Date: 9/16/26 3:19 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (16 Sep 2026) 77 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 16, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Bella Maiwurm, Rebekah Graham , Rosemary Brady
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 morning started with a drizzle and handful of optimists at the count site. After only a few minutes, that turned into a steady rain and a hopeful group sheltering under a large tree. When the weather realized it was not making itself clear enough, that became a downpour and a mad dash to the cover of vehicles. The official count began at 12pm, and the group had only to endure light on and off rain until the end. The winds were light and more like a breeze, coming from the NNE and ENE. Stratus clouds dominated the entirety of the sky for the entirety of the count. Temperatures remained mildly warm, cloaked in high humidity at 74-87%. The barometer rose to 30.34" after the first hour, then dropped very slightly in the last two.
Raptor Observations: Seventy-seven raptors pumped their way overhead, barely aided by the wind. As usual on slower days, the sharp-shinned hawks took first place at 36. The sky eked out three small broad-wing hawk kettles and a few stragglers, bringing their numbers to 26. Eight kestrels and one merlin shot by. A second merlin came too, pausing briefly to grab an insect out of the air and take a bite on the wing, before letting it go and continuing on course. An unknown accipitrine (too indistinct to label) and a red-tailed hawk (clear as day) passed over. One lone bald eagle pumped its way heavily across the lake.
Non-raptor Observations: A flock of 9 white pelicans, always a treat, came in close to float on the water not far from us. Hordes of cormorants (all double-crested) and throngs of ducks (mostly mallard with a single black duck and single wood duck) dominated the water and at times the sky. An entire flock of 11 common terns used our little waterway as a u-turn. An adult herring gull was observed swallowing whole a fish larger than its head. A bald eagle skimmed the full length of the waterway with fish in talons. A great blue heron stole the favored perch of the much lighter resident great egret, sinking on a small log into the water with flagging dignity. Swallows abounded and the carolina wren kept us company with its song. Twenty-four monarchs impressed us as they passed by.
Predictions: The weather forecast for tomorrow shows a very similar weather day, though with less rain to discourage the birds. It will be warm, humid, and cloudy, with low winds NE or NNE. Storms will skirt the southern edge of the park and hopefully avoid it altogether. Pressure will be high, remaining around 30". Raptor predictions are as uncertain as always. The weather could still turn, forcing the birds to hunker down. Or they could have stayed put today and will come in droves tomorrow. Or they may have flown around today's storms and are south of our little site already. It seems safe to expect similar numbers to today or higher, but who knows. We'll be there to find out. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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