Date: 10/15/26 3:22 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (15 Oct 2026) 4748 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen,
Rebekah Graham, Rebekah Graham , Rosemary Brady
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 was a dreary affair compared to the late afternoon golden-hour light
that we had yesterday. The sun never made it to our roosting spot, although
a band of blue was seen over the lake slowly approaching�.very slowly. The
predicted rain didn�t quite reach us either, although the sky to the
northwest looked ominous at times. We started off with a northeast wind
that veered around to the east eventually, changing the flight lines but
never really stopping the flow. The strength stayed in the five to ten mph
band with some occasional ebbs and gusts. Temperatures hit sixty-one
degrees. The barometer was falling and will accelerate its rate of
decrease, losing six tenths of an inch by tomorrow. A significant drop that
will bring significant winds.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures ruled the day. At first appearing in kettles over Canada
and Celeron Island, and later as the winds changed, emerging like ethereal
specters from the gray gloom that enveloped us. It was difficult to
pinpoint their origin later in the day as they chose diverse paths to
follow. They kept coming throughout the day, not as plentiful as yesterday,
but four thousand, six hundred and twenty-three showed their little red
heads. Their fellow travelers included fifty-one red-tails and forty-six
sharpies, to complete the medal winners. Seven Cooper�s hawks were added to
the tally. Seven was also the lucky number for red-shouldered hawks. Six
harriers were noted. Four broad-wings rode the rails today. Only two
kestrels were seen, with one bald eagle and one merlin rounding out the
total.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans and cormorants were feasting out on the lake this morning, not
in spectacular numbers but the fish were still displeased. Forster�s terns
were noted today but we were fairly busy and did not see the Caspian terns.
For some reason, perhaps a photo-period thing, the ring-bills and mallards
seemed noisy and energetic today, drawing attention to themselves with the
ruckus they were making. The gulls were still up hawking insects today. A
Carolina wren was singing early in the watch. Mute swans seem to be
multiplying in numbers and flying by with their whistling wings more often.
Four thousand, nine hundred and twenty-three blue jays continued to
evacuate Canada, most of them bound for my feeder which has peanuts for
them to chisel open. One brave monarch did a solo flight today.
Predictions:
Tomorrow could be difficult to predict. The barometer should be sharply
rising as the watch starts. However, rain is forecast and although it is
predicted to end pre-watch, one never knows. Cloud cover will be similar to
today. Winds will peak at twenty mph from the west at the lowest pressure
point during the rain, but should gradually fall over the day, most of it
happening after the watch. Fifteen to twenty mph winds are challenging for
both counters and the counted. The winds are northwesterly, so a lot of
traffic may take the shortcut over the lake out of our sight. We are
looking at another very large high-pressure system moving in, in the
ten-day forecast the barometer is fairly flat from Saturday until next
Saturday. Very light winds will be common after tomorrow�s die down. I
think tomorrow may depend on the rain system, how long it takes to clear,
and where it goes after it heads east. The high winds are going to play
their part too.
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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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