Date: 9/28/25 2:53 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (28 Sep 2025) 538 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2025
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess
Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Jo Patterson, Mark Hainen,
Michelle Peregord, 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:
Another day of erratic winds that rose and fell in strength, finally
switching to the southeast from our favored northeast direction. Oddly, it
was the southeast winds that seemed to be more productive at the end of the
day. The temperature rose to seventy-nine, and although we started the
watch with a fair amount of cirrus clouds, those soon dissipated and we
were faced with the dreaded blue screen of death. The barometer rose above
thirty inches for the first time in a few days and should continue to rise,
gradually, over the next few days.
Raptor Observations:
We felt that we should have had a better day than we did, given the winds.
Perhaps the skies were too crowded with blue jays to allow the other
raptors to fly. The turkey vultures took the gold, although we did award a
second gold, more on that later. Three hundred and twenty specimens
wandered by at a relaxed pace. A late rush of broadwings got the silver,
one hundred and fourteen did the trick. Sharpies took bronze with an anemic
showing of forty-two. Those birds were notably absent for long periods. The
kestrels were not too far behind the sharpies with thirty birds, much less
of a gap in numbers than is usual. Red-tailed hawks tallied twelve birds
today. Harriers were not very common with six representatives. Four bald
eagles and two ospreys were counted. Three Cooper’s hawks made the
clicker. The falcon hat-trick was achieved again with three merlins and one
peregrine falcon. Last, but certainly not least, we awarded a gold to our
first golden eagle of the season. It was only our fifth September golden in
the history of the watch.
Non-raptor Observations:
A merlin gave us some entertainment today as it noshed on a dragonfly while
circling behind us. The gulls were aloft hawking insects in big number. We
saw larger numbers of tree swallows today, usually a very common bird at
the site, but this year, they have been elsewhere. The pelicans were taking
a day of rest today, some roosting out by the jetty with a large cormorant
contingent. The blue jays were serious movers today with birds all over the
sky through the early afternoon. Ten thousand, six hundred and seventy were
counted by our resident expert blue jay man. Monarchs were a little more
common today with sixty-eight counted.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be similar to today, hot, with little cloud, and slow
northeast winds. The winds are predicted to be in the two to three mph
range, which probably means variable strengths and directions. Temperatures
should reach eighty-degrees. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for
some fall temperatures. The barometer will continue to climb to the 30.2”
range. The light winds will affect the flight lines tomorrow and it’s a
flip of the coin as to whether the birds will fly our way, or take a more
difficult to observe route. Usually, it means very high flight lines when
the winds are light and skies are blue, so our futures are so bright, we
will have to wear shades.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
