Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 1499 56422 58143 Osprey 0 4 11 Bald Eagle 2 35 102 Northern Harrier 9 185 356 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 1425 3379 Cooper's Hawk 2 37 44 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 10 205 207 Broad-winged Hawk 1 33 75181 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 2 Red-tailed Hawk 45 1051 1169 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4 Golden Eagle 3 15 15 American Kestrel 0 212 740 Merlin 0 20 41 Peregrine Falcon 0 23 35 Unknown Accipitrine 0 1 6 Unknown Buteo 0 24 42 Unknown Falcon 0 1 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 7 22 Total: 1580 59705 139502 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Natalie Cypher, Paul Cypher 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: Another beautiful sunny day at the metropark. A bit too warm for October in my taste, but quite pleasant counting weather. The winds were light once again, with the strongest gales reaching six mph. They started in the north and as the hours went by, inched their way east and then southeast. Cumulus clouds lurked around the horizon but never covered more than thirty percent of the sky. The barometer was high, staying around thirty point four six. Temperatures in the low sixties meant that only two layers (or just one thick sweatshirt) were needed to stay warm today. Raptor Observations: The turkey vultures made us work for it today, rising in large kettles before disappearing back behind the trees, sometimes the same size as a pepper flake in a scope glass. On occasion they graced us with their presence overhead, before retreating to their far line once more. One thousand four hundred and ninety-nine pepper flakes were counted. One last bird refused to appear to round out that number. Red-tailed hawks were out, though in fewer numbers than yesterday. Forty-five made the trek across, coming in closer than the vultures so that we may admire their variable markings. Ten red-shoulders made a run with the kettles, along with nine of both harriers and sharp-shins. Two bald eagles and cooper�s hawks did as well. A single broad-wing made a quick dart across the channel; perhaps our last of the season? Three immature golden eagles were noted, one in each of the last three hours of the count. A wonderful lifer for new visitors! Non-raptor Observations: The fall aria of white-throated sparrows, robins, and blackbirds continues. One of my favorite parts of fall is watching the masses of blackbirds aggregate over the marshes, listening to the red-wings and rusties vying for best singing perch on the snags behind the site. Both ruby and golden-crowned kinglets are busy in the treetops, along with our usual downy and red-bellied woodpeckers. As always, the cormorants and ring-billed gulls were busy out in the slip. Our juvenile herring gull was only mistaken for a raptor once today, that�s a win. Four american white pelicans remain on the jetty, hopefully for a little while longer. Three hundred and eighty-one crows made appearances today, along with two blue jays. Twenty-four monarches were tallied, and I certainly hope they hurry on south. Predictions: Tomorrow should be another copy of today, perhaps with a few more clouds. Mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching the mid-sixties will be another lovely day to sit at the picnic table. Winds will be light, between five and ten mph again, from the south this time. Not optimal, but some birds will likely fly into the wind, if it doesn�t gain speed. The barometer will continue to stay high, likely in the thirty point four-five area again. Hopefully our stream of turkey vultures will continue against the wind, along with red-tails, shoulders, and whoever else decides to make an appearance. ======================================================================== 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