Date: 9/23/26 2:49 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (23 Sep 2026) 484 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 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, Bill 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:
Fall has rushed in like a lion this year. For two days we have been like
dogs hanging our heads out of car windows; moving forward at ten to fifteen
miles per hour� we were adapting. Today, someone hit the accelerator and
we were facing winds over twenty mph at times, our ears were pinned back.
The sky was a fall-like amalgam of various shades of various forms of
clouds. At times, blue splashes could be seen through short-lived openings.
As the day progressed, the cloud cover seemed to lessen, although scudding
dark masses still moved through and light rain was falling at the watch�s
end. The temperature reached sixty-four degrees. The barometer reached 30.4
inches, although the sky did not resemble a high-pressure system.
Raptor Observations:
Congratulations to our colleagues at Holiday Beach, we are tapping out of
the race for broadwing supremacy this season. We wish them luck in their
quest to reach an all-time record. We both had a pair of spectacular days,
but theirs was more so. Speaking of broadwings, they took the top step of
the podium today with two hundred and eighteen runners. Most of them came
early before the winds kicked up in earnest. Sharpies took the silver with
one hundred and thirty; most were also early birds. Turkey vultures were a
mix today; some were just chilling in the winds with no intention of moving
on. Of those, some were seen almost kiting as the winds were that strong.
Ninety-seven did pass through. Red-tails had a moment in the morning hours,
eighteen of them fought their way through challenging conditions. The
harriers were rocking like vultures, turning hither and yon, but eventually
floating by. Eleven were noted. Perhaps the kestrels sat this maelstrom out
for the most part as only nine were seen. One Cooper�s hawk in near adult
plumage made the trip.
Non-raptor Observations:
The sky was swept fairly clean by the racing winds today, but gulls took to
the sky in the afternoon hours when it eased just a little. Hundreds of
them in various shapes and sizes, mostly ring-bills and herring gulls,
looking like raptors at times as they flew with trimmed sails, took up
positions all over the sky. I�m not sure where these birds roost, but it
was the largest assemblage we had seen so far this season. The American
white pelicans made a few visits today, some groups larger than others, but
still relatively small for them, thirty or so was the largest pod. The
local version of sargassum has started to float to the surface and collect
at the boat launch area. Ski-Doo�s beware as the loose grass has an
affinity for water intakes. With the winds blowing as they have been, the
water in the slip is higher than usual. We have a peregrine that seems to
have taken up residence for a few days, it made a late appearance today. A
pair of local red-tails were playing tag today as they are apparently
pair-bonding. Seven monarchs made the arduous flight. They were joined by
four thousand, two hundred and twenty-four blue jays.
Predictions:
The winds should subside this evening, thank you, dropping below ten mph
for the start of the watch, but having a dead-cat bounce in the afternoon
up to twelve mph. The rest of the week looks to be closer to five mph which
will seem like the doldrums to us. The direction should stay mostly east.
The temperature will rise a few degrees, forecast to be sixty-seven. The
barometer will hang in there, well above thirty inches. I may not have much
to write about clouds tomorrow as the gloom finally clears and the golden
orb makes a reappearance. The easterly wind seems to make the birds cross
more to the north of us; a lot of birds were in that direction today. It
will still be a brisk wind for most of tomorrow but let�s hope that a
sunnier day will yield more rewards than today.
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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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