Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch
Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2015
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 2130 2130 2641
Osprey 1 1 118
Bald Eagle 9 9 67
Northern Harrier 88 88 532
Sharp-shinned Hawk 547 547 4982
Cooper's Hawk 5 5 69
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 6 6 8
Broad-winged Hawk 42 42 12982
Red-tailed Hawk 29 29 90
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 94 94 1699
Merlin 5 5 60
Peregrine Falcon 3 3 47
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
Total: 2959 2959 23295
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Jim Dunn, Matt Oswald, Tom Bolohan
Observers: Clive Hodder, Dave Verkley, Don Taylor, Jim Dunn,
Keith Sealy, Mac McAlpine, Mary Carnahan, Tom Thomas
Visitors:
Visitors to the cliff this morning were Tom & Tini and Ken & Eleanor
Ovington. Some other visitors arrived later on but we didnt get their
names.
Weather:
We reached a high of 14 sizzling degrees Celsius this afternoon, although
it felt more like 12 in the sheltered areas and colder on the observation
knoll. Cloud cover was variable, but welcome as it made looking for those
birds flying ridiculously high on the NE winds a little easier. The winds
reached 35 km / hr in the afternoon, with gusts up to 50 km / hr.
Raptor Observations:
Many thanks to Matt, Jim, Mary, Keith, Tom Thomas, Clive Hodder, Tom
Stewart, Mac MacAlpine, Don Taylor and Cary Graham for their raptor
observations as well as their contributions to the non-raptor list.
The total birds seen today was 2,959...though the bulk were TVs (2,130).
There were some good numbers of raptors with Sharpies (547), Cooper's (5),
Bald Eagles (9), N. Harriers (88), Broadwings (42), Redtails (29),
Red-shoulders (6), Am. Kestrels (94), Merlin (5), Peregrine (3) and a lone
Osprey.
Non-raptor Observations:
Observers reported 38 non-raptor species. Highlights of todays dickie
bird hunt were mainly spotted from the observation knoll. These were a
Red-headed Woodpecker that flew across the field in full view of the
observers and our first flock of Sandhill Cranes. Other highlights were a
large number of Hermit Thrush in the woods as well as along the cliff and 6
species of Sparrow including Song, Swamp, Lincolns, White-crowned,
White-throated and an unidentified sparrow that was too shy to provide a
complete look, but Mac says it was either a Sharp-tailed Sparrow or a
LeContes. As well, several Dark-eyed Junco were reported.
Flocks of Blue Jays were dashing westward again this morning (at least
10,000) and flocks of Goldfinches continue their westward migration.
Catbirds and Cardinals were easy to find in the woods and other shrubby
areas and many Northern Flicker were also seen in several locations
woods, west field, etc. Other nice sightings were Eastern Phoebe,
Blue-headed & Red-eyed Vireo, House Wren, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebirds
along Dexter Ln and 7 Warbler species including MANY Yellow-rumped Warblers
plus Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Black-throated Green, Blackpoll,
Nashville and Orange-crowned.
A few stalwart monarchs flew high today headed west with the raptors while
a few Cabbage Whites, Orange & Clouded Sulphurs can still be seen in the
fields, despite todays high winds.
Predictions:
Fairly strong NE winds and temperatures even chillier than today are
forecast for Friday, which sounds like a repeat of the last two days. It
should be another good flight tomorrow...especially after two solid days of
northerly winds.
Things begin to change on the weekend, however, with a chance of rain in
the forecast on Saturday, with some clearing on Sunday into Monday though
it may depend on where and when Hurricane Joaquin hits landfall.
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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
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