Date: 11/11/26 2:49 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (11 Nov 2026) 111 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2026
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm, Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood,
Gracie Sangmeister, 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:
We did our part to honor our veterans today, on the eleventh day of the
eleventh month, we tallied one hundred and eleven birds. It was not easy as
there was little wind to provide lift for most of the day. Zero mph was the
number today for a couple of times during the watch as the gentle zephyrs
in the three-mph range would collapse completely. It was a near foggy
atmosphere in the morning hours. The cloud-covered sky to the north was
darker, but the showers never materialized. In the late afternoon, the sun
decided to make a fashionably late arrival. The barometer was headed lower
today and should bottom out tomorrow near twenty-nine point seven.
Raptor Observations:
Until the cavalry arrived in the form of turkey vultures, our goal was to
break into double digits today. Ninety-four showed up with excuse slips to
explain their tardiness. Sharp-shinned hawks took the silver today with
eight birds, mostly due to a poor effort from the buteos. Three harriers
flew by today, one with a most unusual wing flapping cadence that had an
extra quick beat added once in a while. The buteos were tied with two
apiece, the lack of wind holding back both red-tails and red-shoulders. One
bald eagle was noted. At a time when we were stuck on eight birds, we
spotted a golden eagle pumping towards us over Celeron Island. These birds
have a stately pace at the best of times and it took a while and many flaps
to get to Gibraltar Island, where it promptly proceeded to land it a tree
across from us. It sat for about thirty minutes to catch its breath and
then took to the skies again to complete its journey.
Non-raptor Observations:
Not many birds were aloft today. Two kingfishers were playing tag. A purple
finch was heard flying over. Boneparte�s gulls came into the slip in small
numbers. A red-bellied woodpecker announced its presence.
The brown creeper quietly called. A small flight of scaup circled around
before heading out the lake again. Horned larks were noted flying overhead.
A local bald eagle flew by with a deceased carp and a gull was noisily
chasing it, in vain, as it turned out. Eagles take; they don�t give. The
American crows had a strong showing in the morning but tailed off later,
twelve hundred and seventy-six flew by silently, as usual. We had a
surprise monarch today, possibly the last of the season as the cold weather
is coming.
Predictions:
Tomorrow will have winds, possibly more than we would like. The pressure
will be low, but we will have northerly winds, a little unusual. As
predicted, the winds should start around nine mph and rise to twelve. This
will make for an uncomfortable day as the temperature will be affected by
the chilling winds, forty-seven is predicted with a minus five-degree
real-feel affect. Rain may affect the watch too, showers are predicted but
whether they show up, and when, is the question. Not really a promising
look for the counters as lots of cold air from the north will be blowing in
our faces for a few days. Time to layer up.
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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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