Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 688 1370 3451 Osprey 0 0 28 Bald Eagle 1 2 99 Northern Harrier 14 16 379 Sharp-shinned Hawk 119 139 3162 Cooper's Hawk 2 2 29 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk 18 37 51911 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 19 22 168 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 2 2 925 Merlin 0 0 33 Peregrine Falcon 2 3 33 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 1 1 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 3 Total: 868 1596 60232 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Jo Patterson Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Sam Heilman 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: Well, the sky was interesting today, as if a Pollack, Jack Frost, and Mondrian menage a trois had a baby. Straight parallel contrails mixed with wispy cirrus mare’s tails and other aircraft contrails in various states of bloom and dispersion. It was a glorious mess of streaks and delicate daubs of ice clouds. It had the added bonus of cutting the glare from the otherwise bright blue sky. Something we had been hoping for over the last few days. The temperature reached seventy-eight degrees and the barometer started a very gradual decline. The winds had dropped to zero from a northeast wind at the start of the watch and then did its usual about-face to the southeast, climbing in strength throughout the day. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures, as they probably will for most of October, took the gold today. Six hundred and eighty-eight were counted, coming by in irregular spurts. The sharpies were back in the game today with one hundred and nineteen tallied. Red-tailed hawks took third with a slightly more vigorous performance than the broadwings, beating them by a single bird, nineteen to eighteen. It was good to see the normal companion bird with the red-tail, the red-shouldered hawk, show up for the first time this season today, with two juvies. Harriers showed fourteen white rumps today. Only two kestrels made the tote board today, the same number as the peregrine falcons. Two Cooper’s hawks were counted and one bald eagle completed the tally of eight hundred and sixty-eight birds. Non-raptor Observations: Thankfully, the gulls were kettling in the distance today, feasting on insects up aloft. A flight of mute swans added to the general cacophony at the loudest hawk watch in the world. A diesel-powered payloader was scooping up the decaying kelp-like vegetation at the boat launch nearby, a soothing noise to start the day. A flight of common terns was noted in the morning. The pelicans seemed to have moved from their roosting spot to another undisclosed location. A battle of the bands took place between a flicker and red-bellied woodpecker in the trees behind us. The blue jays were off their game today with only two thousand and forty counted. Monarchs were scarce, with nineteen making the clicker. Predictions: Tomorrow should have southwest winds, but they will be of such low predicted value as to be unreliable. That is, of course, if you believe the forecast. Of all the parameters that are forecast, the winds seem to be the least trusted, at least by us. Normally, that would be a bad wind but if it is very light, it may not do as much damage as it usually does. It will apparently bring the heat though, as the temperature will be back over eighty by a couple of degrees. The clouds should be fading throughout the day. The barometer will still be in decline, but should be in the 30.1” range at the end of the day. Hopefully, the winds are strong enough to provide lift, but not strong enough drive the birds to the north. ======================================================================== 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