Date: 11/8/26 3:09 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (08 Nov 2026) 82 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 08, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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: "Wind is a floating wave of air, whose undulation continually varies." Mr. Vitruvius' winds appeared today to keep the birds on their toes, switching between southwest, west southwest, west, and west northwest, all at a strong pace. With the wind at our backs, a warm sun, and some pretty, corrugated cumulus clouds to gaze upon, the day passed pleasantly enough. A barometer that descended from 29.95" to 29.83" likely kept some birds away, but we made do. Visibility continues to be quite murky in the mornings, but cleared up in time for the last two hours of the count.
Raptor Observations: The day started with a bigger bang than usual, between over a dozen turkey vultures and a red-tail in the first hour. In spite of the odds, a total of fifty-four vultures came low and slow, fighting for every inch of progress. Nineteen red-tails followed the same flightline, struggling just a bit less than their smaller brethren, the four red-shoulders who flapped and twitched their way across between steady soaring attempts. Four sharp-shins and a single Coop did not make migration look easy. We only had one zero hour, with the birds coming fairly steadily throughout the day. We would have avoided a no bird hour entirely, had the Merlin we saw heading south not performed a one hundred and eighty degree turn and reveal itself to be the new local. The resident bald eagles were quite active, soaring aimlessly all over the place with the occasional nearby swoop for fish.
Non-raptor Observations: If anyone calls looking for Nemo the monarch, tell them we saw him just keep swimming on the waves of air headed south at 3:15pm today. Although we did see thirty-six ring-billed and one hundred and thirty-four Bonaparte's gulls, I'm sure he'll thwart the jaws of death with help from the eighteen pelicans who preceded him. The fifty-four Canada geese, twenty-two cormorants, seventeen egrets, thirty horned larks, one hundred and seven starlings, and two hundred and twenty-eight crows may present further challenges along the way. A full list of potential avian threats/companions can be found here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S409126056
Predictions: The barometer will rise overnight to 30.1" by 9am and then slowly fall to 30.06" by count's end. Winds will be gentler and blowing from more north and westerly directions. Skies will be partly cloudy and carry through today's warmth. Tomorrow looks marginally better for migrating raptors compared to today. I'd expect at least a peck of birds, perhaps a couple of bushels if things really get going. ======================================================================== 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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