Date: 9/3/26 3:20 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (03 Sep 2026) 2 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 03, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:45:00
Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess
Observers: Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, 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:
I mentioned yesterday that today might not be pretty. It was not. We
started off with a blue sky that disappeared in short order, replaced by a
wet blanket of stratus clouds. It was a day that felt closed in. The air
was listless, thick with humidity, often lacking the energy to raise the
flags from their flaccid state. Although, we saw little wind, the radar was
showing lots of action coming across the state from a starting position in
Wisconsin. This constantly morphing energy mass finally reached us at the
end of the watch and all hell broke loose. Tornado warnings were issued,
the sirens were howling at the moon, and we retreated to the relative
safety of our homes. The storm front had coalesced and changed to red on
the radar. When it finally hit, first announced by the baritone rumbles of
thunder, the wind went from zero to sixty in a flash and heavy sheets of
rain began to fall. The stage for this mayhem was set by the high
temperatures and high humidity. It reached eighty-four degrees but the
real-feels were ten degrees higher at ninety-four. The winds were variable
in strength and direction, but at least they shifted from a steady
southwestern direction, a good thing. The barometer is still below thirty
inches but should be there in a day or two. It was an uncomfortable day and
there was a sense that something had to give, it finally did.
Raptor Observations:
I feel a little disappointed that we had to cut the watch short due to
tornado warnings. We only lost twelve minutes but the eternally optimistic
nature of all the counters says that there was as chance to do better in
that lost time. We only counted two harriers today, but what might have
been if we carried the watch to full term. The skies were relatively empty
today due to the soft winds that kept the eagles and ospreys from roaming
around at will. They had been a major presence the first two days. We had
fewer turkey vulture sightings today as they are a bird that also loves big
winds. We had a couple of brief glimpses of one of the local Coop�s today.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was relatively quiet today for other birds too. We did add a new species
as a small gathering of common terns flew by in a one-time appearance.
These birds are becoming more common at the watch site in the last few
years. The Forster�s terns and Caspian terns are still attacking the water
with abandon. Mute swans made an appearance today, three of them out by the
Celeron jetty. Two great blue herons were disputing who had the deed to the
section of water that both occupied for a short while. A chase scene ensued
to settle the issue. Lots of damsel flies were taking refuge in the grass
around us today and a possible vole sighting occurred in an old woodchuck
hole. The swallows were not hampered by the lack of wind and continued
making their rounds all day long. Monarchs kept us on our toes,
twenty-eight participants made our clicker.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be another rough and tumble day. Not necessarily as
rough, but still unstable as the hot and cold air masses sort themselves
out. Thunderstorms are predicted early and may carry over into the starting
hours of the watch. The temperatures should be lower, taking some energy
out of the equation, predicted to reach a high of seventy-nine with
eighty-four degree real-feels. Winds will meander in both strength and
direction around the five-mph mark but these low winds have no place to
call home when it comes to point of origin, sometimes flipping one hundred
and eighty degrees in minutes. Humidity will be near the saturation point
all day. Sweating will be a privilege, not a right.
Better days are on the way, but the cloud cover has unfortunately been
extended to Saturday, which still looks to be our first day with any
potential, although the clouds may dampen the bird�s enthusiasm.
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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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