Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2011 54923 56644 Osprey 0 4 11 Bald Eagle 1 33 100 Northern Harrier 4 176 347 Sharp-shinned Hawk 52 1416 3370 Cooper's Hawk 3 35 42 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 18 195 197 Broad-winged Hawk 0 32 75180 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 2 Red-tailed Hawk 157 1006 1124 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4 Golden Eagle 0 12 12 American Kestrel 0 212 740 Merlin 0 20 41 Peregrine Falcon 0 23 35 Unknown Accipitrine 0 1 6 Unknown Buteo 7 24 42 Unknown Falcon 0 1 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 7 22 Total: 2253 58125 137922 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm Observers: Jerry Jourdan, Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady 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: It was eerie on Lake Erie this morning, with dense fog covering our usual landmarks well into the day. Lifting little by little, boats on the lake beyond Celeron Island emerged from the veil of fog by early afternoon. The air felt cooler than the thermometer suggested, assisted by the high humidity, fog cover, and real temperature of forty-eight degrees. The temperature rose to sixty-four degrees with humidity down in the forties by days end. Barometer pressure stayed relatively steady, fluctuating around thirty point three six all day. The wind came and went, often at zero with brief intermissions between five and ten mph from the north and east. Raptor Observations: Once the fog subsided, the turkey vultures were able to make a break for it. Two thousand and eleven individuals made their way across the water to the warmer weather that awaits them. Red-tails had another good day with one hundred and fifty-seven. One of my favorites, it was fun to see many of them take a lower line, allowing nice observations of their various markings, no two are alike! Sharp-shins made a resurgence with fifty-two embarking south. Four northern harriers, three Cooper�s hawks, and one bald eagle finished the day. Non-raptor Observations: The count site was quiet of much of its gull and swallow life, for part of the day anyways. As the fog lifted more, swaths of ring-billed gulls could be seen beside numerous cormorants further out on the lake. I hope they enjoyed a good bait ball. The tree swallows came out in droves as the fog lifted as well. The male kingfisher made a single fly-by. Tis the season of hermit thrushes and white-throated sparrows, their songs could be heard through the morning mist. Eighty-five crows rowed overhead with twenty blue jays following some time later. Four brave monarchs were seen, I hope they hurry on south. Predictions: Tomorrow should be similar once again. Temperatures in the sixties, wind peaking around six mph from the east, and mostly sunny skies. The barometer will continue to be high, around thirty point three eight. Winds will not be in our favorite direction, but sunny skies and good lift will hopefully coax some birds across. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (erika_vankirk@fws.gov) 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