason,overall,itwasanicereboundyearfromourlownumbersoflastyear.Onapersonalnote,IhadanopportunitytovisitoneofthesiteswherebirdsaremuchmoreconcentratedinvastnumbersduringOctoberwhenIwenttoPanamaforashortvisit.Ithelpedmeputoursiteintoperspective.InowseeDetroitRiverHawkWatchasatributarythatcontributesvariablenumbersofbirdseachyeartowhatbecomesariverofraptorsmigratingthroughthatnarrowisthmus.Ourbroad-wingedhawknumbershaverangedfromahighofahalfamillioninonedayin1999toalow(lastyear)ofapproximately10,500birds.ItmaybethatoursiteissosubjecttothevagariesofweatherthatitishardtodrawmeaningfulRPIconclusionsfromyeartoyearwithoutfactoringinweatherconditionsinsomeway.Withchangingclimatesaffectingthepathwaysthatraptorstakefromyeartoyear,ourobservationsremainimportantformorethanonereason.”

Table3summarizesraptortotalsfortheperiod1Novemberto30November2017.Atotalof5127raptorswererecordedwithturkeyvultures(3005)andred-tailedhawks(1535)yielding89%ofthemonthlytotal.Raindaysoccurredonthe1st,9th,15th,18th,24thand26thdaysofthemonthwhennocountsweremade.

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Dailyphotohighlights,non-raptorobservationsandcommentaryfromAndrewSturgessandMarkHainenweresubmittedtotheDetroitRiverHawkWatchFacebookpageduringthemonthofNovember.Theirphotosandcommentarywerecompiledintoafulldocumentandarchivedonthewebsiteatdetroitriverhawkwatch.org.Thedocumentcanbeviewedhere.SpeciesAccountsTURKEYVULTURE62,455turkeyvulturesmigratedthroughthecountsiteduringtheperiod3Septemberto30November2018,whichis17%above2017(53,393birds),and25%abovetheLTA(Table4).Thehighcount(6913)occurredon14October.

TurkeyVultureimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess(left)andM.Hainen(right)OSPREYOnly38ospreysmigratedpastthecountsiteduringtheperiod5Septemberto14November,whichis12%betterthan2017(34birds)butstill68%belowtheLTAof120birds(Table4).9birdswerecountedinOctoberandthesinglebirdon14Novemberwasalater-than-expectedfind.Thehighcount(7)occurredon20September.

OspreyimagescourtesyofJ.Palland(left)andA.Sturgess(right)

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BALDEAGLEOnly78baldeaglesmigratedpastthecountsiteduringtheperiod5Septemberand30November,whichisonly33%ofthetotalbirdscountedin2017(238)and55%belowLTAof178birds(Table4).Highcountfortheseasonoccurredon14Octoberwhen7birdspassedthrough.LocalpairsofBaldEagleswereseenalmostdailybutwererelativelyeasytodiscountduetheirhabitofflyingupanddowntheriverandnotpassingoverheadathighaltitudes.

BaldEagleimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess(left)andM.Hainen(right)NORTHERNHARRIER416northernharrierspassedbythecountsiteduringtheperiodof2Septemberand28November,whichisa29%increaserelativeto2017(323birds)butstill9%belowtheLTAof458birds(Table4).Ahighcountof51harriersoccurredon22October.

NorthernHarrierimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess(left)andM.Hainen(right)

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SHARP-SHINNEDHAWK5429sharp-shinnedhawkspassedbythecountduringtheperiod2Septemberand30November,whichis32%increaseover2017(4116birds)butstill11%belowtheLTAof6121birds(Table4).Thehighcountoccurredon13Octoberwhen420sharpieswerecounted.

Sharp-shinnedHawkimagescourtesyofM.Hainen(left)andA.Sturgess(right)COOPER’SHAWK119Cooper’shawksmigratedpastthecountsiteduringtheperiod8Septemberand25November,whichisthesamenumberasin2017(120birds)butstill74%belowtheLTAof457birds(Table4).Highcountsof9birdsoccurredon20Octoberandagainon17November.NORTHERNGOSHAWKOnly2goshawkswerecountedthisyear,whichisthesameasin2017,butstill89%belowtheLTAof19birds(Table4).Birdswereobservedon14Novemberand23November.RED-SHOULDEREDHAWK568red-shoulderedhawkswerecountedbetween22Septemberand23November,whichis60%increaseover2017(354birds)butstill10%belowtheLTAof629birds(Table4).Ahighcountof111birdsoccurredon26October.

