Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 2709 37268 38723 Osprey 0 11 78 Bald Eagle 2 47 151 Northern Harrier 6 217 539 Sharp-shinned Hawk 47 2825 7669 Cooper's Hawk 3 94 148 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 77 80 Broad-winged Hawk 0 152 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 4 227 330 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 7 407 1501 Merlin 4 18 55 Peregrine Falcon 1 20 38 Unknown Accipiter 0 4 11 Unknown Buteo 1 10 36 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 1 7 19 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 2785 41387 66020 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Adele Leroux, Guy Leroux Visitors: Garrett, Marcel and two couples came out to enjoy the beautiful weather. Weather: The morning started out quite chilly, but warmed up to a beautiful fall day at 17C with almost full sun. Winds were strong from the S almost all day, but it only felt like a breeze on the tower because of the row of trees between us and the lake, making it quite pleasant. Raptor Observations: The first two hours had the biggest variety of species, with Northern Harriers, Sharp-shins, Cooper's Hawks, a Red-tail, American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon! One Merlin showed off its flying agility while chasing a small passerine, making quick turns and huge dives at speeds so high you'd think it learned to fly from a Peregrine. The Turkey Vultures popped up after 1.5 hours of count and streamed constantly after that, but dried up completely by the last hour of count. All the birds flew low today, despite the cloudless sky, but raptors were slim pickings in the afternoon. Non-raptor Observations: Gulls started streaming west down the shore of Lake Erie at sunrise and didn't stop for 3 hours, getting up to 250+ birds. One Greater Yellowlegs and a Common Loon both flew over the marsh, the loon continuing south over the lake. Blue Jays were taking a break and only 720 came through today, with 440 American Crows on their tail. Tree Swallows appeared around mid-day and spent a few hours feeding on clouds of small midges above the tower. American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches flocked past, and 7 Rusty Blackbirds perched in a tree beside the tower. There were plenty of Autumn Meadowhawks (dragonfly) out today! See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S25477853 Predictions: Weather almost exactly like today with winds from the SW. Likewise, bird action will likely be similar to today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jenna McDermott ([email protected]) Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/ _______________________________________________ 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
