Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 5 1206 51059 Osprey 0 1 83 Bald Eagle 0 23 194 Northern Harrier 11 157 823 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 173 8267 Cooper's Hawk 0 19 202 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 194 426 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 66 1239 2032 Rough-legged Hawk 0 16 16 Golden Eagle 0 33 53 American Kestrel 0 5 1521 Merlin 0 4 62 Peregrine Falcon 0 6 50 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 18 Unknown Buteo 0 24 106 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 1 3 Unknown Raptor 0 1 24 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 104 3104 81578 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Andy Parsons, Bob Pettit, Jim McCoy, Michael Williamson Visitors: Chris and Neil visited Weather: The day warmed to an exceptional 10C, and with only a few very wispy clouds arriving in the afternoon, it was very pleasant. A slight breeze came from the SE and visibility was upwards of 15km. Raptor Observations: We had some great lighting for our 100+ raptor day! They were even flying a little bit closer, at times not even requiring binoculars for viewing. Only 4 species of raptor, and Turkey Vultures came by, but Red-tails put in a good showing with 66, and Red-shoulders reached double digits. 11 Northern Harriers also came by, moving at a fair clip. Two of them flew with gusto right out over the lake, rather than carry on to the west. Non-raptor Observations: There was a moment of great surprise during mid-morning when Andy pointed out a large raptor perched in a tree nearby which turned out to be a Great Horned Owl! After everyone got good looks in the scope, it flew down towards the lake and perched again. A few minutes later, it reappeared, flying over the hunt club and disappearing into the woods to the west. Another uncommon bird was an Eastern Meadowlark that fluttered into view to the north of the tower, flashing its white tail stripes, and landing in a bare bush in the middle of the marsh. After a moment's rest, it also continued on its way. The rest of the migrating non-raptors were our typical November birds; 237 American Goldfinches, 5 Pine Siskins, 5 Purple Finches, over 200 blackbirds (many too distant for identification), 9 Cedar Waxwings, 31 Horned Larks, 194 American Crows, and 1 Blue Jay. Ducks spread out again in the marsh after midday once the ice melted away. See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S25999063 Predictions: A warm day again with rain in the morning, clearing up after 10am. 30kph winds from the south ======================================================================== 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
