Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 43 878 90826 Osprey 0 0 29 Bald Eagle 3 34 183 Northern Harrier 0 36 515 Sharp-shinned Hawk 19 106 4050 Cooper's Hawk 2 10 75 American Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 22 110 279 Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 51922 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 229 970 2012 Rough-legged Hawk 1 4 7 Golden Eagle 5 36 71 American Kestrel 0 0 964 Merlin 0 5 55 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 48 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 12 Total: 324 2196 151057 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Jo Patterson Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Rosemary Brady Visitors: Tomorrow’s weather should bring west winds at 6–14 mph with gusts over 25 mph. The barometer is expected to rise, and temperatures will run slightly warmer than today. Mostly clear, sunny skies should keep conditions comfortable. While the mild setup may give us some movement, today was likely the final major push of the 2025 season. Weather: The haze that lingered over the past two days finally lifted, revealing a clean sweep of blue sky. By late morning, thin veils of cirrus drifted in, offering excellent call-out points for the high fliers. After a stretch of unfavorable wind patterns, today brought a welcome break: a soft, diffuse northerly flow that gradually rotated a full 90 degrees to the west. Wind speeds never exceeded 10 mph. Though the breeze kept our faces chilled, the air temperature held steady in the low 40s, feeling relatively mild for late November. The barometer remained firm just above 30 inches. Raptor Observations: The early northerlies sparked a strong Red-tailed Hawk movement. But as the wind shifted west, the tempo slowed and birds began melting into the afternoon haze. We finished with two hundred and twenty-nine Red-tails, many arriving in small kettles. Through the midday hours they were splashed across the horizon, so widespread it was hard to put binoculars down without landing on another. Their less conspicuous cousin, the Red-shouldered Hawk, moved with them; twenty-two passed, including one that met the ire of our resident Merlin. Additional totals included forty-three Turkey Vultures, nineteen Sharp-shinned Hawks, five Golden Eagles, two Cooper’s Hawks, and a single Rough-legged Hawk. Non-raptor Observations: Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans were on the move. Waterfowl hunters returning from the lake with Scaup. Ring-billed Gulls squabbled over a palm-sized largemouth bass. Over five hundred American Crows flew overhead. Predictions: 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. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jo Patterson (jopatterson06@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