Date: 9/7/26 3:39 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (07 Sep 2026) 457 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 07, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Michelle Peregord,
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:
A lovely Labor Day in the neighborhood. Eighty-degree temperatures kept it
warm, cooling breezes from the northeast at first, southeast off the lake
later, kept the edge off the heat. Clouds were everchanging with a slow
buildup of plentiful cumulus clouds at first, followed by, in later
afternoon, a splendiferous display of impressive cirrus clouds at their
artistic best. The barometer continued to climb; reaching a peak at 30.22
inches around noon. That pressure, or thereabouts, will last till about
midday tomorrow, when a drop will take place and the stage will be set for
thunderstorms on Wednesday.
Raptor Observations:
We are slowly easing our way up the ladder with another best day for the
site. The traditional September migrants are starting to materialize in
better numbers. Today, the broadwings again took the gold, three hundred
and forty of them made the trip. Sharp-shins are upping the ante with
fifty-five fluttering by. American kestrels were trying to keep pace but
fell a bit short, thirty-nine of them racing by on the helping wind. We saw
our first merlins today. Three of them took the bait. Six bald eagles
passed over, along with the same number of red-tailed hawks. Only four
harriers flew over, I think they are cutting over the lake since we know
they are flying in greater numbers than we are seeing. The fight line
shifted around today due to the changing winds. Most of the lines had one
thing in common; they were up in the nosebleed strata of the sky.
Broadwings looked like ants at times. Thankfully, the cirrus clouds
provided a gauzy background to help us see them. We had some great eyes
helping us, thanks to all that did assist.
Non-raptor Observations:
The gulls were up in numbers today with the darker ones causing
consternation from time to time as they acted as clickbait, making us look
at them since they can be dead ringers for soaring raptors. A flight of
four killdeer was noted this morning. Carolina wrens and warbling vireos
gave occasional snippets of their repertoire. Cedar waxwings were noted in
pursuit of flying insects. Great blue herons continue to patrol the area.
The pelicans were out in numbers today, not as large I suspect as they will
be later, but thirty to forty were wheeling behind the tree line. We
noticed our first ring-billed grebes today as three were seen hanging
together. Monarchs flew high and low today with one hundred and forty-seven
showing up.
Predictions:
The wind was erratic during the watch, changing strength and direction
frequently. The southeast wind did not hurt the count fatally, as we had
broadwings late in the watch. This appears to be our fate tomorrow as
southeast winds will dominate during the watch hours. They should peak at
ten mph at the end of normal watch hours. Temperatures will be about the
same as today, near eighty degrees. The barometer will peak at ten o�clock,
then start a multiday decline which should last until the weekend.
Cloud cover should be in the fifty percent range. With the falling
barometer, I wouldn�t expect a great day tomorrow but birds are on the move
and hopefully the winds won�t be too aggressive for them to come by and see
us.
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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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