Date: 9/1/26 3:26 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (01 Sep 2026) 12 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Erika Van Kirk,
Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
The voice of the turtle is heard throughout the land (Thanks, Mr. Harwell)
as we kick off the 2026 Detroit River Hawk Watch. Every year the raptor
migration follows a funnel-like path dictated by the positions of the Great
Lakes; Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron determining our fate. They create a
portal through which hundreds of thousands of raptors may pass, this
traffic is exceeded only the NCAA portal, which apparently has no limit.
Today was more a holdover from summer than the cool fall day with northerly
winds that we desire. Heat and humidity were the order of the day. Skies
were a series of transitions from nearly complete coverage with
alto-stratus clouds of little heft, followed by more open bands of mostly
blue sky with high cirrus and plane contrails, we rinsed and repeated
through several cycles. The whole visual effect was diluted by the very
humid air surrounding us, muddying the sky and taking the sharp edges off
the view. We seem to be caught between high- and low-pressure systems,
neither fish nor fowl. The pressure dropped seven tenths today to 29.89
inches. It will plot an erratic course over the next few days but the
general trend is upwards. Unfortunately, the temperature and SW winds will
also increase. The temperature was 88 degrees today, but the real-feel
temperature was 101 degrees. The wind had a brief peak at thirteen mph
today, and will equal or exceed that tomorrow. You may remember from
previous year�s rants that Southwest winds are not held in high regard at
the site.
Raptor Observations:
The harriers ruled the skies today; the first bird of the year was a grey
ghost. We almost achieved double digits, but fell one short with nine of
them making the clicker. These birds are less wind-direction sensitive than
the broadwings to come. The skies were busy with the locals soaring as the
winds rose. Bald eagles were present in numbers, roaming around their
territory. A pair of ospreys spent the day with us. The local Coopers were
up, at one time showing territorial road-rage towards a red-tail that was
in no hurry to leave the area yet. We did count a single Cooper�s, one bald
eagle and one American kestrel, to round out the day�s numbers.
Non-raptor Observations:
The area was very birdy today with ring-billed gulls, cedar waxwings, and a
plethora (Thanks, Mr. Cosell) of mixed swallows, swifts and purple martins
all up hawking biomass from the air. A pair of kingfishers had a little
spat at the end of the day. Great egrets were disagreeing with the call,
apparently, as their hoarse protests were heard a couple of times. A green
heron made an early day appearance. A large congregation of double-crested
cormorants were attending mass over a school of bait fish this morning.
Caspian and Forster�s terns were fishing the waters nearby. Warbling
vireos, cardinals and Carolina wrens provided the sound track. The monarchs
were on the move today with twenty-one counted. We saw one of them that did
not make it to southern climes as it fell into the water, much to the
dismay of all watching.
Predictions:
Slightly higher temps tomorrow, now predicted at ninety-two degrees, which
is a skosh lower than the earlier predictions. Real-feels will be bumping
up against one hundred again, thanks to the moisture-laden air being blown
in by the SW winds. Those winds should top out at fourteen mph. Skies will
be mostly sunny. Birds will be flying in the robust winds, but mostly
locals. It�s a little early for the sharpies, and a little too adverse for
the birds we want to see. Let�s hope the harriers can top today�s
performance. Let�s hope the observers can survive another very
uncomfortable day without tapping out.
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Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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