Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2 37 37 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 1 4 4 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 5 5 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 4 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 6 53 53 Rough-legged Hawk 1 9 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 1 1 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 14 116 116 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Matt Mills Observers: Visitors: A few families from Grimsby, Hamilton, and St. Catharines. Greg Vandervelde and Claude King helped on the tower for most of the afternoon. Weather: Started out somewhat mild with scattered wet flurries and low clouds. Skies gradually cleared, the wind swung around more northwesterly and the air became decidedly drier and colder. Raptor Observations: Quality over quantity. Rough-legged Hawk (8:15) was an adult male, Bald Eagle (1:45) was a 4th year bird. Local Red-tailed Hawks were very much in evidence above the quarry area - one of them recognizable by the very faint belly band appearing nearly absent at a distance. Local Cooper's were also around. Non-raptor Observations: Hundreds of Mallard and a few American Black Ducks passed in small flocks throughout the day. 15 Greater Scaup and a handful of Common Mergansers were waterfowl highlights. Many small groups of crows passed the watch - most of them heading East. There was also a small but notable passage of Horned Larks. Predictions: Cold! But sunny and with lighter winds. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Matt Mills () Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area 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. © 2014 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
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