Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 131 1177 1177 Osprey 0 6 6 Bald Eagle 0 65 65 Northern Harrier 3 129 129 Sharp-shinned Hawk 41 1574 1574 Cooper's Hawk 0 6 6 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 37 75124 75124 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 14 111 111 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 12 459 459 Merlin 0 18 18 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 12 Unknown Accipitrine 0 5 5 Unknown Buteo 1 13 13 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 15 15 Total: 241 78719 78719 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, 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: Well, our faces continue to enjoy a break from the wind and our ears got a rest from yesterday�s relentless pile driver. And unfortunately our eyes continue to get a break from counting large kettles. The skies remained blue throughout the day, a few patches of clouds painting the horizon above the lake. The winds topped out at eleven miles per hour, fairly consistent from the north to northeast. The temperature reached seventy-one degrees. The barometer peaked at thirty point thirty-one before continuing on its decent to thirty point eighteen by the end of the day, the declining lift certainly not helping our birds appear. Raptor Observations: Red-shoulders have debuted! The first two immature red-shouldered hawks have been added to the scoreboard, one passing low overhead, providing great looks and photos. Turkey vultures took first place, with one hundred and thirty-one individuals streaming across the lake. Thousands more should hopefully join their ranks in the coming weeks as their peak approaches. Sharp-shins took second, with forty-one birds appearing from the blue. Thirty-seven broadies, who missed the memo to join the large kettles of last week, proceeded south today. A handful of northern harriers and kestrels made appearances as well. Non-raptor Observations: One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight blue jays made their way southward bound in groups of fifty to three hundred. The usual locals were out and about. Our log-rolling egret practiced its footwork, white-breasted nuthatch laughed its way up and down the maples, and the Caspian tern pairs patrolled the edge of the docks. The red-headed woodpecker made another appearance today! One hundred and fifty American white pelicans were wheeling about the sky, demonstrating fantastic acrobatics for such a large bird. Five monarchs drifted past the picnic tables. Predictions: Any day with birds is a good day, though we can always be hopeful for skies covered in accipiters, buteos, and more. Tomorrow�s temperature will peak at seventy-five degrees with full sun and deep blue skies. The winds will be coming from the north all day, somewhere between five and ten miles per hour. The barometer is continuing on the decline, and will reach twenty-nine point nine six by days end. The odds are not great for a large movement, but hopefully our sharp-shins, harriers, and turkey vultures will keep our counters occupied. ======================================================================== 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