Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 502 24866 Osprey 0 1 124 Bald Eagle 0 23 173 Northern Harrier 3 38 1005 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 40 8384 Cooper's Hawk 0 10 219 Northern Goshawk 0 0 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 32 333 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 13000 Red-tailed Hawk 34 864 2664 Rough-legged Hawk 0 6 8 Golden Eagle 1 20 78 American Kestrel 0 2 1936 Merlin 0 4 93 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 76 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: 41 1542 52966 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 4 hours Official Counter: Mary Carnahan Observers: Jason McGuire, Keith Sealy Visitors: A couple of birders (Jake and Pete) dropped in near the end of the watch to compare notes on our sightings of the days only Golden Eagle always a welcome topic of conversation. Weather: Weather conditions were comparatively wintry this morning with a light dusting of snow on the ground and the temperature steady throughout the morning at a chilly -1 C., and colder because of the fairly strong W winds, which shifted to WSW around noon. Fortunately, the temperature eventually climbed -- to +1 C. Cloud cover / amount of sunshine varied throughout the day so that at times, observers basked in the sun, but at other times, we huddled, shivering, in our lawn chairs along the roadside at the B&B. Raptor Observations: The flight, like the sky, was variable today with a disappointing finish at only 41 migratory raptors. The only Turkey Vulture spotted today was flying lazy circles near the Port Stanley water tower a couple of km west at the end of Dexter Ln. The majority of todays 5 species were Red-tailed Hawks (34); as well, observers reported 3 Northern Harriers all south of Dexter Ln, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk and a single Golden Eagle (1). Non-raptor Observations: There was lots of passerine activity along the roadside near Sharpie Alley this morning including Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, black-capped Chickadees Golden-crowned Kinglets, Am. Tree Sparrows, Am. Goldfinches, and a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches. Down at the observation knoll, a very musical flock of 20 Eastern Bluebirds flew back and forth. Also spotted from the knoll were Ring-billed Gulls, Am. Crows, numerous flocks of Tundra Swans and a few Canada Geese. In and above the field at the B&B, observers noted Northern Flicker, many more Crows, Blue Jays, Herring Gulls, Horned Larks, Mallards, a Kingfisher, E. Starlings, and the hands-down favourite non-raptor of the day, 200 Snow Buntings HCs first of the season. Predictions: Temps will drop to around -5 C. overnight but rise as the morning progresses, reaching 0 around 10:00 AM and hopefully going higher than that by the end of the watch. Unfortunately, mainly clear conditions overnight will give way to more cloud and a significant chance of a rain/snow mix throughout tomorrow. Moderate SW winds will dominate, shifting to W towards evening. Beyond that it looks like there will be another clearing trend, but dont expect favourable winds over the next few days. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mary Carnahan ([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
