Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2013
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 552 3023 3023
Osprey 0 1 1
Bald Eagle 4 32 32
Northern Harrier 1 7 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 31 31
Cooper's Hawk 2 34 34
Northern Goshawk 1 2 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 118 214 214
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 158 752 752
Rough-legged Hawk 5 13 13
Golden Eagle 1 3 3
American Kestrel 0 9 9
Merlin 0 1 1
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 12 13 13
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 2 2
Total: 859 4140 4140
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Phil Waggett
Observers: Andy Morgan, Barry Cherriere, Brandon Holden, Cody Law,
Colin Horstead, Jean Iron, John Black, Ron Pittaway,
Tom Lane
Visitors:
A large numbers of observers today--Tom Lane, Colin & Marguerite Horstead,
Cody Law, Brandon Holden, Keith Seally, John Black, Jean Iron, Ron
Pittaway, Barry Cherriere, John Barker, Andy Morgan--all helped observe a
flight that was challenging even with the large group of excellent
hawkwatchers. Many more observers were there--my apologies to anyone who
didn't get mentionned.
Weather:
A nice spring day. Unfortunately, bright clear skies made raptor
observation difficult at times. Winds WSW to 15kph tended to push many
raptors towards the lake and away from the observation area even as some
clouds developed after lunch.
Raptor Observations:
A terrific upflight of 200+ TV's between 8:30 and 9:10. However the flight
quickly became "stupid high" and many hawks were undoubtedly missed despite
having a large number of excellent observers present. Three of four bald
eagles were adults; interestingly, the last one was a juvenile that was
very dark and fresh looking (a Florida hatch bird?). Golden eagle was a
juvenile. All five rough-legs were the light form. The local coops were
active today, as were the local TV'S and red-tails.
Non-raptor Observations:
Great Blue Herons, red-bellied woodpecker, eastern bluebird, killdeer, and
common loon. There seemed to be more migrating blackbirds than have been
seen in the past two weeks.
Predictions:
Both Ripley and Hamburg had good flights today, including red-shoulders, so
Sunday might be good until the rain front moves in the afternoon.
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Report submitted by Phil Waggett ()
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. © 2013 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
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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/
