Date: 9/24/26 3:07 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (24 Sep 2026) 298 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 24, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Jerry Jourdan,
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:
�Way out west, they�ve got a name��they call the wind Maria� We had a few
choice names for the wind today, most including an adjective that starts
with a letter that precedes M in the alphabet. Once again, we faced a
robust wind coming mainly from the east, peaking at fourteen mph and
staying above ten mph for all but the very early hours of the watch.
Temperatures reached seventy degrees and the sun finally made an
appearance, although a procession of large cumulus clouds in the morning
hours passed through like balloons in the Macy�s Thanksgiving Day parade.
The barometer is still high, but it was starting to drop a little in the
afternoon as it begins a long gradual decline over several days. The winds
all but cleared the sky of migrants, leaving a few hundred gulls
masquerading as raptors at times. The high winds causing them to morph from
their usual wing shapes to more falconesque forms.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures are still reluctant to move in big numbers, as they will in
October. We counted two hundred and fifty-six today, most moving out over
the lake from the tip of Canada. Sharp-shins were in the neighborhood early
in the morning, but as the winds picked up and went further east, they were
off-radar. Nineteen were counted today. Kestrels did not break double
digits today, only nine were present and accounted for. We did manage the
falcon hat-trick with a solo peregrine and two merlins. September�s star,
the broad-winged hawk, could only muster five birds today, but we expected
a poor turnout with the predicted conditions. Three northern harriers were
noted. One red-tailed hawk was also counted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The highlight of the day was the release of a juvenile broad-winged hawk
that had been fished from the waters of Lake St. Clair by some observant
boaters. The bird was rehabbed by Michael Marohn, who released the bird at
the hawkwatch site this morning. Via con Dios. A common loon was seen
flying over the tree line. Our kingfisher made a few appearances today. The
pelicans were busy today and seen in many different places. Masters of
smooth flight, even they were fighting the winds on occasion. A pair of
sandhill cranes were sighted a couple of times. We had one thousand, four
hundred and sixty-three blue jays today. They are infiltrating the local
neighborhood as we hear frequent calls now. Despite the odds and brutal
winds, twenty-five monarchs made it though.
Predictions:
What light through yonder window breaks? Tis the wind below ten mph for the
first time in four days, a welcome change. Although predicted to be
northeast in today�s forecast, it may change overnight, as it did last
night. Temperatures will hit sixty-seven and clouds are predicted to clear
in the afternoon, although the cover will be significant in the morning.
On paper this day looks much better than today, but that it not saying
much. We should resume counting sharpies and kestrels. Broad-wings, not so
much, but still possible. Turkey vultures should be increasing in numbers
as we approach October. If the forecast is accurate, it should be a much
more favorable wind 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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