Date: 9/29/25 3:09 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (29 Sep 2025) 1458 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 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, 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:
Another day of gazing into the maw of The Great Blue Monster of a sky
without fenestration. A lone cloud appeared but it was of little
consequence and died a quick death. Winds were odd, as usual. Starting out
of the northeast, below five mph but inconsistent in strength, dropping to
zero, and then coming from the east in the afternoon. Temperatures reached
the octogenarian mark, but the afternoon east wind kept us cool. The
barometer keeps dropping in the afternoon, perhaps related in some way to
the wind shifts that seem to occur daily. It surrendered a tenth of an inch
off its high for the day.
Raptor Observations:
The bird movement today seemed a little more normal that yesterday, which
had some odd holes in the flow. Broadwings took back the top step on the
podium with five hundred, and eighty-nine birds. Small kettles added up
over the course of the day. Turkey vultures were sometimes lost to the haze
in the morning hours, but still managed four hundred and sixty-three. The
sharpies seemed to want to make up for yesterday’s meager showing, with
two hundred and eighty-five racing by. Kestrels also had a good day, for
our site, with fifty-four showing their pointed wings. Harriers were back
today, with thirty-four “banging the kettle drums” as they pumped by.
Eagles were on the move today, everyone of them given close scrutiny since
we still have golden eagle fever after yesterday. Sixteen came through,
most in the midday hours. Red-tailed hawks will have their day, but it
wasn’t this day, with six being counted. Four Cooper’s hawks were
noted. Two ospreys were clicked. Three peregrine and two merlin falcons
made the final tally.
Non-raptor Observations:
Our resident egret provided some laughs today as its log perch in the water
was rolling and he had to play lumberjack to keep up. The pelicans were
noted in formation over Celeron, but not their biggest flight, as most are
content to sit the day out on the jetty. The blue jays continue to flood by
in irregular groups with four thousand, one hundred and ninety observed.
The monarchs had a better day with one hundred and two passing through.
Predictions:
It will be interesting to see if the hurricanes that are active right now
will affect our flow of traffic. Already, there is a long plume of cloud
reaching up into Canada from Imelda. It should darken our skies in a couple
of days. Winds will be intensifying over the next couple of days with
northerly winds reaching up to eight mph tomorrow, and double digits on
Wednesday. Tuesday should be another day of blue skies with similar
temperatures as todays. Perhaps, over the next two days, there will be a
rush of birds skirting the potentially bad weather that they may sense. We
will oil the clickers just in case.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
