Date: 9/30/25 2:57 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (30 Sep 2025) 1006 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 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, Mark Hainen, Rosemary Brady,
Sam Heilman
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 was a kind of donut hole day. It seemed that we were going to be busy
all day but when the wind shifted, we had a two-hour hiatus with little to
do but search the BSOD sky. It was another cloudless day with temps
reaching eighty-degrees. Winds came from the northeast, at a stronger pace
than had been usual in the first hours, eventually reaching nine mph at two
p.m. Then it suddenly dropped and changed to an eastern wind. Our birds
suddenly stopped too, resuming at a slower pace in the last hour. It seems
that no matter what the winds are forecast to be, they shift to SE at the
end of the day. The barometer, as it has been doing, dropped at the end of
the day.
Raptor Observations:
As a consolation for having to sit through an avian drought for a couple of
hours, we did receive a little lift at the end of the day when we recorded
our second golden eagle of September, a first for the DRHW.
Spotted by our eagle-eyed (literally in this case) counter, Jo, whose eye
sight is already the stuff of legend, the bird was taking the high road, as
were most of the late travelers. The turkey vultures seemed poised to have
a good day and started off fairly well, but disappeared for a couple of
hours with the others. We ended with seven hundred and fifteen. The
broadwings are still moving in small groups, with one hundred and sixty
being counted. Our sharp-shins let us down today, preferring the poutine at
our sister-site in Ontario to our offerings. We counted eighty-four today.
Seventeen red-tails were counted today, barely beating out the harriers who
had sixteen representatives. Eight kestrels flew by colorfully. No European
kestrels were seen. Two cooper’s hawks were tallied. We saw one each of
merlin, peregrine and osprey.
Non-raptor Observations:
Although we were a little disappointed in the raptor count, we cannot
complain about the blue jay count. Unfortunately, although his carbon fiber
clicker withstood the onslaught, our resident blue jay man was taken off on
a gurney with a compound fracture of the right thumb. It was not really a
surprise after fifteen thousand, five hundred and twelve clicks. Thoughts
and prayers for his thumb. The monarch clicker had a much easier day with
only twenty-seven clicks. The pelicans were up over Canada this morning,
although not in full force. The mute swans are getting more active than
usual, their whistling wings announcing their approach. There are four or
five pied-billed grebes working the slip in front of us. A red-bellied
woodpecker was broadcasting its presence from a nearby maple. A peregrine
falcon was seeking sustenance for breakfast out by the jetty this morning.
He did not appear to succeed.
Predictions:
Mostly sunny tomorrow, as we may get some clouds building throughout the
day. A stronger northeast wind will bring some relief from the heat, with
the temperatures forecast to be ten degrees lower at the seventy-degree
mark. Winds should be in the five to nine mph range, northeast with the
usual fade to a slightly more eastern flavor in the afternoon. We’ll see
whether that holds true. The barometer should be climbing most of the day.
Let’s hope the winds are less fickle than today and we have to do a full
day’s work.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
