After checking out the report of the Black-tailed Gull, I clicked on his photo
page http://pbase.com/pbannon
What a treat. Great photos by digiscoping.
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Date: 19 Oct 2005 18:10:28 -0400
Subject: [Ontbirds]HSR: Holiday Beach (19 Oct 2005) 630 Raptors
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Holiday Beach Migration Observatory
Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2005
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture 267 31668 31826
Osprey 0 14 83
Bald Eagle 1 45 85
Northern Harrier 5 274 597
Sharp-shinned Hawk 286 4532 8307
Cooper's Hawk 8 284 432
Northern Goshawk 1 18 19
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 221 222
Broad-winged Hawk 0 129 7964
Red-tailed Hawk 32 1624 1768
Rough-legged Hawk 4 15 15
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 9 705 1994
Merlin 9 39 108
Peregrine Falcon 2 27 46
Unknown 1 21 29
Total: 630 39618 53497
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Betty Learmouth
Observers: Carl Latta, Charlotte Harrison, Cherise Charron,
Donna Bedard, Karen Padbury, Merry MacRae
Visitors:
Thank you to all the spotters today including Charlotte Harrison of
Mayville, MI, Merry MacRae of Royal Oak, MI, Donna Bedard of Mississauga,
ON and Charise Charron and Karen Padbury of Essex County.
Weather:
Cloudy and cool until mid morning when a front passsed through bringing
sunny conditions. Winds swung around from Southwest to Northwest.
Raptor Observations:
A steady migration during the day with Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, a
Northern Goshawk and Rough-legged Hawks the highlights.
Non-raptor Observations:
Blue Jay numbers have declined with only 292 counted. Other migrants
included American Goldfinch, American Crows and several flocks of
shorebirds including Killdeer.
Predictions:
Tomorrow weather sounds very much like today's with sun and cloud and
temperate about fifteen degrees Celsius.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Betty Learmouth ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at:
http://hbmo.org/
Site Description:
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).
