Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 1 Turkey Vulture 9 4421 6404 Osprey 2 36 36 Bald Eagle 4 19 53 Northern Harrier 3 68 92 Sharp-shinned Hawk 88 1682 1860 Cooper's Hawk 0 30 101 Northern Goshawk 0 0 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 102 506 Broad-winged Hawk 894 1705 1705 Red-tailed Hawk 15 805 1979 Rough-legged Hawk 0 9 26 Golden Eagle 1 3 8 American Kestrel 3 38 43 Merlin 0 7 14 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 7 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 3 8 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 3 6 Total: 1020 8932 12860 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Barry Cherriere Observers: Brandon Holden, Colin Horstead, Phil Waggett, Tom Thomas Visitors: Ron Pittaway and Jean Iron, Frank and Sandra Horvath, Kevin Mclaughlin, Dave Sked, Tom Thomas, George Holland, Eric and Brandon Holden, Keith Sealy, Kayo Roy and several other helping observers. Weather: It was a calm uneventful day up to the 12 to 1 hour when the wind switched to be from the SE. Then increased in speed from the 2 to 3 hour and brought the flight down from being specs to being at treetop level. Raptor Observations: A comical event happend late in the 1-2 hour, when there were three eagles in view at the same time, but different observers were calling out the description of the eagle that only they were seeing and it was not making sence to the others. Only then did we realize that there were three different eagles, two of them were Bald Eagles and one was a Golden Eagle. Non-raptor Observations: ======================================================================== Report submitted by Barry Cherriere () 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. Directions to site: To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, 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/
