Date: 9/18/25 4:29 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (18 Sep 2025) 2164 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 18, 2025
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Jo Patterson
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Jerry Jourdan, Mark Hainen,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site as we are eager to share the joys of hawk
watching with one and all. Although there may be times in which we are all
very busy and need alone-time to concentrate, those are the times that are
most enjoyable for visitors as the skies are filled with migrating raptors.
Weather:
The wind made a 135-degree turn across the compass, ranging only from 1 to
7 mph. It began as a light air from the northwest and ended as a gentle
southern breeze. The trees at our backs muted what little relief it might
have offered, leaving us to bake beneath the sun and the heavy weight of
80-degree heat. Overhead, cirrus clouds glazed the sky in thin, delicate
sheets, yielding only in the final hours to rising cumulus.
Raptor Observations:
The Broad-wings have been taking to the air around 10:30 this week. When
none appeared by 11, it became a little worrisome. But they did not
disappoint—we were soon treated to several impressive kettles, each
holding a few hundred birds, for a total of one thousand six hundred and
fifty-three. The Broad-wings lingered as they rose into the sky, then
streamed overhead before vanishing below the treeline behind us.
Unfortunately, as the wind picked up and shifted to the southwest, that
proved to be the last we saw of them. The afternoon was carried by four
hundred and forty-three Sharp-shinned Hawks, some even forming their own
small kettles of up to ten birds. The shifting winds lifted them high,
where they could only be picked out by their long tails and frantic
wingbeats. American Kestrels and Northern Harriers also gave a strong
showing, with thirty-seven and twenty counted, respectively. Rounding out
the day were eight Bald Eagles, two Osprey, and a single Red-tailed Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
A local juvenile Cooper’s Hawk spent much of the morning harassing the
Gibraltar feeders. Hopefully its hunting strategies improve, as it remained
empty-cropped even after a dozen attempts. Blue Jays arrived in force for
their second day of migration at our site, with more than three thousand
counted. Monarchs showed in moderate numbers at one hundred and
eighty-seven, unsurprising since they ride the same winds as the
Broad-wings. An exceptionally ragged-looking Yellow-rumped Warbler also
made a brief appearance in the maple.
Predictions:
Tomorrow holds the potential for a good flight. The forecast calls for east
winds at 6–9 mph and a slight rise in the barometer. If conditions hold,
Broad-wings could appear in greater numbers.
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Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
