Date: 10/5/25 2:30 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (05 Oct 2025) 144 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 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, Michelle Peregord, 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:
Well, at least the Tigers won. By my reckoning, we have one more day of
purgatory in the BSOD world we have been living in. We are on the west side
of a high-pressure zone, and they are so large nowadays that four days of
southerly winds are guaranteed. We should have one more day before the
skies may cloud up, and a little rain may fall. After that, we should see
the winds switch the north and temperatures drop to a more seasonally
normal high. We are surrounded by a curtain of haze. Perhaps it’s clean
smog from “clean coal”, that prevents us from peering into the
distance, the way we normally do. Turkey vultures are doing David
Copperfield disappearing acts in front of our eyes. Poof, they are gone,
never to be seen again. The southern winds usually bring heat, and today
was no exception, with the temperature reaching the mid-eighties. Winds
were light to start, but starting climbing at midday, eventually reaching
nearly fifteen mph. That effectively cleaned the sky of birds, as they were
turning west well before they reached us. The barometer stayed above 30”,
as it will through Tuesday, despite the inclement weather coming. It should
rebound on Wednesday. There were some cumulus clouds to the west of us, but
our sky was nothing but blue.
Raptor Observations:
There was no joy in Mudville today, even thought the sun was shining.
Unless of course, blue jays are your thing. Turkey vultures won the race,
but we suspect there were more to be seen, if only we could. One hundred
and fourteen took the gold. Twenty-two sharpies struggled into the wind to
take the silver. Other birds were scarce, two Cooper’s hawks, red-tailed
hawks and peregrine falcons. Only one each of the bald eagle and American
kestrel species.
Non-raptor Observations:
Jays were the main movers today with eleven thousand, six hundred and
thirty keeping the clicker smoking. The American white pelicans came back
to their roosting place near the Celeron jetty, twenty were seen flying
together, and smaller groups later landed at the roosting spot. A single
common tern made a lap around the slip this morning. A pair of Forster’s
terns were later spotted over the lake. We did see the Caspian tern
yesterday, but not today. Canada geese are practicing their formation
flying, with plenty of verbal criticisms being given during the flights.
The monarchs fell victim to the winds today with only thirty-three showing
up.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should show a little more cloud than today, but the winds, the
winds will still be from the south. Once again, they will climb during the
watch from seven to twelve mph. Once again, the temperatures will reflect
the direction from which the winds come, and hit the mid-eighties. The
barometer should drop slightly, and bottom out on Tuesday. I would not
place a heavy bet on tomorrow, or the next day, but Wednesday, as it is
forecast, shows promise. It should be a brisk day with cold northern winds
in our face, only reaching the sixty-degree mark. Bring an extra layer.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
