Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 28 163 90111 Osprey 0 0 29 Bald Eagle 1 3 152 Northern Harrier 4 5 484 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 12 3956 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 65 American Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 8 177 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 51921 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 11 41 1083 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 3 Golden Eagle 3 3 38 American Kestrel 0 0 964 Merlin 0 0 50 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 45 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 10 Total: 55 236 149097 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Andrew Sturgess Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Michelle Peregord, Natalie Cypher 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: This is the day that frightens me more than all the shenanigans of All Hallows’ Eve that occurred on the last day of October. Your brain at the end of the day says “Wait, What? It’s dark already?” For those with Seasonal Affective Disorder, it is a kickstart into a season of lethargy and depression. That is a different type of depression than what we felt at the end of the watch today, as the winds did us dirty again. It drove the birds into the mists of the northern sky, invisible to us. The wind ended the day’s last hours coming from a southerly direction, with variations that were challenging for the wind turbines to keep up with. Since the wind was mostly blocked from our location, it was a pleasantly warm day. With the temperature reaching fifty-five degrees and a cloud-free sky for the most part, it was a beautiful fall day, unless you were seeking raptors, as we were. Raptor Observations: Perhaps it was a day of quality rather than quantity. We are close to one hundred and fifty thousand birds this season, and perhaps we wanted that a little too much. Patience is a virtue, dammit! We decided to award all the birds Participation T-shirts today since we had such a feeble turnout. Only twenty-eight vultures were noted. Red-tailed hawks, a little more common before the wind shifted, had eleven willing to testify. The sharpies are past their peak season, but a few are still moving. Five showed up today. Four northern harriers flew by, one close enough for decent photos. Three was a number shared by both red-shouldered hawks and golden eagles. That was the quality aspect of the day, goldens are such a magnificent bird that they ease the pain of seeing not much else. We counted one bald eagle to finish the tally. Non-raptor Observations: We did have some Bonaparte’s gulls and Forster’s terns come and visit us today. After the surface vegetation dies off, it opens up more hunting grounds for them. A Carolina wren provided the soundtrack for today’s watch. Winter wrens have been reported nearby. The water levels continue to be low on the lake and the marshes in the park. After a lull, the past couple of days, the crows reappeared with sixteen hundred and eighty representatives. Predictions: Ruh Roh, as Astro from the Jetsons used to say. Our wind situation seems to worsen tomorrow. Winds that will increase from fifteen to nineteen mph from a southwest direction would seem to seal our fate tomorrow. The barometer will be falling slightly. Despite the strong winds from the southwest, the temperature will be about the same tomorrow. Morning clouds should give way to afternoon sun. Since we are usually shielded from the wind from that direction, it should be a comfortable day, albeit, without birds. November can be a hit or miss month, depending on the day’s conditions. We may have a few misses coming up. ======================================================================== 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