Date: 10/2/26 2:37 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (02 Oct 2026) 350 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 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, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen
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 Rock of Gibraltar is a cloud generating machine when the Levant winds
blow from the east. With these conditions the west side of the Rock is
perpetually covered in cloudy shadow. There wasn�t much difference in
Gibraltar MI today (I believe the wild monkey population is slightly larger
on the Rock) as we sat under a solid status ceiling while a tantalizing
blue sky stayed just to the northwest of us. Two completely different
skies, and we were under the wrong half. The rain had swept through
overnight, clearing in the early morning pre-watch hours but the residue
persisted. Winds were from the north, switching to the northwest in the
later hours. Speeds did top out at ten mph, a little too rich for us. The
barometer was heading sharply higher, a trend to be continued tomorrow. The
temperature rose to sixty-five degrees.
Raptor Observations:
We did better than the previous two days but the bar was not set too high
for that accomplishment. Turkey vultures led the way with two hundred and
sixty-eight, although with the headwind it seemed that they were flying
through mud with little inclination to head south. The largest kettles we
saw were in the teens. Sharp-shins were flying again today. Seventy brave
souls were tossed about in the vigorous winds. A few broadwings are still
out there trying to stay relevant, they made the podium today with four
travelers. We did score the falcon hat-trick today with three kestrels, and
one apiece of merlins and peregrine falcons. Two red-tailed hawks were
noted today. One Cooper�s hawk was also counted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were the stars today. Over five hundred were counted in the
morning hours as they headed up river. Shortly thereafter, they gave us
views of large formations of them flying back. They passed closer than
usual in wave after wave. Seventeen hundred cormorants were counted this
morning as they flew out of the roosting area to the open lake. The
baitfish are getting very nervous. The osprey was seen a few times today.
The pied-billed grebes made need to switch to decaf as they were chasing
each other and actually flying a few times. A yellow-rumped warbler was
observed in the stressed maple tree close by. Caspian and Forster�s terns
are still fattening up in the slip. One thousand, nine hundred and
eighty-five blue jays tried to slip by, staying low to avoid the winds.
Four monarchs were also seen today.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be a litter friendlier to our site. Godot, in the shape
of the sun, will finally arrive. The winds will moderate down to around the
five-mph range. Direction will be northerly, switching to easterly later in
the day. The timing of that switch could affect the flight. The barometer
will continue its climb to 30.35 overnight, but may fall a little from that
lofty peak during the watch. The temperature will hit the
sixty-three-degree mark. Cautious optimism, given that the birds should be
moving after the rain swept through and high pressure is moving in. If the
winds supply the correct push, we should have birds.
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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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