Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 06, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 4 Turkey Vulture 259 1644 4516 Osprey 2 2 2 Bald Eagle 0 3 35 Northern Harrier 2 6 25 Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 40 101 Cooper's Hawk 1 5 39 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 6 22 405 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 21 92 687 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 19 Golden Eagle 0 0 5 American Kestrel 1 2 8 Merlin 1 3 6 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 7 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 5 23 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 3 5 Total: 311 1833 5891 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Phil Waggett Observers: Eric Holden, John Hogeveen, Lauren Booker, Rob Porter Visitors: Rob Porter, Lauren Booker, Eric Holden, John Hogeveen were very helpful spotting and identifying migrating raptors. Also visiting were Sherry Pilkington, Mark Stubb, and Kevin McLaughlin. With the nice weather, many families were enjoying a day at Beamer with several coming up the tower to find out about the hawkwatch. Weather: A pleasant spring day--cloudy in the morning with substantial clearing near noon. Winds were light, initially out of the south and then turning to east and north-east. Raptor Observations: A flight dominated by turkey vultures although there was a small increase in sharp-shins. We had 6 red-shoulders, 3 of which were adults. A juvenile bald eagle was noted going east at 11:30 but was not counted. The highlight was the two ospreys. Local red-tails, male coop and turkey vultures were active today. Non-raptor Observations: A flock of 8 great blue herons was noteworthy. Rob Porter who was birding by ear identified an eastern phoebe, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, golden-crowned kinglets and a solitary pine siskin. Also seen was a northern flicker. Predictions: Likely a continuation of today's flight pattern although today's flight slowed considerably into the later afternoon. Weather forecast is much like today with winds shifting to light north to north-east. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Phil Waggett (philipwagg...@hotmail.com) 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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