Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1066 7224 8945 Osprey 0 1 8 Bald Eagle 0 4 71 Northern Harrier 1 41 212 Sharp-shinned Hawk 32 340 2294 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 10 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 3 Broad-winged Hawk 0 15 75163 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 30 148 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 4 67 595 Merlin 0 5 26 Peregrine Falcon 1 9 21 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 5 Unknown Buteo 0 1 19 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 1 16 Total: 1106 7742 87539 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm Observers: 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: Today�s team of two approached the day with bated breath, since their last joint venture was met with a pile driver and a birdless sky (October 1st, for any curious readers). The day proved more fruitful than expected of southwest winds. Mostly clear skies, winds peaking at thirteen mph, and humidity down in the low fifties provided comfortable counting conditions. While the barometer was a bit low, peaking at twenty-nine point eight three, birds continued to make their way south, some taking their time more than others. Raptor Observations: The day started on the calmer side with sixty-six raptors in the first hour and increasing to five hundred and twenty-four in the third. Unfortunately, this was the high number of the day, with totals decreasing each hour that followed. It truly is turkey vulture season for we witnessed one thousand and sixty-six slowly migrating in their unflappable way. A total of thirty-two sharp-shins were on the move today as well, the first of the day flying so low against southerly winds it seemed nearly to touch the water. Kestrels were few in number, amounting to four. Harriers, Red-tails, Peregrines, and an unknown tied for last, only one of each making a migratory appearance. A second Peregrine was observed high in the sky and made a run at some poor gull before choosing a steady line due north. Non-raptor Observations: Some of our usual companions were missing today, notably our log-rolling egret and both Caspian and Forster�s terns. The jetty was a popular place, with a myriad of double-crested cormorants, mallards, Canada geese, and mute swans. Thirty-one pelicans made midday appearances, wheeling their way south. Ring-billed gulls littered the sky, covering space from the horizon line up to the highest clouds, leaving our counters to sort between Larus and Cathartes shapes. Passerines were made up of chickadees, both white- and red-breasted nuthatches, cardinals, and Carolina wrens. A woodpecker hat trick (downy, red-bellied, and flicker) chatted frequently throughout the day. Yellow-rumps made up the majority of warblers heard and seen this morning, with one sneaky palm mixing in. One thousand four hundred and four blue jays proceeded south. One late monarch made their way as well. Predictions: Tomorrow�s winds will be mainly be from the west northwest, increasing from seven to fourteen mph throughout the count hours. The barometer will rise to a high of thirty point zero from 11am to 1pm, and stay at twenty-nine point ninety nine before and after. The day looks mostly sunny with a high of sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Though the barometer will stay on the lower side and the winds will be less than favorable for this particular site, it�s hard to predict what birds will move tomorrow given today�s luck with the weather that we had. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jerry Jourdan (jerry.jourdan@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