Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 76 1805 1805 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 26 26 Northern Harrier 1 15 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 49 49 Cooper's Hawk 4 37 37 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 10 391 391 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 62 806 806 Rough-legged Hawk 2 31 31 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 6 6 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 20 20 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 159 3190 3190 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Tom Thomas Observers: Dave Sked, Tom Ford Visitors: Tom Ford, Dave Sked,Ed Franks, Jerry Ball, Anne Anthony, Tim and Pat Norton, Don Mills, Barry and Linda Cherriere. Weather: A pleasant enough day for hawk watching, with light to brisk north/north east winds. temperatures ranged from 4 to 10 degrees C with overcast skies to begin with, but soon opened up for most of the morning. By mid day however the darker clouds had moved in. Raptor Observations: A steady but unspectacular flight today, with Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks making up most of the numbers. Non-raptor Observations: Earlier in the day there were strong flights of migrating American Robins, and the only other bird of note were the American Crows who were busy flying over the viewing tower carrying nesting material. Predictions: With snow predicted for Wednesday, it does not look good. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Tom Thomas ([email protected]) Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ Site Description: Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All counting is 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 cold days, particularly in 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 publicly 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 seven day's worth of observation data 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. © 2011 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
