Date: 9/5/26 3:06 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (05 Sep 2026) 26 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 05, 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, Bill Peregord,
Michelle Peregord
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:
We are still trying to put the weather of the first few days of the watch
in our rearview mirror. Today was supposed to clear out the residual cloud
cover but it was only towards the end of the watch that the blue portion of
the sky began to make serious inroads into the mixed assemblage of gray
clouds that dominated our day. Occasional rain showers could be seen in the
distance but except for a few drops, we remained dry. The barometer, bless
its little heart, did try to climb out of the twenty-nine-inch range but
could not quite manage it. The winds finally turned favorable for us,
mostly east-northeast, which is predicted to last through tomorrow. With
those cooling northern winds, the temperature was a comfortable seventy-six
degrees with low humidity. The decibel level rose quite a bit as the
big-cammed, unmuffled speedboats took to the waters to celebrate Labor Day.
Raptor Observations:
We expected a better day today with the change in weather fortunes; the
birds did their best to meet those expectations. Northern harriers took the
gold with nine. American kestrels were surfing on the wind and five were
noted. Red-tailed hawks claimed the last step on the podium with three
young birds flying over. The rest of the runners finished in a pack at two
apiece, including osprey, bald eagle, sharp-shinned hawk, and peregrine
falcon. Bringing up the rear was a solo broad-winged hawk, our first, and
certainly not the last of the season.
Non-raptor Observations:
The nicer weather brought out a nice collection of �other� species. Great
blue herons were joined by great egrets and a surprise pair of
black-crowned night herons that flew by early in the morning. A small
flight of common terns made an appearance and we got a brief glimpse of
four shorebirds of the yellowlegs persuasion. Our kingfisher was happy to
see the weather improve and gave a hearty laugh as he went by. Warbling
vireo, Carolina wren and cardinals were busy at the karaoke machine. We are
starting to see mute swans in their usual sheltered spot by the Celeron
Island jetty, a dozen birds were there today. The swallows were present in
all corners of the matrix today. They were joined by gulls that also
feasted aloft. A common nighthawk was seen this morning buoyantly flying
along. Hummingbirds continue to buzz by at a high rate of speed. We are
seeing northern flickers and occasional red-bellied woodpeckers flying over
the slip making their appointed rounds. One hundred and twenty-one
monarchs rode the winds to our doorstep today. They favor the same winds as
the birds.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be our most promising day yet. That is not saying much
when you consider the days that we have had, but things had to change. We
should have the same winds out of our favorite NE quadrant; the strength
looks to be in the sweet spot at just below ten mph. It should be mostly
sunny, which should help. The temperature should be similar to today, which
should help the humans. The barometer has a more favorable rising profile
than today. It should break the thirty-inch barrier and keep on going for a
couple of days as high pressure makes its presence known. Although it is
still early in the season, birds were moving today and should be moving
tomorrow.
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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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