Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 10, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 3 3 Bald Eagle 1 7 7 Northern Harrier 2 29 29 Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 28 28 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 16 236 236 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 33 33 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 9 35 35 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 1 8 8 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 1 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 44 384 384 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Jo Patterson Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Johannes Postma, Michelle Peregord Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site as we are eager to share the joys of hawk watching with one and all. Although there may be times in which we are all very busy and need alone-time to concentrate, those are the times that are most enjoyable for visitors as the skies are filled with migrating raptors. Weather: An interesting day from a cloud point of view, we seemed to have a mélange of clouds at all levels, low middle and high, and all possible types. Starting with mostly high cirrus and building over time to low grey strata, at times it resembled an aerial map of Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes. There were many shapes and hues, even a few drops of rain fell on us. The humidity was higher today, with essentially the same southerly winds as yesterday, which was cloudless. The barometer took a little dip but stayed above thirty inches. The temperatures rose to the seventy-four-degree mark, although the predictions called for a few more degrees. Winds were growing throughout the day, peaking at eight mph, the direction was vacillating a little around the south to south-southeast region. We were mostly sheltered from the wind but suffered its effects as the view to the north was shimmering with evaporation from the lake. Raptor Observations: We had light traffic today, but the season is young. Broad-wings took the gold with sixteen birds, one kettle of nine birds, but mostly pairs making up that number. Sharpies were wide spread throughout the day and disappeared for the last two hours. We gave them the silver with fourteen birds. Kestrels came by, sometimes in pairs, and took the bronze with nine birds. Two harriers were noted. One bald eagle powered though. A late peregrine was noted crossing the lake. Non-raptor Observations: Only seven pelicans today, appearing almost at the end of the day. A northern flicker was working the grass off to our right. The Caspian terns had a fly-by with five of them squawking. We don’t usually see that many together. It was really a quiet day in front of us with some swallow and swift action but very sparse. A small gang of cormorants were working the vegetation in front of us, a dozen of them working side by side. Speaking of vegetation, I was surprised to see three deer in the marsh, which is the normal haunt of the great egrets. The looked to be noshing on the water vegetation there. First time I had seen that and a little surprising. Predictions: Tomorrow could be interesting. We should have a light northeast wind for most of the day. Starting around three mph, and growing to six, as it gradually shifts to a more easterly direction at the end of the watch. Hopefully, there are birds in the migration pipeline to take advantage of this favorable wind for our location. It should be sunny again with little cloud cover, not the best skies for spotting broadwings, especially if they go aloft seeking slightly stronger winds, but that’s why they pay us the big bucks, a big zero bucks in my case. Temperature should be a few degrees higher, perhaps due to the lack of clouds. The barometer will continue to fluctuate a little but stay essentially in the high range. Hopefully, the forecasted winds arrive and bring our feathered friends with them. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (ajyes72@gmail.com) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org More site information at hawkcount.org: https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=285