Michigans 'River of Raptors' (1 Viewer)

[Cindy M]

During the autumn months, the skies over southeast Michigan are alive with tens of thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons, and other birds of prey.
In the fall of 1983, the Lake Erie Metropark Hawk Watch began recording this fall hawk migration over Lake Erie Metropark and Pointe Mouillee State Game Area. Incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1998 under a new name, Southeastern Michigan Raptor Research (SMRR) continues to monitor one of the largest hawk migration corridors in the western hemisphere.

Totals from today's count:

Todays Totals Lake Erie Metropark boat launch (Seasons Totals)

Turkey Vulture 55 (514)
Osprey 10 (151)
Bald Eagle 3 (53)
Northern Harrier 8 (133)
Sharp-shinned Hawk 161 (2,400)
Coopers Hawk 15 (88)
Broad-winged Hawk 46,644 (57,001)
Swainsons Hawk 3 (3)
Red-tailed Hawk 20 (78)
American Kestrel 48 (1,064)
Merlin 2 (37)
Peregrine Falcon 3 (8)
Total 46,972 (61,530)


Overall Totals To Date

Turkey Vulture 519
Osprey 156
Bald Eagle 56
Northern Harrier 138
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,577
Coopers Hawk 88
Broad-winged Hawk 57,621
Swainsons Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 78
American Kestrel 1,164
Merlin 44
Peregrine Falcon 9
Total 62,453



To read more about the LEMP Hawkwatch:

Southeastern Michigan Raptor Research

 

[pineywoods965]

That's just amazing Cindy! Just keep sending them down South OK? Terri & I are going to Corpus Thursday to see the Hawk Migration there with Linda and Bob. OC and his wife will be there too. Sure wish you could join us Thanks for your report. This will be a first for me and I can't wait!
Becky

 

[Charles Harper]

How well do these figures reflect relative population sizes of these raptors farther north, Cindy? Do most species come down the nearest corridor?

 

[Cindy M]

hi Becky- sounds great! tell everyone I said hi.. I always told Linda that I thought I could handle birding in Corpus much better in the fall rather than spring, when it's so hot/muggy there. Hope you see many migrants/hawks and looking forward to your trip report when you get back- have fun

and hi Charles.. I just spent 15 minutes typing a reply and my connection timed out. So here's a shorter version the hawks follow these same natural corridors every year. If anything, the numbers are low because there are so many birds that can't be seen/counted. A birding friend who lives in the Upper Peninsula near Wisconsin ( and Lake Michigan) counts broadwings at her home each fall season. She broke her one day record last week- 2,458 broadwings, and she wasn't outdoors all day, so again that's a low count. We see a few migrant raptors further inland, but nothing like the phenomenal numbers that funnel through the corridors- thankfully we have good numbers of migrant passerines to keep us hopping. Soon the skies will be filled with migrating Trumpeter and Mute swans- and nothing is finer than standing outdoors on a starlit fall evening while flocks of swans pass overhead- calling to each other on their journey south, so close that you can hear their powerful wingbeats. Certainly stirs my blood

enjoy the season,
Cindy