Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 01, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 2 Turkey Vulture 284 284 2093 Osprey 0 0 1 Bald Eagle 1 1 15 Northern Harrier 3 3 15 Sharp-shinned Hawk 23 23 64 Cooper's Hawk 0 0 29 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 37 37 261 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 43 43 477 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 14 Golden Eagle 0 0 4 American Kestrel 0 0 2 Merlin 1 1 5 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 0 59 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 2 2 4 Total: 394 394 3052 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Matt Mills Observers: Barb Charlton, Dave Sked, Mark Jennings, Tom Thomas Visitors: Chris Street, Claude King, Greg Vandervelde, Jean Iron, Ron Pittaway. Weather: Overcast and chilly with occasional peaks of sun and warmth. The strong south winds never materialized and were replaced instead by a rather modest lake breeze. Skies completely cleared late in the day with the passage of a cold front. Raptor Observations: A fantastic up flight right overhead gradually petered out into a slow afternoon, with much of the flight to the south. An interesting sighting was a pair of Northern Harriers following one another over the tower. Non-raptor Observations: Several hundred Canada Geese, 97 Tundra Swan, 6 Northern Pintail, 2 Common Mergansers, Many Killdeer (>30), 9 Great Blue Herons. A single Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow and Northern Flicker were passerine highlights. Predictions: West winds following the passage of a front. Flight could be slow to develop but nothing stops the Vultures. ======================================================================== 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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