First Kettles of Fall 2026 - 06 Sep 2026
After a week of overcast skies, high temperatures and humidity the sky broke and brought clearing skies, rising barometer, and NE winds that are optimum for a hawk migration through SE Michigan. Yesterday's rains gave way to clearing skies in the afternoon and the Detroit River Hawk Watch managed a respectable 26 birds including 9 Northern Harriers, and our first American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, and Broad-winged Hawk. Holiday Beach Hawk Watch in Ontario did much better: 72 Northern Harriers, 123 American Kestrels, and 38 Bald Eagles on their way to 291 raptors, so today looked like it could be productive. I started with a quick trip to Elizabeth Park in Trenton to look for warblers. Despite another 57 million birds migrating last night through the Great Lakes not a single warbler stopped by. Instead I had to settle for a pair of local Cooper's Hawks (juveniles) chasing each other through the canopy. Elizabeth Park (Trenton), Wayne...
