Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 822 1983 1983 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 34 34 Northern Harrier 2 24 24 Sharp-shinned Hawk 57 177 177 Cooper's Hawk 5 71 71 Northern Goshawk 0 7 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 51 404 405 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 135 1172 1174 Rough-legged Hawk 2 17 17 Golden Eagle 0 5 5 American Kestrel 1 5 5 Merlin 0 7 7 Peregrine Falcon 1 7 7 Unknown Accipiter 1 3 3 Unknown Buteo 0 5 5 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 3 Total: 1077 3925 3928 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours Official Counter: Sandy Darling Observers: Visitors: Many visitors including Colin Horstead, Peter Booker, Tom Thomas, Branden Holden, Eric Holden, Barry Cherriere, Ross Hotchkiss, Goerge Holland, Dave Sked, Brian Hawthorhe, Bouwe Bergsma, Linda Robertson, Eviline Fluerman, John Niewiadomsky, Bob Curry, Glenda Slessor, Graham Johnes, Phil Waggett, Clive Hodder, Kevin McLaughlin, Bill Cuddy and more. Weather: A warm day starting with clear sky, later clouding over and then clearing again with winds from south-west to south. Raptor Observations: The first day this year with over one thousand birds. Non-raptor Observations: 11 Cormorants, 1 Tree swallow, Fox Sparrow heard Predictions: With similar weather it should be a good flight ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sandy Darling () Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at: http://www.hwcn.org/link/niaghawk/ Site Description: The hawk migration at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). The counting is all done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on the cold days of March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the tower�s platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than five or six observers would be on it. The site lies within a publically accessible property owned by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road) and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to display the day�s observations for the public. The box enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records. Photos courtesy of Mike Street and Barry Cherriere Directions to site: To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 72, follow Christie St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2010 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
