Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 44 280 296 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 1 13 17 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 6 6 Cooper's Hawk 1 5 5 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 15 98 119 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 4 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 1 1 Merlin 1 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 68 413 458 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Mike Street Observers: Visitors: Many families and dog walkers in the park all day. Tower visitors included the Bailey family from Grimsby and Gananoque, and the Boyds from Kilbride. Counter helpers were Don Cunliffe, Hugh Currie, Tim Foran, Mike King, Rayfield Pye, Kevin Saloranta, Dave Sked, Bob Stamp, Ken and Angie Williams. Special thanks to Patrick Jones for bringing his eagle-eyed son Owen. Weather: Cloudless blue sky all day. Brutal morning winds were 2-3 times as strong as forecast. Things got better when the wind shifted from S-SW to West. Raptor Observations: Relatively slow migration, but we did get the first Red-shouldered Hawks and Merlin of the season. Non-raptor Observations: A few non-raptor migrants included a Killdeer over the tower, a pair of Green-winged Teal travelling with a pair of American Black Ducks, and four Double-crested Cormorants Predictions: Likely similar to today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mike Street ([email protected]) Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=389 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: 1) Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. ©2018 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into park is restricted in March because of construction on site. Visitors can park at the gate BUT DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE!!! _______________________________________________ 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
