Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: May 14, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 7 Turkey Vulture 50 246 7663 Osprey 0 9 52 Bald Eagle 0 8 54 Northern Harrier 2 12 45 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 121 839 Cooper's Hawk 0 7 83 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 208 Broad-winged Hawk 5 96 1016 Red-tailed Hawk 4 41 1014 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 17 Golden Eagle 0 2 4 American Kestrel 1 6 36 Merlin 0 3 15 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 9 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 22 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 2 4 19 Total: 65 556 11111 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: John Stevens Observers: Visitors: A few, only one of which stayed to watch for a while. Our Lady of Fatima separate school in St. Catharines had about sixty children in three groups visiting the CA for a couple of hours. Many hikers, dog walkers and couples in the CA throughout the day. Weather: Sunny to start, clouding over then partially clearing with southwest to south winds of moderate intensity bringing temperatures up to the low twenties. Raptor Observations: Reasonable TV flight but a distinct lack of hawks. The only sharpie I saw all day caught a grackle just south of the tower that took about two minutes to subdue before the hawk struggled into the shrubs with it. Non-raptor Observations: Pair of Bobolinks in the field near the vineyard, male Eastern Bluebird that almost landed on the tower before catching sight of me, Eastern Towhee that sang all afternoon but no warblers seen or heard from the tower. Predictions: Rain overnight but it should clear by noon tomorrow for our last regular day for the season. ======================================================================== Report submitted by John Stevens () 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 is again allowed into the park, but visitors are asked to have their cars outside the gate by 3PM. If parking at the gate 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
