Date: 11/3/26 2:44 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (03 Nov 2026) 147 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 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: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Johannes Postma,
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:
Lovely to look at, delightful to hold, but if a southern wind is blowing,
fuggedaboutit. It was indeed a very lovely day to look at, but as far as
looking for raptors, not so much. The mellow fall of twenty-six continues
with strong southern winds starting at thirteen and climbing to nineteen
mph. Running out of steam and subsiding a little at the end of the watch.
The wind brought unseasonably warm temps to the region, reaching
seventy-five degrees under blue skies. The cloud cover was interesting as
we started the day with a well-defined sharply-edged slab of cloud off to
the northwest that looked like the approach of the fog in John Carpenter�s
horror flick. Surprisingly, it stayed in place and was gradually eroded
over a few hours leaving us with a mostly blue dome at days end. The
barometer was falling, dropping a tenth to remain at thirty inches, but in
a decline that will last through tomorrow when rain is currently in the
forecast.
Raptor Observations:
Our second and third hour were most productive today, from one o�clock on,
squadoosh. Turkey vultures continue to rule the roost despite relatively
anemic numbers. One hundred and thirty-nine took the gold today. We could
only add two other species to the count, six red-tailed hawks and two
sharp-shins.
Non-raptor Observations:
The remaining cormorants were busy today, flying out to the lake en masse
and returning to the roost later in the day in a similar fashion. At one
time, they were joined by two pelicans and a multitude of gulls. We
searched for the possible great black-backed gull but it was laying low
today. The skies were relatively clear of local birds today, a couple of
local bald eagles and the mallards being a couple of exceptions. A brace of
crows was seen, but headed in the wrong direction. Possibly the last
monarch of the season made a late appearance.
Predictions:
The winds look very similar to todays in the forecast for tomorrow. Not
good, also not good, there is rain predicted that looks to last for some
time, albeit light. Cloud cover should be complete. The barometer will
continue to fall, dropping below twenty-nine point seven as it bottoms out
before rebounding over the next four days. It�s hard to approach tomorrow
with any optimism for a significant number of migrant raptors.
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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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