Date: 10/24/26 4:32 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (24 Oct 2026) 1580 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Natalie Cypher, Paul Cypher
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:
Another beautiful sunny day at the metropark. A bit too warm for October in
my taste, but quite pleasant counting weather. The winds were light once
again, with the strongest gales reaching six mph. They started in the north
and as the hours went by, inched their way east and then southeast. Cumulus
clouds lurked around the horizon but never covered more than thirty percent
of the sky. The barometer was high, staying around thirty point four six.
Temperatures in the low sixties meant that only two layers (or just one
thick sweatshirt) were needed to stay warm today.
Raptor Observations:
The turkey vultures made us work for it today, rising in large kettles
before disappearing back behind the trees, sometimes the same size as a
pepper flake in a scope glass. On occasion they graced us with their
presence overhead, before retreating to their far line once more. One
thousand four hundred and ninety-nine pepper flakes were counted. One last
bird refused to appear to round out that number. Red-tailed hawks were out,
though in fewer numbers than yesterday. Forty-five made the trek across,
coming in closer than the vultures so that we may admire their variable
markings. Ten red-shoulders made a run with the kettles, along with nine of
both harriers and sharp-shins. Two bald eagles and cooper�s hawks did as
well. A single broad-wing made a quick dart across the channel; perhaps our
last of the season? Three immature golden eagles were noted, one in each of
the last three hours of the count. A wonderful lifer for new visitors!
Non-raptor Observations:
The fall aria of white-throated sparrows, robins, and blackbirds continues.
One of my favorite parts of fall is watching the masses of blackbirds
aggregate over the marshes, listening to the red-wings and rusties vying
for best singing perch on the snags behind the site. Both ruby and
golden-crowned kinglets are busy in the treetops, along with our usual
downy and red-bellied woodpeckers. As always, the cormorants and
ring-billed gulls were busy out in the slip. Our juvenile herring gull was
only mistaken for a raptor once today, that�s a win. Four american white
pelicans remain on the jetty, hopefully for a little while longer. Three
hundred and eighty-one crows made appearances today, along with two blue
jays. Twenty-four monarches were tallied, and I certainly hope they hurry
on south.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be another copy of today, perhaps with a few more clouds.
Mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching the mid-sixties will be
another lovely day to sit at the picnic table. Winds will be light, between
five and ten mph again, from the south this time. Not optimal, but some
birds will likely fly into the wind, if it doesn�t gain speed. The
barometer will continue to stay high, likely in the thirty point four-five
area again. Hopefully our stream of turkey vultures will continue against
the wind, along with red-tails, shoulders, and whoever else decides to make
an appearance.
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Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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