Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 15, 2016
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 2 1204 4330
Osprey 5 22 22
Bald Eagle 0 4 27
Northern Harrier 6 24 55
Sharp-shinned Hawk 56 126 276
Cooper's Hawk 4 17 66
Northern Goshawk 1 2 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 3 266
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 16 205 1065
Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 23
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 2 16 35
Merlin 1 5 11
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 4
Unknown Buteo 0 1 6
Unknown Falcon 0 0 2
Unknown Eagle 0 1 1
Unknown Raptor 0 1 8
Total: 95 1636 6201
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Mike Street
Observers: Alan Meijer, Bouwe Bergsma, Claude King, Ian Smith,
Tom Thomas
Visitors:
Too many to include all the names, but a special welcome to Cheryl Dykstra,
Ann Wegman and Jeff Hays of Cincinnati, OH (Cheryl is the guest speaker at
our AGM tomorrow); Alan Meijer, now of North Carolina; and Charlotte
(Charlie) Waldhuber - a future counter? - and grandparents.
Weather:
Blue skies with the temperature warming to around +10°C. Light to moderate
NE winds all day. In the morning jet contrails were very helpful in
spotting birds.
Raptor Observations:
11 species including the second Northern Goshawk of the year. Although
there were TVs in sight almost all day, they seemed to be going in circles
around the site. Only two TVs were counted, one completely missing its tail
and another with only a few tail feathers.
Non-raptor Observations:
Over 30 species of non-raptors including the first Brown Thrasher of the
year, a male-female pair of Purple Finches, several small flights of
Double-crested Cormorants, Common Loon, Pine Warbler, Northern Mockingbird,
both Kinglets and five woodpeckers, missing only Pileated.
Predictions:
Even warmer weather and continuing NE winds suggest that Saturday should be
a pretty good day.
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Report submitted by Mike Street ([email protected])
Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at:
http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/
Site Description:
Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in
Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All
counting is done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a
counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter
for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and
identification. Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a
wooden floor. For wind protection on cold days, particularly in March, a
black plastic wind guard is installed around the tower's platform. This
platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than
five or six observers would be on it.
The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara
Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The
tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the
outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road)
and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are
present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to
display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box
enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public
as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records.
Directions to site:
To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie
St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road
West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to
the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If
parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your
car.
Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized
after the end of the season. © 2016 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
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