Red-shoulderedHawkimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess

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BROAD-WINGEDHAWKS2017’stotalof10,392broad-wingedhawkswas84%belowtheLTAof63,666birds(Table4).Thisyear’stotalof47,223wasanincreaseofmorethan350%butstill25%belowtheLTA.Favorablewinds(north)duringtheirnormalpeakofmigrationbrought22,437birdson19Septemberandanother10,319birdson22September.Broad-wingedhawksweretalliedbetweentheperiod6Septemberand26October.Theimagebelow(right)isprobablythefirstbroad-wingedhawktohaveeverlandedatthesite.

Broad-wingedHawkimagescourtesyofM.Hainen(left)andA.Sturgess(middle,right)SWAINSON’SHAWKThreeSwainson’shawkswerecountedthisyear,whichisalwaysatreatforcountersandvisitorsalike.Birdswerecountedon8September,22September,and8November.The3Swainson’sHawksare25%belowtheLTAof4birds(Table4).RED-TAILEDHAWK3039red-tailedhawkspassedbythecountsitebetween3Septemberand29November,whichis22%betterthan2017(2483birds)butstill32%belowtheLTAof4494birds(Table4).Ahighcountof442birdsoccurredon03November.

Red-tailedHawkimagescourtesyofM.Hainen(left)andA.Sturgess(middle,right)

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ROUGH-LEGGEDHAWK22rough-leggedhawksmigratedpastthecountsitebetween2Novemberand21November,whichisa37%decreasefrom2017(35birds)and39%belowtheLTAof37birds.On14Novemberahighcountof12birdsweretallied.Bothlight-morphanddark-morphbirdswereobservedandphotographed.GOLDENEAGLELastyear’s96goldeneaglesrepresented95%ofLTAof102birds(Table4).Thisyearonly50birdspassedthroughthecountsitebetween3Septemberand20November,whichrepresents50%ofthe(now)LTAof99birds.Ahighcountof18birdswascountedon3November.

GoldenEagleimagescourtesyofA.SturgessAMERICANKESTREL1126Americankestrelspassedbythecountsitebetween2Septemberand17November,whichistwicethenumbercountedin2017(538birds)and24%higherthantheLTAof905birds(Table4).Highcountsforoursmallestfalconoccurredon11October(62),13October(57),and16October(67).Thisisgoodnewsforaspeciesthathasshownregionaldeclinesforseveralyears.

AmericanKestrelimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess(left)andM.Hainen(right)

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MERLIN56merlinpassedbythecountsitebetween7Septemberand19November,whichisonly3birdsfewerthanin2017and19%abovetheLTAof47birds(Table4).Highcountsof5birdsweremadeon7Octoberandagainon16October.

MerlinimagescourtesyofA.Sturgess(left,middle)andM.Hainen(right)PEREGRINEFALCON74peregrinefalconsbetween8Septemberand20Novemberwere69%abovetheLTAof44birds(Table4)and7morebirdsthancountedin2017.Ahighcountof10peregrineswerecountedon4October.

PeregrineFalconimagescourtesyofM.Hainen(left,middle)andA.Sturgess(right)UNKNOWNRAPTOR14unknownraptors,consistingof0accipiter,6buteos,3falcons,and5“raptors”eludedthecountersthisyear.DRHWnormallyisunabletoidentify51raptorseachyear(LTA),so72%belowtheLTAisactuallyagoodthing!TOTALDetroitRiverHawkWatchhad120,712diurnalraptorsandturkeyvulturesmigratethroughtheLakeErieMetroparkBoatLaunchbetween2Septemberand30November,whichisonly5%belowtheLTAof126,528(Table4).Curiously,0birdswerecountedonthe1stdayofeachmonthsofSeptember,OctoberandNovember.Therecoverycanbeattributedtothereboundinbroad-wingedhawkmigrationandthecontinuedincreasesinturkeyvulturenumbers.Figures1–3showdailyraptortotalsoverlaidontodailyweatherplotsforGrosseIle,MI.Figure4showstotalnumbersfor2018plottedagainsttheprevioustotalssince1998.Examinationofthecurveappearstoshowamorecyclicnaturetoyearlymigrationwith2018showinganupturnafterrecentyearsdownturnleveledoffin2017.Ifthetrendcontinues,we

