Date: 9/12/26 2:48 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (12 Sep 2026) 83 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 12, 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, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen
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:
One might think that a slower day after yesterday�s mild chaos of one
thousand plus birds coming from all sides might be appreciated. It was not.
We resembled Yukio Mishima�s Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, drawn
and quartered in front of the assembled weekend crowd. Hawkwatching will
always keep you in touch with your humility on a regular basis. Although we
had a favorable wind for the first moments of the watch, a switch to a
growing southern wind left us searching an empty sky for much of the day.
The skies varied from low overcast to sunny periods highlighting the frosty
cirrus clouds morphing in the winds aloft. The barometer was heading south
all day as a low-pressure moment that will happen later today before the
mercury begins to rebound. The pressure dropped to 29.82, after starting
the day 1.7 tenths higher. Not good. The winds grew to low double digits,
although we were sheltered to some degree. Small whitecaps were visible on
the lake. The temperature reached eighty-degrees with a humidity boost in
the real-feels of four degrees.
Raptor Observations:
The sharpies were the saving grace today. Although slow off the mark, and
infuriately absent for long periods, they kept us from complete shame.
Seventy-four of them fluttered by, coming in twos and threes at times. A
large drop to the second step of the podium, with four northern harriers
taking the silver. A smaller drop to third, American kestrels could only
offer three of their ilk today. We had a single broadwing and a lone bald
eagle to finish the tally.
Non-raptor Observations:
We had a surprise visitor today; a first-year Bonaparte�s gull came into
the slip. They usually show up a little later. Catbird, red-belled
woodpecker, and flickers joined the Carolina wren and warbling vireo in the
choir. Caspian and Forster�s terns continue to work the slip. Another gold
fish was plucked from the water by a local osprey this morning. The
goldfish must have had a fertile year as we have not seen that many pulled
out in recent years, although they are by no means unusual. The swallows
were visible mostly in the background today, with occasional forays to the
front part of the stage, where they were tempting targets as they resemble
falcons to desperate hawk counters. Forty monarchs were counted today, a
big drop from yesterday. Most of them were headed north, pushed by the
southern wind.
Predictions:
It might be a good day to head to Pte. Mouille Headquarters tomorrow. A
very robust west-northwest wind reaching fifteen mph will affect the
flight. The barometer will start to rebound, but not as quickly as the
winds. Cloud cover should be present over 50%, although the type of cloud
is unknown at this time. There is a fifteen percent chance of rain so
cumulus clouds should be in the mix. The strong winds should give the birds
all the lift they need to cut the corner of the lake with ease. Hopefully,
a few low flying sharpies hiding in the trees will give us something to
count.
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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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