Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 935 19761 20272 Osprey 0 5 122 Bald Eagle 0 61 119 Northern Harrier 2 394 838 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 3374 7809 Cooper's Hawk 0 91 155 Northern Goshawk 0 4 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 150 152 Broad-winged Hawk 0 59 12999 Red-tailed Hawk 0 827 888 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 6 6 American Kestrel 2 307 1912 Merlin 0 24 79 Peregrine Falcon 0 31 75 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: 944 25095 45431 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Carnahan Observers: Ernie Gribble, Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy Visitors: Richard from London; Margaret & Bill from Nova Scotia. Weather: We had lots of sunshine this morning and although the wind was strong from the SW right at the start, we were reasonably protected on the knoll and in the road below, so the temperature, which started at a mere 2 C. felt warmer. It was a far different sensation standing at the edge of the cliff, especially as the day progressed and despite a high of 14 this afternoon, the wind, gusting to 44 km / hr generated quite a wind chill! By then, vast quantities of sand were blowing up over the cliff and right up the field, so standing Cliffside was impossible. Raptor Observations: Once the cloud built in and the wind picked up, the steady stream of TVs that we had been counting began to drift with many going north, others going south. We tallied 935 TVs, but we only counted 9 raptors in total, comprised of a mere 3 species which were Northern Harrier (2 at the B&B), Sharp-shinned Hawks (5, mostly at the B&B) and American Kestrel (2 along Dexter Line). A local Red-tailed Hawk did some spectacular swooping and diving at Sharpie Alley shortly after 12:00 PM and from the B&B, we saw a single Bald Eagle very far to the south, circling apparently to gain altitude, looking like it might go through, but then it changed direction flying south towards the lake. We figured it was not migrating today, so did not count it. Many thanks to Ernie Gribble for his persistence in counting the seemingly endless stream of TVs at the B&B. Non-raptor Observations: We have a shorter list of non-raptor observations today as most birds seemed to be either somewhere else or hunkered down out of the wind. Still, we had a few highlights moving through the trees and shrubs just north of the knoll, some of which were right beside us on the knoll. These were mainly warblers, and mainly Yellow-rumps, although 1 each of Blackpoll and Palm warblers was seen. A couple of Eastern Phoebes chased each other in and out of the bare trees and a Brown Creeper was climbing the butternut tree right beside us and an Eastern Towhee was calling off and on behind us. A Song Sparrow was found in the goldenrod near the knoll, while White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows were seen along the road and in the woods. Probably because of the wind, we saw very few flocks today, but we always have a highlight or two observers at the knoll saw 2 flocks of Bonapartes Gulls flying really low along the cliff. At the B&B observers noted a huge Starling ball (200 + individuals) just to the north plus a couple of small flocks of Robins and Goldfinches flew by. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls were doing the usual cruising routine along the cliff, especially noticeable when we have SW winds. Predictions: We are expecting another day of strong SW winds tomorrow, with a significant chance of rain for both Tuesday and Wednesday, so not looking good for raptor migration at Hawk Cliff for at least a couple of days. At present, a front is expected to pass through Wednesday night into Thursday, bringing a Northerly flow at a good clip (20 km / hr), which should get things going again. Still, temps will be balmy at 14 C for a high. ======================================================================== 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
