Date: 10/14/26 4:37 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (14 Oct 2026) 7930 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 14, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Mark Hainen, 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:
It took some time for the clouds associated with the rain system that
passed this morning to clear. Gradually, in the early afternoon hours, we
started to see shards of blue peeking through the dense layer of stratus
cloud. Eventually, the sky cleared leaving only cirrus clouds done with a
broad stroke instead of the normal delicate wisps. The avian traffic seemed
to tick upwards as the clouds dispersed. We had a traveling wind today with
the barometer rising. Northerly winds that took some time to get rolling
held promise, although the winds were higher than anticipated and settled
in the ten-mph neighborhood with some minor variations in strength. The
barometer climbed back over thirty inches during the watch, gaining a
little over a tenth of an inch. The temperature was exactly twenty degrees
lower today than the record setting eighty-seven degrees yesterday.
Raptor Observations:
We finally had some work to do today, eventually working past the normal
quitting time. The turkey vultures led the way, of course, with seven
thousand, seven hundred and eight. Wagner came to mind as the Valkyries
streamed overhead in bomber formations bringing along a few friends with
them. We counted thirteen species of raptors today with one unusual one.
Sharp-shins gave us another day over the century mark, in a normal year we
would sometimes do that in an hour, but one hundred and twenty in a day is
the new normal. Red-tailed hawks beat out the kestrels for that coveted
remaining spot on the podium with thirty-three birds to the kestrels
thirty-one. Twenty-two harriers came by, including a couple of gray ghosts.
Three bald eagles were counted, and the same number of red-shouldered hawks
hitched a ride with the TVs. Two was the number for falcons other than
kestrels with a brace of merlins and peregrines. We also counted two
Cooper�s hawks. One was the loneliest number for ospreys, a late
broad-winged hawk and perhaps our star of the day, a second-of-the-season
Swainson�s hawk. This bird was spotted in a kettle of turkey vultures and
streamed out with them. It took some time for the show to unfold, but those
who stayed the course were well rewarded with great migration views.
Non-raptor Observations:
Over two hundred and fifty pelicans made eBird today. First seen out on the
lake in the company of cormorants and gulls settled over a bait fish
school, they made frequent flights, including some in which they appeared
to be kettling with the vultures. Great blue herons and great egrets were
noted in the air today, the log that was frequently used as a perch has
floated free from the vegetation and is not currently in use. The
ring-bills and herring gulls were hawking insects with aerobatic moves
today. Swallows are also hitting the bugs hard. The blue jays liked the
wind with five thousand, two hundred and fifty-four fluttering by. Monarchs
also rose to the occasion with sixteen passing by.
Predictions:
Our favored northeastern wind seems to happen overnight before the watch
commences tomorrow. For the watch, the winds will be veering around the
compass towards the east in the five to ten mph range. The barometer will
climb slowly, but then take a sharp drop as rain may appear in the
afternoon hours near the end of the watch. Cloud cover will be nearly
complete. Given these conditions, it is not likely that we will repeat
today�s numbers.
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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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