Date: 9/17/26 3:47 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (17 Sep 2026) 1997 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 17, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen,
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:
Marlane Ainsworth described the frustrating, windless calm of an equatorial
doldrum as a �time out from intense living. Doldrums are where new seeds
have a chance to grow and be noticed,� and boy was that proven later in our
day. The morning began achingly slow, with winds beginning from the
northeast at five mph. By noon the winds dropped to a scant breeze, with
temperatures hovering around sixty-five degrees, humidity in the nineties,
and a barometer around thirty point twenty-six. Thick stratus clouds boxed
us in, keeping the ceiling low and Canada hidden from view. By the end of
the count, the winds reemerged from the northwest and Canada had returned
from the mist.
Raptor Observations:
The morning hours tested the limits of our picnic-table sailors, riding out
the doldrum with a single kestrel, merlin, and two sharp-shins between
hours one and six. The seeds of our patient labor bloomed after three pm,
when the broad-wings kicked off. Kettles of one hundred to one-fifty birds
appearing out of the mist. One thousand and seventy broadies were tallied
by the end of the day, a modest amount for the count�s standards, but a
lovely uptick from the previous days. Four more kestrels, fourteen
sharpies, an immature bald eagle, and three turkey vultures rounded out the
day. Our usual Cooper�s hawk, osprey, and bald eagles made appearances
throughout the day as well.
Non-raptor Observations:
Turkey hens and their poults greeted us upon arrival this morning, eighteen
of them viewable in the tall grass. Double-crested cormorants were on the
move today. Lines and lines of these fish-eaters, over a thousand worth,
were making their way south. Eight American white pelicans continued to
mingle with the mute swans by the break wall. Purple martins, tree
swallows, and northern rough-winged swallows decided to make life trickier
for the counters, debuting at the same time as the broad-wings. The large
oak trees at our back were full of passerines, including cedar waxwings,
magnolia warblers, blackpoll warblers, gray catbirds, and red-winged
blackbirds. A downy woodpecker and carolina wren kept up their calls,
encouragement in the form of rattling birdsong. A new muskrat friend
appeared, dipping in and out of view in the water just beyond the picnic
tables. Fourty-four monarchs made a mad dash across.
Predictions:
Ever the optimist, I hope for a higher count tomorrow. It will be a short
reprieve between rain systems, an opportunity we theorize the broad-wings
will take advantage of (if they have been hunkered down as we hope). The
sun should reemerge, providing mostly blue skies and highs in the
mid-seventies. Winds are predicted to continue from the northeast at an
increased ten to fifteen mph. The barometer will be up towards thirty point
two, providing that necessary lift our migrating birds prefer. The
combination of sunnier skies, higher winds continuing from the northeast,
and high barometer bodes well, but who knows that the birds will ultimately
do. Time will tell!
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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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