Date: 9/27/25 2:47 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (27 Sep 2025) 211 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 27, 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, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Frank Kitakis,
Joe Godreau, Laura Wilson, 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:
It didn’t look good from the get-go. Southwest winds of little strength
at the start, but destined to grow from five to a robust thirteen mph
during the day, before finally receding a little in the final hour. The
hourly bird count tells the effects of the winds. A slow start, a fair
middle of the day, and when the winds grew enough to create small whitecaps
on the lake, a big drop-off in the final two hours. The southwest winds
create a hazy sky in the north where the birds are pushed, so seeing the
birds is sometimes impossible. Even turkey vultures are mere shimmering
apparitions in an evanescent sky. The temperature reached a summer-like
eighty-four degrees. The barometer had its midday bump but receded to
29.85” again. This should be the bottom and it should climb a few tenths
tomorrow.
Raptor Observations:
We are having to adjust to three digit counts for the interim period
between broadwing and turkey vulture season. Next week might remedy that.
Sharp-shins led the way today with ninety counted. Turkey vultures were
scarce today in our neighborhood, although we heard tales of large numbers
elsewhere. We ended with sixty-four, most coming in one large group.
American kestrels are still trying their best, bless their little hearts.
We noted thirty-five of them on the run today. We did achieve the falcon
hat-trick today with two merlins and three peregrines. Three broadwings
were also seen. Eight harriers showed up, our sightings of that species
seem to be slowing but conditions have not been the best. Three bald eagles
and one osprey were counted. We seem to have a first-year osprey, making
infrequent appearances in unusual places, that we think is making a
stopover in its first migration.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans mostly sat out the day, only a few were seen flying, and most
were roosting on the Celeron Island jetty. This has become a favorite place
for cormorants and gulls over the last couple of weeks. Caspian and
Forster’s terns were noted nearby, and a small group of about thirty
common terns were seen out by the jetty too. Our kingfisher made its
appointed rounds, strangely silent. Swallows and swifts continue to reap
the biomass feast available in the bodega in the sky. Occasionally, we can
see flights of ducks migrating out over the lake. They do not appear to be
mallards, being smaller and faster, but our duck ID skills at that distance
are limited. The blue jays were on the move today with six thousand, five
hundred and seventy scooting by. Only thirty-five monarchs made the
clicker.
Predictions:
Tomorrow seems to look a little better on paper. Winds will be more
favorable but at a relatively low speed. Low wind speeds usually are
unreliable as to direction, flipping to the southeast, whether predicted or
not. One good thing is a strong rebound in barometric pressure. Coupled
with the winds coming from a generally northern direction, this has more
potential than today. The following days show more northeast winds to come
in stronger strengths, so starting on Tuesday, we may get turkey vultures
in bigger numbers. The next couple of days have wimpy untrustworthy winds
so we may have periods of little activity similar to today.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
