Date: 11/5/26 2:53 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (05 Nov 2026) 29 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2026
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood, Sam Heilman
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:
Guy Fawkes Day had no fireworks for us today. We expected a slow day due to
an adverse wind from the southwest that jitterbugged around the fifteen-mph
hour mark all day. Although the cloud cover in the morning had fissures of
blue that would allow spotlights to briefly light up a house, or part of
Celeron Island, the afternoon had us checking our timepieces to make sure
that we had not sprung forward again as a dark gloom descended on us. The
only thing different from yesterday was the absence of rain, fittingly, a
few drops fell on the way out of the park. The temperature reached
fifty-eight degrees. Tomorrow, when the winds switch to a northerly
direction, that temperature will drop fifteen degrees. The barometer was
starting to rebound after bottoming out yesterday and will be climbing
sharply tomorrow.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures carried the day today, mostly in two small groups that
danced around in the wind before crossing. Twenty-six took the top step of
the podium. A three-way tie for the next step between Sharp-shinned hawk,
merlin and red-tailed hawk with a paltry one bird apiece. C�mon birds, work
with us.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were spotted in flight today, although not in large numbers.
There were a large number of cormorants seeking shad on the lake today. It
was a bit of a surprise as we had not seen a density of hundreds of birds
recently. They brought their usual entourage of gulls with them, mostly
ring-bills and herring gulls, but a decent number of them were Bonaparte�s
gulls. The gulls were up flying today; an interesting kettle formation was
observed as they whirled around in a ball-shaped spin-cycle building up
centrifugal force. They don�t seem to be hawking insects as much as earlier
in the season. We are starting to see more ducks in the vicinity, although
the vicinity is large and the ducks were not close. A pair of female
red-breasted mergansers stopped to take a break. Suspected scaup are
gathering on the lake. A call from a sandhill crane was heard this morning
but it was not seen. The water was low in the slip today due to the wind
and the Canada geese and mallards were dabbling in waters that they
normally do not.
Predictions:
Tomorrow has more favorable elements than today. The barometer is sharply
rising and the leading edge of the high will bring winds from the
northwest. Strength of the winds should be in the ten-mph range, plus or
minus a little. The clouds will keep a damper on things as we will have a
high-pressure barometer and a low-pressure sky. It may rain in the early
hours of the day as the cold air rushes in. This should be done by the time
the watch starts. The temperature will drop into the forties, forty-five is
predicted. Add another layer to the wardrobe weather. The winds will shift
a little to WNW during the watch. Hopefully, we shall get some benefit from
these winds, although we prefer northeast for best results.
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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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