Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 1504 10063 11299 Osprey 1 11 80 Bald Eagle 1 13 43 Northern Harrier 9 48 235 Sharp-shinned Hawk 79 1529 5249 Cooper's Hawk 27 163 248 Northern Goshawk 0 4 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 30 81 87 Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 27843 Red-tailed Hawk 161 515 733 Rough-legged Hawk 8 10 10 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 29 146 1366 Merlin 5 24 57 Peregrine Falcon 1 5 15 Unknown 0 54 92 Total: 1855 12669 47363 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Mike Fitzpatrick Observers: Chad Saladin, Chris Saladin, Jim McCoy Visitors: Fellow peregrine enthusiasts, Chad and Chris Saladin from Lorain,OH, and Donna Bedard from Toronto. Jim Mc Coy was a "stalwart" in the odious task of tallying TV's. Many thanks to them for their spotting and tallying help. Weather: Extremely overcast-patchy fog-very cool towards end of count-N to NE winds all day. Bad lighting made it difficult ro enjoy the RS and AK's Observations: Large liftoff of TV's , which cont'd much of the period, with some great kettles right in front of us and directly over the tower. All of the falcons were esp cooperative, as "it should be"! RL's seemed to come in a bunch. We only saw one bird, a Cooper's, make any attempts to hunt. All others were on track, esp the falcons, to "get out of Dodge"! Flight stopped dead at 2:45. Very few waterfowl were observed. Only a couple of great blues left. Predictions: It should be even better than today if the north winds continue, as the sky seemed to be clearing this evening. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Fitzpatrick ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/ Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Information on southern Ontario's hawk migration and the Holiday Beach Conservation Area site ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Southwestern Ontario is largely an area of flat, featureless farmland. There are only two geographic features of note in the region. One is the proximity of the Great lakes, which influence bird migration in the area to a great extent, The second is the shape of the province, roughly funnel-shaped with the narrow end to the southwest. These features confine south-bound bird migrants, especially hawks, to specific flight corridors. Holiday Beach Conservation Area was formerly a Provincial Park, but is now administered by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). It is strategically located at the extreme southwestern tip of southern Ontario. The park is on the eastern end of a large freshwater estuary known as Big Creek. (Specifically the site is 1.1 miles south of the junction Highway 20 (old 18) and Essex Road 50, Town of Amherstburg). The Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) (founded in 1986) is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed to promote the study and protection of migrating birds. Activities focus primarily on fall migration of raptors and other species. This site is in Essex County, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Erie near the Detroit River. In 1988, HBMO persuaded Detroit Edison to donate a 40 foot Hawk Tower which is now at the site. Southwestern Ontario has a funneling effect on migrating raptors due to the geography of the nearby lakes and the reluctance of most raptors to cross large bodies of water. Birds gain altitude over the flat farmland to the north and east, rising easily with the thermals that such areas provide in abundance. As the birds head south they meet Lake Erie and, reluctant to cross it , turn west. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lake shore and move west until they reach the narrow crossing at the Detroit River (or island hop within the river mouth).
