Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 432 639 639 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 7 17 17 Northern Harrier 1 3 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 19 25 25 Cooper's Hawk 3 12 12 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 175 222 222 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 138 251 251 Rough-legged Hawk 0 5 5 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 775 1189 1189 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Tom Thomas Observers: Craig Corcoran, Kevin McLaughlin, Lyn Hanna-Folkes Visitors: Lots of visitors. Kevin Mclaughlin, Liz Vanderwoude, Craig Corcoran, Dave Michielsen and Jennifer Brooks, Julia Hitchcock, and Emiliano, Liam Thorne, Henry Tierney, Joshua Thorne, Brian Hawthorne, Gerry Wright, and Martin and Jamie Head from Fontill. A big thank you to Lyn-Hanna Folkes for doing such a great job with the counting and the great help from many of the visitors. Weather: At the start of the count there were blue skies and a light wind from the south west. There was a dusting of overnight snow on the tower which soon melted from the warming overhead sun. By lunchtime the sky became overcast with a patchwork of heavy dark clouds with some small blue patches, and the light was not the best for viewing birds. Raptor Observations: A big push of Turkey Vultures, with several kettles of over 50 birds. Good numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks and 7 Bald Eagles were seen. Unfortunately Most of the hawks were very high and your identification skills were tested to the limit. There will be a lot of sore necks tonight. Non-raptor Observations: There were 24 non raptor species counted, among them ..Common Raven, Killdeer, D. C. Cormorant, local Cooper's Hawk and many American Robins moving through. Predictions: It could be another good day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Tom Thomas ([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. ©2019 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into the park is allowed, 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. 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