Support Staff - Detroit River Hawk Watch

2026 Detroit River Hawk Watch Counters and Support Staff

A young woman wearing a broad brimmed hat is smiling for the camera in an autumn woodland scene.

Site Coordinator: Erika Van Kirk, Ranger, Detroit River Wildlife Refuge

Young woman smiling, wearing a ball cap and holding an owl. The background is open ground with water on the horizon and clear blue skies.

Primary Counter: Gracie Sangmeister. "Hello everybody! My name is Gracie (she/her), and I am excited to be counting at Detroit River this fall season! I am from the Philadelphia area and have a degree in wildlife conservation from Juniata College. This will be my 9th season of counting raptors. I started counting at Bake Oven Knob in eastern PA, and have since counted at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN, and Bonney Butte with HawkWatch International in northern Oregon. I have also spent the last 5 springs with the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch as their Mackinac Island raptor counter (where I am also known as the Island Bird Lady). In addition to counting, I also have also spent time as a naturalist, raptor and songbird bander, and at a butterfly conservatory. When not looking at birds, I am getting outside and biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and swimming, but I also like staying inside and cuddling up with my tv shows and crochet projects (which I am looking forward to working on again after such a busy summer season). I am excited to get to count at such a high volume site this fall, and can't wait to meet the crew and volunteers!"

A young woman wearing a winter coat holds a bird that has been banded for identification. She stands on snowy ground with trees and partly sunny skies in the background.

Apprentice: Bella Malwurm. "Hi everyone! My name is Bella and I am excited to be one of the Hawk Watch Apprentices for the 2026 season! I received my Bachelors in Ecology from Iowa State University where I studied Ecology with a focus on Wildlife Research. Throughout and after university I have worked a variety of wildlife jobs including monitoring Hawksbill Sea Turtles on the island of Antigua, collecting wolf scat across southeast Alaska, and putting GPS transmitters on Wild Turkeys in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. I got hooked on fall migration after spending the 2025 season at Commissary Ridge, Wyoming, with HawkWatch International. I am looking forward to meeting you all!"

A young woman sitting on a rocky shore looking to her right. A camera is around her neck. A shoreline runs from middle right to the horizon behind her. A line on land separates the water from the partly sunny sky.

Apprentice: Rebekah Graham. "Hi! My name is Rebekah (she/her) and I'm excited to be joining IWRA as a Hawk Watch Apprentice! This will be my first hawkwatching season, third raptor job, and eighth year in field work. I have a Bachelor's degree in field ecology from The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) and a professional background in habitat restoration in the greater Seattle area (where I grew up). I'm coming to you after a fantastic season in Southern California's Coachella Valley monitoring Burrowing Owl nests, banding owls, and collecting samples. (Am I concerned about how my body is going to acclimate from 115F dry heat to frigid lakeside fall weather? Yes, yes, I am.) When I'm not thinking about raptors, I enjoy rock climbing (I already have the closest gyms to Trenton mapped out), watching movies/shows (just finished the last season of The Bear), and listening to music (KAYTRANADA on repeat right now). Looking forward to meeting volunteers and staff, please say hi!"

Volunteer Staff

Andrew Sturgess

Don Sherwood

Bill Peregord

Michelle Peregord

Mark Hainen

Rosemary Brady

Frank Kitakis

Jerry Jourdan

Johannes Postma