Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 8 8 8 Bald Eagle 10 10 10 Northern Harrier 18 18 18 Sharp-shinned Hawk 70 70 70 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 1 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 263 263 263 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 114 114 114 Merlin 3 3 3 Peregrine Falcon 1 1 1 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: 488 488 488 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jim Dunn Observers: Bob Johnstone, Keith Sealy, Ronnie Goodhand, Tom Bolohan Visitors: A couple of visitors today with Joe...and Paul Nicholson from London. NOTE that the Thames Talbot Land Trust has done a remarkable job of improving the property that they now own (Hawk Cliff Forest) and deserve a HUGE THANK YOU. They've graded the road and cleaned up the roadside and road through the ravine. They've also cleared and levelled a piece of their property in the former butterfly field for a parking lot and provided 2 portable toilets. And on the cabin trail in the bush they've trimmed it back a bit and provided a footbridge over the one main wet spot. Weather: A bit of a surprise with the weather today as a nice cold front crossed through the Great Lakes region yesterday. It was fantastic for migration and the birds responded. Winds were NNE to N for the day along with a mix of sun and cloud. Temp was cooler hitting a high of just 20C. Raptor Observations: A really nice morning to launch the 2016 Hawk Cliff Raptor Watch. The passing cold front brought temperatures in the mid teens and it only got to 20C by noon. The day ended with a total of 488 birds...not bad for day 1 of the hawkwatch! The first raptors of the season were a Shin and a Kestrel sneaking through low in the first few minutes of the watch while 14 Broadwings and a lone Peregrine were the highlites of the morning. The weather for tomorrow looks similar to today so could be another enjoyable and productive day. Species breakdown included Osprey (8), Bald Eagle (10), N. Harrier (18), Sharpies (70), a single Cooper's, a small flight of Broadwings (263), A. Kestrels (114), Merlin (3) and an early Peregrine. Non-raptor Observations: No one decided to fight off the mosquitoes and beat the bushes for warblers and other migrants so our passerine count is meagre. However, a Great Egret flew over the mound early in the first hour and two Nighthawks entertained over the bean field in front of the observers. Other passerines observed from the mound wereÂ…Chimney Swifts; Bank Swallows (lots); Oven Bird and Black-throated Blue warbler. Predictions: Tomorrow may be a repeat of today with predicted NE winds and still cooler. ======================================================================== 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 (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
