Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 2262 40982 42437 Osprey 1 12 79 Bald Eagle 2 49 153 Northern Harrier 48 275 597 Sharp-shinned Hawk 184 3061 7905 Cooper's Hawk 7 106 160 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 33 110 113 Broad-winged Hawk 0 152 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 39 267 370 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 3 5 5 American Kestrel 12 420 1514 Merlin 1 20 57 Peregrine Falcon 4 24 42 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 9 20 46 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 3 10 22 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 2608 45519 70152 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Jim McCoy, Michael Williamson Visitors: Niel and another family came up to enjoy the beautiful weather. Weather: The long-awaited switch to NW winds occurred early on in the count and lasted until mid-afternoon, when it changed to a SW direction. The air was warm and the wind wasn't strong which made it a very lovely day to spend outdoors. Overcast skies melted away into a beautiful sky for spotting birds, with streaks of blue sky through the clouds. Some more clouds disappeared and left much of the sky empty of clouds to spot birds against. Raptor Observations: The NW winds certainly didn't disappoint, making for a day with nice numbers and great variety! 12 species were seen, including a good start for the buteo flight, all three falcon species, and 3 Golden Eagles! The first three raptors of the day were Northern Harriers, which was a good indicator for the wonderful, constant appearances of 48 harriers by the end. Raptors and Turkey Vultures early on were easily counted overhead and down the shore of Lake Erie and by the end of the day the scope was invaluable, as birds flew far to the north; even Turkey Vultures appeared like tiny pinpricks in the binoculars. Non-raptor Observations: Blackbirds and starlings were numerous in the morning. Blue Jays and American Crows appeared a little later on, each passing by with over 2000 individuals. Robins were flying past in flocks again today and there was a small resurgence of Cedar Waxwings. 1 Monarch was seen near the tower. See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S25512474 ======================================================================== 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
