Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 08, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2959 10183 11904 Osprey 1 2 9 Bald Eagle 2 6 73 Northern Harrier 21 62 233 Sharp-shinned Hawk 87 427 2381 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 10 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 3 Broad-winged Hawk 0 15 75163 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Red-tailed Hawk 0 30 148 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 28 95 623 Merlin 1 6 27 Peregrine Falcon 0 9 21 Unknown Accipitrine 1 1 6 Unknown Buteo 0 1 19 Unknown Falcon 1 1 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 16 Total: 3101 10843 90640 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, Rebekah Graham 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: �I can�t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.� Mr. Jimmy Dean, of sausage fame, gave us that quote and it applied to the turkey vultures today. Adverse winds from generally a westerly direction got road rage and sped things up considerably from seven mph at the start of the watch to fourteen mph at the end. It was interesting to see the difference in flight lines that occurred during the day, although our apprentices, Bella and Rebekah, doing yeoman�s work, might use different adjectives, as the birds were not easy to track at times. The wind was mostly at our back, so the seventy-degree temperature and plenty of sun, made for another pleasant fall day on the surface. The barometer rising quickly was the reason for the winds as high pressure ushered out yesterday�s one- day low. Clouds were a mix today of cirrus, spreading airplane contrails, with small cumulus clouds starting to fill in the final hours of the watch. Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures were the object of our desire today. At first, playing coy, they stayed below the tree line, not giving us much to work with. Later, as the wind rose, they adopted a different strategy, flying higher but with lines that would tack into the wind in assorted inconsistent directions. We ended the day with two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-nine, ninety-five percent of our total. Sharp-shins were getting the Cedar Point rides today in the winds that buffeted them mercilessly. Eighty-seven of them managed to survive. The kestrels also had a bumpy flight with twenty-eight making it though. Harriers were not far behind with twenty-one making flights that included many detours. Two bald eagles were counted, along with one osprey and one merlin. Non-raptor Observations: The pelicans made cameo appearances today, small in number and mostly out over the lake. Our resident terns, Forster�s and Caspian, also were back in the slip. A number of warblers, mostly butter-butts were seen nearby. A brown creeper was also reported. The cormorants have not been seen in the large gatherings on the lake for a few days, but the winds might have altered their plans. Gull kettles have not been an issue for us the last few days. Swallows are still plentiful, but are seen in the distance over Celeron or Gibraltar. Blue jays were on the move today with seven thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine. Seven monarch butterflies were also noted. Predictions: The winds should ease tomorrow, although the west-southwest direction is not usually bountiful. The range should be from five to seven mph. Mostly sunny skies should prevail with a temperature similar to today. The barometer will continue to climb during the day. Turkey vultures should continue to move, it�s October after all, and hopefully, we will be able to see them. ======================================================================== 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