Date: 9/20/26 3:43 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (20 Sep 2026) 614 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 2.75 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Bella Maiwurm, Erika Van Kirk, 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: The counters appeared faithfully on site at 9am and were greeted with steady winds and persistent rain. We took shelter under the Hawk Fest event table and greeted visitors who braved the weather, sending them away with brochures and invitations to come a drier day. Towards 11:30am we broke the tent down and partook in festivities at the nearby Marsh Museum, expecting to cancel the count for the rest of the day. At noon there was a brief reprieve in the rain and we decided to see what would come of a count. Though we twice hid in a vehicle and under a tree due to rain, we were able to spend the vast majority of the afternoon counting as usual. The barometer stayed well below 30", but with strong NNE winds we were able to count quite a few raptors. Humidity stayed high, stratus clouds covered the sky, and visibility was excellent.
Raptor Observations: The broad-winged hawks could not wait for a better day to travel, surprising us with several small kettles amounting to five hundred and eighty-four. Sharp-shins, nonchalant as ever about the weather, numbered twenty in total. Five kestrels crossed over, as did a lone red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, and peregrine falcon. Altogether, six hundred and fourteen raptors made the trip today.
Non-raptor Observations: Two local Cooper's hawks tussled with each other and a cormorant up the channel. Not to be outdone bullying the cormorants, a herring gull stole a fish right out of one's mouth, causing great excitement on the shore. A caspian tern successfully fished and successfully ate it before anyone noticed. The resident egret stayed loyal to its log. The swallows were in abundance, swirling en masse over the water. Six monarchs bravely fluttered past.
Predictions: Good NE winds, a decent barometer, and a lack of stormy, rainy weather makes tomorrow a promising day by current predictions. Given today's rainy day birds, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow brought a few more broad-wings and sharp-shins. As ever, though, these things have a way of changing and moving in unpredictable ways. ======================================================================== 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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