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shouldexpect2019totalstoexceedLTA.Ofinterestistheobservationthatthecyclesappeartobeincreasing,withhigherpeaks(2011and2014)anddeepervalleys(2016and2017).MigratoryandNon-RaptorHighlights

Traditionallythissectionisreservedforseasonalnarrativesofnon-raptors,whichincludeswaterfowl,grebes,loons,shorebirds,migratorysongbirds,andpasserines.PerhapsthemostnotablesightingduringtheseasonwastheabundanceofMonarchButterfliesthatwerereportedthroughouttheGreatLakesRegionduringthemonthofSeptember.MigratingHornedGrebesstoppedbythecountduringmid-Septemberandofferedsomenicephotos.ContributingphotographerJanD.PallandphotographedaRing-billedGullchasingamid-dayBrownBatflyingthrough

theboatlaunchareaon18September.ARoss’Goosewasaone-daywonderintheparkon22September.Almost11,000BlueJayspassedoverheadon28September,another9000wouldpassoverheadon4October,andthespecieswouldcontinueinheavynumbersthroughoutOctober.Duringfoggyweatherinmid-Octoberthetreesbehindthecountprovidedsomenicefallwarbleraction,withBlackpoll,Black-throatedGreen,TennesseeandCapeMayWarblersprovidingadditionalphotoopportunitiesforvisitingphotographers.BytheendofOctoberAmericanCrowsweremigratingpastthesiteinthethousands(perday);luckily,theycouldbedifferentiatedfromtheraptorpopulationbytheirconstantwing-beats.AresidentGreatHornedOwlprovidedsomeentertainmentduringtheslowdaysofNovember.AsdidflocksofHornedGrebes,andwinter-arrivingscaup,mergansersandTundraSwansthatarrivedbythethousandsonselectdays.Upto60SandhillCraneswereobservedflyingoverheadon18November,andanother165werecountedon21November.(MonarchButterflyimagecourtesyofA.Sturgess)DailynarrativesandspecialobservationswerereportedtotheDetroitRiverHawkWatchFacebookPage.WithspecialthankstoAndrewSturgessandMarkHainen,bothexceptionalphotographers,photohighlightswerecompiledforSeptember,OctoberandNovember2018.Theircontributions,aswellasthosefromothervisitors(thankyouJanPalland)havebeenarchivedasdocumentsthatcanbeaccessedthroughtheDetroitRiverHawkWatchwebsite(detroitriverhawkwatch.org).Readersareencouragedtoclickonthelinksandenjoythequalityphotographsandstories.(imagescourtesyofM.Hainen,J.Palland,andA.Sturgess)

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Outreach

WithspecialthankstowebmasterAndrewKlingatRoofballProductions,DetroitRiverHawkWatchhasanewwebsiteatdetroitriverhawkwatch.org.Andrewwasextremelyhelpfulbuildingandtransferringcontentfromthepreviouswebsitehost.DetroitRiverHawkWatchhadthepleasurethisyeartoagainparticipateintheannualHawkFest,whichishostedbytheHuronClintonMetroparksandsupportedbytheInternationalWildlifeRefugeAlliance.DRHWhostedatableatthefestival,whichwasheldon15-16September2018inconjunctionwiththepeakofthebroad-wingedhawkmigration.Thoughweatherwashot,andbig

kettlesofhawksfailedtomaterialize,therewerestillplentyofbirdsflyingtogetvisitors’attention.

