Date: 10/7/26 6:17 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (07 Oct 2026) 1106 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 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: 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:
Today�s team of two approached the day with bated breath, since their last
joint venture was met with a pile driver and a birdless sky (October 1st,
for any curious readers). The day proved more fruitful than expected of
southwest winds. Mostly clear skies, winds peaking at thirteen mph, and
humidity down in the low fifties provided comfortable counting conditions.
While the barometer was a bit low, peaking at twenty-nine point eight
three, birds continued to make their way south, some taking their time more
than others.
Raptor Observations:
The day started on the calmer side with sixty-six raptors in the first hour
and increasing to five hundred and twenty-four in the third. Unfortunately,
this was the high number of the day, with totals decreasing each hour that
followed. It truly is turkey vulture season for we witnessed one thousand
and sixty-six slowly migrating in their unflappable way. A total of
thirty-two sharp-shins were on the move today as well, the first of the day
flying so low against southerly winds it seemed nearly to touch the water.
Kestrels were few in number, amounting to four. Harriers, Red-tails,
Peregrines, and an unknown tied for last, only one of each making a
migratory appearance. A second Peregrine was observed high in the sky and
made a run at some poor gull before choosing a steady line due north.
Non-raptor Observations:
Some of our usual companions were missing today, notably our log-rolling
egret and both Caspian and Forster�s terns. The jetty was a popular place,
with a myriad of double-crested cormorants, mallards, Canada geese, and
mute swans. Thirty-one pelicans made midday appearances, wheeling their way
south. Ring-billed gulls littered the sky, covering space from the horizon
line up to the highest clouds, leaving our counters to sort between Larus
and Cathartes shapes. Passerines were made up of chickadees, both white-
and red-breasted nuthatches, cardinals, and Carolina wrens. A woodpecker
hat trick (downy, red-bellied, and flicker) chatted frequently throughout
the day. Yellow-rumps made up the majority of warblers heard and seen this
morning, with one sneaky palm mixing in. One thousand four hundred and four
blue jays proceeded south. One late monarch made their way as well.
Predictions:
Tomorrow�s winds will be mainly be from the west northwest, increasing from
seven to fourteen mph throughout the count hours. The barometer will rise
to a high of thirty point zero from 11am to 1pm, and stay at twenty-nine
point ninety nine before and after. The day looks mostly sunny with a high
of sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Though the barometer will stay on the
lower side and the winds will be less than favorable for this particular
site, it�s hard to predict what birds will move tomorrow given today�s luck
with the weather that we had.
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Report submitted by Jerry Jourdan (<jerry.jourdan...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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