Date: 11/1/26 1:58 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (01 Nov 2026) 285 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Don Sherwood, Erika Van Kirk, 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:
The first of November was a peculiarly warm day with a high of 67F and a
whisper of wind unable to bring fall�s usual chill off the lake. Skies were
overcast in the morning with a lunchtime sun break that brought both birds
and the promise of warmth for those sitting at shaded tables. By the time
the sun emerged from behind our resident towering, yellowing maple,
however, clouds had formed and robbed our counters of a warm sun on their
backs. Winds were quite low from the east and southeast, while the
barometer did its best, hovering between 30.33� and 30.42�.
Raptor Observations:
By late morning, a small kettle of visitors milled about the picnic tables,
making this counter nervous there�d be no raptors to point out with only
one counted in the first two hours. Fortunately the red-tails started
moving (giving us a good number at fifty-three), and the first turkey
vultures were easily visible with binoculars. Vultures came to two hundred
fifteen, all flying by within an hour and a half. We were also lucky with
two bald eagles, two northern harriers, six sharpies, and two
red-shoulders. Three golden eagles soared by around lunch time and gave
good scope looks without anyone needing to make a run for it from the boat
house. One rough-legged crossed the lake and narrowly avoided being called
a red-tail thanks to the wise instincts of Don S and the persistent work of
Gracie S who caught it over the marsh and confirmed ID.
Non-raptor Observations:
The passerines made a pitiful showing of it, white-throated sparrow,
black-capped chickadee, Carolina wren, red-bellied woodpecker, and northern
flicker all being noted in singles. The water birds did a quite a bit
better, with ninety-seven ring-billed gulls, one hundred eighty-seven
double-crested cormorants, and twenty-five great egrets observed. Five
individual blue jays loudly announced their presence at different times
during the day, but were not deemed migratory. Fifty-seven American crows
journeyed south high in the blue, and later a solid chunk of them
de-migrated while everyone pretended not to notice. Overall, it was an
uncharaterically quiet morning, and we missed the trilling of the
songbirds.
Predictions:
Overcast skies and strong south winds do not bode well for tomorrow. While
the barometer remains high, hovering in the 30.10" to 30.20" range, 11mph
winds in the wrong direction could prove too much of a bother for migrating
birds. These raptors know how to navigate any direction of wind and find
any brief window of respite, but they may choose to move slowly and make a
hunting day out of it. We shall see.
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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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