Date: 11/6/26 3:16 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (06 Nov 2026) 401 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 06, 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, Don Sherwood,
Johannes Postma
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:
Missed it by that much, as Don Smart used to say. The predicted northwest
winds turned out to be robust westerly winds that kept the birds searching
for flight lines to make their way into it. Wind strength was in the ten to
fifteen mph bracket, a challenging wind from any direction. The overnight
winds were northwest, bringing a little rain and much cooler air to the
region. The temperature peaked at forty-eight, but it was not that warm for
most of the watch, especially with wind chill factored in. The day started
with a procession of closely packed white cumulous clouds alternating with
periods of time where blue sky was allowed and sunshine reached the earth.
Gradually, that changed as more heavily laden clouds moved in. A quick peek
at the radar showed what appeared to be a green rash on the state of
Michigan headed our way. We spent the last hours with brief showers, a
rainbow, and a carousel of solid cloud cover varying between charcoal gray
and stygian darkness. It wouldn�t have surprised us to see Charon ferrying
souls across the slip in front of us.
Raptor Observations:
We expected a better count today, and it was, but we had set a low bar
yesterday. Turkey vultures are showing up in sufficient numbers to win the
day�s race for the gold, but in three-digit numbers rather than the
four-digit totals of October. Three hundred and forty finally crossed today
after they got the route sorted out. With the colder air, Lake Erie was
shedding heat creating serious thermal haze. At times kettles of vultures
would simply dissolve into the ether. Forty-six red-tails flew over the
slip today. They were joined by twelve red-shouldered hawks. Also joining
the festivities were two sharp-shinned hawks and one Cooper�s hawk. I
suspect more birds were on the move today as we had periods with little to
show for our efforts, the strong winds may have affected our count.
Non-raptor Observations:
A new species made the season total today as a gadwall flew by in a solo
flight. A single sandhill crane was seen soaring high in the sky. The local
balds were in a playful mood in the high winds, they seemed to be up all
day, playing talon tag at times. We saw the male kingfisher, he announcing
his presence with a hearty laugh. Tree swallows were back in small numbers;
they usually stay a long time during the season. Bonaparte's gulls were
busy keeping the minnow population in check. We could not tell if the
pelicans were out by the jetty as the Fata Morganna effect was distorting
our view. Ships that passed by today had a bottom part of the hull that was
an inverted image of the top. Three hundred and seventy crows came by
today, most in one large group.
Predictions:
The barometer will continue to tumble tomorrow as potential Wednesday rain
approaches. Winds will continue to blow from the south, around ten mph.
Neither of these things are good. The possibly good things are a sky only
partially obscured due to clouds and a warmer temperature borne on the back
of the southern wind. It is forecast to reach seventy-two degrees.
Hopefully, we can see a few birds tomorrow but it may be like today, few
and far between.
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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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