Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 94 3404 3915 Osprey 2 3 120 Bald Eagle 1 13 71 Northern Harrier 0 142 586 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 663 5098 Cooper's Hawk 1 8 72 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 8 10 Broad-winged Hawk 0 49 12989 Red-tailed Hawk 0 44 105 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 102 1707 Merlin 0 9 64 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 48 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: 98 4450 24786 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 10:00:00 Total observation time: 2 hours Official Counter: Mary Carnahan Observers: Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy Visitors: Visitors today were Lucille & Bob and Wayne. Weather: The weather was cold, windy and miserable. Although it was actually a balmy 9 degrees Celsius when we arrived the windchill was 2 C. Wind was straight from the east and really blowing, with cornstalks, leaves, dirt and other debris; we heard lots of tree song (as opposed to birdsong) beside and behind us. Rain sprinkled from time to time. Cloud cover was almost 100% and the sky seemed to grow darker the longer we sat. And did I mention the wind (cold, from the east, in our faces)? Wind speed was 34 KM / hr to start, gusting to 47 km / hr. Rose to 36 in the second hour. Raptor Observations: We had 4 countable raptors including 2 Osprey, both very high, one along the cliff, being blown out over the lake and struggling to recover, the other at the north end of the field, but the flight pattern was the same. It took both birds a couple of minutes to cross the field. Also during the first hour we had 1 Bald Eagle and 1 Cooper's Hawk (large -- probably female) above the treetops, but not by much, at the north end of the field. In total we had 98 birds, consisting overwhelmingly of Turkey Vultures (94), which were spread unevenly over the 2-hour watch, with most in the first hour. Our total for the day was 98 birds belonging to 4 species Non-raptor Observations: A key to today's possibilities for a decent count was the fact that NO BLUEJAYS were flying. The odd one flew individually, for a total of 7, across the field. A single Northern Flicker dashed from the west treeline to the east treeline, and a Pileated Woodpecker made a break for it, headed west to the woods. The other hint was that NO GULLS were flying. Eventually, observers managed to find 1 Herring Gull hugging the cliff, headed east. Instead of the many flocks of Canada Geese flying every which way that we have seen over the past 3 days, one observer reported 6 Geese flying low along the northern treeline. And the total number of Eastern Bluebirds seen on the wires on Fairview Rd was zero (0). Nonetheless, observers managed to find a few songbirds in the bushes near the parking area, including Song and White-throated Sparrows, an Eastern Phoebe, plus Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Back on the knoll, one Common Loon was seen flying south towards the lake at low altitude over the trees. Predictions: Easterly winds and rain will persist throughout Saturday night and although the wind will continue from the East on Sunday, wind velocity is supposed to drop to 20 - 25 km / hr. Sunday will be cool, somewhat windy, and cloudy all day. Wind velocity is expected to drop considerably by Monday, with some sun and cloud, but still easterly, continuing to diminish as the day goes on, then switching to S, but then northerly winds on Tuesday. ======================================================================== 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
