Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch
Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 14 112 114
Osprey 2 97 112
Bald Eagle 3 93 93
Northern Harrier 19 391 424
Sharp-shinned Hawk 235 4639 4672
Cooper's Hawk 1 42 42
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 14 72189 72222
Red-tailed Hawk 0 21 24
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 66 2384 2482
Merlin 2 35 45
Peregrine Falcon 0 11 11
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Total: 356 80015 80242
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Colin Horstead
Observers: Ernie Gribble, Jim Dunn, Kathy, Mark Cunningham,
Mary Carnahan, Rose
Visitors:
Thanks to Colin, Ernie, Mary, Jim, Kathy, Mark and Rose for working hard to
complete today's count.
Weather:
A mostly sunny day today with some cloud cover to help spot passing raptors
at the beginning but clearing out almost completely making for tough
viewing for the remainder of the count period. Winds were moderate from the
NE for a couple of hours then swung through to ENE then to the ESE and
finally SE. The temp ranged from 14C to 22C feeling quite warm for a good
part of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Total birds today was 356...with Sharpies (235), Kestrels (66), Harriers
(19), TV's (14), Osprey (2) to the north of the knoll, Bald Eagle (3),
Cooper's (1), BW's (14) also to the north...and Merlin (2).
Of note...today's count has pushed us over the 80,000 raptor mark for this
season! And there's still over 2 months to go.
Non-raptor Observations:
There are still lots of passerines along Hawk Cliff Rd and right at the
cliff. Today's highlights include 14 Warbler species noted by visitors and
regulars. Many Blackpolls were seen again today; also, Palm and
Yellow-rumped were seen in several locations and once again a single
Northern Parula was found near the cliff. As well, there are still
numerous Nashvilles in the mix, but only singles were reported of
Magnolia, Am. Redstart and Black & White. Other warblers seen today were
Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted and
Pine, and other small birds included Red-eyed and Philadelphia Vireo, Least
Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-peewee, Black-capped Chickadee, and Ruby-crowned
Kinglet. Song sparrows are still around and White-throated Sparrows are on
the increase, with sightings in various spots up and down the road. A few
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen zipping across the field and grabbing
a quick drnk in what's left of the jewelweed.
Spotted from the mound this morning were Ring-billed and Herring Gulls,
Cormorants, Canada Geese, a few Wood Ducks, a lone Great Blue Heron and a
single Common Nighthawk. As the morning progressed, Monarch Butterflies
could be seen flying high, right along with the raptors. Also, aabout 5000
Blue Jays passed through along the ravine area just ot the north of the
count area.
Predictions:
Winds are predicted to be SE 20 kph...which is our worst wind...so I
wouldn't expect much of a flight tomorrow (Mon).
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Report submitted by Dave Brown ([email protected])
Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.ezlink.on.ca/~thebrowns/HawkCliff/index.htm
_______________________________________________
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/
