Broad-winged Hawks are Flying! - 16 Sep 2025
Robin and I drove to Cleveland to deliver/install some art equipment (Paper Beater) to her friend, Paula. So we missed an epic Broad-winged Hawk flight (almost 24,000 birds!) here at the Detroit River Hawk at Lake Erie Metropark. Below is the final tally:
With almost identical conditions today (clear skies, NNE winds ~8-10 mph) we suspected that more birds could fly if there are any still around. So I planned to get to hawk watch before 10 am. First stop, however, was Elizabeth Park for some warbler action.
They were hopping (literally), as well. Amber and Greg Piotter were already enjoying many birds when I arrived at 8 am. This Wilson's Warbler was one of several birds still foraging in the morning sunlight.
Magnolia Warblers,
Nashville Warblers,
as well as numerous Bay-breasted Warblers and American Redstarts were working the grape vines and oak trees. Several Swainson's Thrushes and Gray Catbirds were seen, as well. This Eastern Chipmunk was foraging for acorns, as well.
I only stayed an hour and saw the action die down, so I headed off to Lake Erie Metropark.
Elizabeth Park (Trenton), Wayne, Michigan, US
Sep 16, 2025 8:02 AM - 9:07 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.575 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, calm, 60F
21 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 60
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 6
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 2
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 1
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 2
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 10
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Sep 16, 2025 8:02 AM - 9:07 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.575 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, calm, 60F
21 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 60
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 6
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 2
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 1
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 2
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 10
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
I arrived at the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark at 9:30 am and set up shop next to Andrew Sturgess and Jo Patterson. Mark Hainen arrived, as well as a number of visitors. Sure enough, at about 10 am birds started appearing. This American Kestrel soared directly overhead just as the first large kettles of Broad-winged Hawks appeared over the eastern horizon.
Jo was soon busy with the clicker as several large kettles appeared and good numbers of Broad-winged Hawks started streaming overhead low enough to photograph before kettling behind and over us!
I would have to leave at 11 am to take our boy Tanner to the vet for his annual Rabies vaccine, but Robin and I would return in the early afternoon to see a few stragglers for an hour or so. Krishna was visiting from the New Hampshire Audubon and was also interested in our hawk watch as he is a member of Hawk Migration Association from the Eastern New Hampshire Hawk Watch.
As of 2 pm we'd have about 4000 Broadwinged Hawks for the day. Hopefully another push of birds would come through during the late afternoon.