DRHWalsoparticipatedintheHawkMigrationAssociationofNorthAmerica’sNationalConference(HMANA2018,DetroitAirportMarriottHotel)during12-14October2018.JerryJourdangaveapresentationdescribingtheDetroitRiverHawkWatchasthePremierCitizenScienceInitiativefortheUSFWSandDetroitRiverInternationalWildlifeRefuge.JerryalsoactedasModeratorforaroundtablediscussingDunkadooandTrektellandataentrysoftwarepackages.DRHWalsosponsoredatableattheconferencewithflyers,displays,andhandoutsforvisitors.Twonewflyersweredevelopedforvisitorsattendingthehawkwatch.Oneisanoverviewofthecountsitewithidentificationphotosanddistributiongraphs,whilethesecondflyerisalandmarkidentificationguideforvisitors.DetroitRiverHawkWatchalsocompiled25-yearandmostrecent10-yearraptorpopulationindex(RPI)trendsforthehawkwatchsite8.Thedocumentcanbeviewedhereandwillbeincorporatedintothewebsiteinearly2019.

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AcknowledgementsThesuccessoftheDetroitRiverHawkWatchwouldnotbepossiblewithoutthededicationofVolunteerswhologhundredsofhourscountinghawksinall-weathersituations.ThanksgoouttoKevinGeorg,ourPrimaryCounter,andtotheDRHWcrewofAndrewSturgess,RaburnHowland,RosemaryBrady,MarkHainen,PatrickMulawa,JohnElliott,DonSherwood,andFrankKitakis.Thanksalsogoouttothosevisitorswhocameoutonmanyoccasionstoassistwithsightingsandprovideabreakduringparticularlyslowdays.SpecialacknowledgementismadetoAndrewSturgessandMarkHainen,bothofwhomprovidedwonderfulphotosandstoriesfortheDRHWFacebookPage.ThesuccessofthecountwouldnotbepossiblewithoutfinancialandsitesupportfromtheUnitedStatesFishandWildlifeService,TheInternationalWildlifeRefugeAlliance,HawkMigrationAssociationofNorthAmerica,andtheHuronClintonMetroparks.VolunteersarealwayswelcomeandareinvitedtocomeouttotheboatlaunchatLEMPtojoininourefforts!

ImagecourtesyofDetroitRiverHawkWatchReferences:

1. DetroitRiverHawkWatch.2011.TheDetroitRiverHawkWatchMonitoringProtocol:AReviewandImplementationforScientificIntegrity.U.S.FishandWildlifeService.GrosseIle,Michigan.

2. TeameBird,Understandingbirds&weather:Fallbirdingbasics,September2011,https://ebird.org/news/fall-birding-basics/

3. PastWeatherinGrosseIle,Michigan,USA,(https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@4994850/historic?month=9&year=2018)

4. GrosseIleMunicipalStation,WeatherUnderground,https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2018-09-01

5. HistoricalMonthlyAveragesforGrosseIle,Michigan,USA(http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/United-States-Of-America/Michigan/Grosse-Ile/climate-profile.aspx?month=9)

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6. https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2017-97. https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2018-98. Jourdan,J.S.,andFletcher,J.,RaptorPopulationIndex(RPI)SummaryfortheDetroitRiver

HawkwatchandHolidayBeachConservationArea,2018,DetroitRiverHawkWatchAdvisoryCommitteeandU.S.FishandWildlifeService.

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Table1.RaptortotalsfortheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringSeptember2018.(tablecourtesyofhawkcount.org)

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Table2.RaptortotalsfortheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringOctober2018.(tablecourtesyofhawkcount.org)

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Table3.RaptortotalsfortheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringNovember2018.(tablecourtesyofhawkcount.org)

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Figure1.Dailyraptortotals(red)attheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringtheperiod1Septemberto30September2018overlaidwithdailytemperatures(°F),wind(mph)andbarometricpressure(in.).

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@4994850/historic?month=09&year=2018https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2018-09-01

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Figure2.Dailyraptortotals(red)attheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringtheperiod1Octoberto31October2018overlaidwithdailytemperatures(°F),wind(mph)andbarometricpressure(in.).

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@4994850/historic?month=10&year=2018https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2018-10-1

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Figure3.Dailyraptortotals(red)attheDetroitRiverHawkWatchduringtheperiod1Novemberto30November2018overlaidwithdailytemperatures(°F),wind(mph)andbarometricpressure(in.).

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@4994850/historic?month=11&year=2018https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/mi/grosse-ile/KONZ/date/2018-11-1

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Figure4.DetroitRiverHawkWatchyearlytotalscountedatLakeErieMetropark,WayneCo.,MI1998–2018.