Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2019
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 1 5
Turkey Vulture 38 3270 6141
Osprey 2 34 34
Bald Eagle 2 18 50
Northern Harrier 0 31 50
Sharp-shinned Hawk 31 909 969
Cooper's Hawk 0 58 93
Northern Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 32 415
Broad-winged Hawk 138 2988 2988
Red-tailed Hawk 20 383 988
Rough-legged Hawk 0 9 24
Golden Eagle 0 2 7
American Kestrel 0 18 24
Merlin 0 7 10
Peregrine Falcon 0 4 11
Unknown Accipiter 0 8 9
Unknown Buteo 2 28 45
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 1 1
Unknown Raptor 0 15 17
Total: 233 7817 11883
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Rob Spaul
Observers: Catherine Manschot, Eric Single, John Hogeveen,
Katherine Stoltz, Lauren Booker, Sandy Darling
Visitors:
An excellent day for visitors, with lots of families out at Beamer CA.
Excellent help counting was provided by Katherine Stoltz, Lauren Booker,
Catherine Manschot, Eric Single, Sandy Darling and John Hogeveen.
Additional visitors included Bob Stamp, Jean Hampson, Bob Highcock and Bev
Hadler; my apologies if I missed anyone.
Weather:
The morning began brisk, overcast, and with a moderate N/NE wind, but
quickly cleared up, and became sunny for most of the day. Light to moderate
NE winds continued throughout the day, potentially giving some uplift off
the escarpment. Thermals really kicked into gear around mid-day.
Raptor Observations:
In general birds were quite high today, and difficult to find against a
blue sky. A steady Broad-winged hawk flight characterized the day, but most
came through in ones and twos, with just one "kettle" of 8. A modest
Sharp-shinned Hawk flight continues. A pretty good red-tailed hawk flight
surprised me a bit for this late in the season, but most were juveniles.
Migrant Osprey marked the first and last hours of the day. A very late
adult Bald Eagle, and a second year (juvenile), both gave good looks on
clear migratory lines. First thing in the morning an adult Peregrine Falcon
flew the "wrong" direction and was not counted. Likewise, an apparent local
female Northern Harrier flew in a weird direction and wasn't counted. The
local Cooper's Hawk pair and Red-tailed Hawk pair were both very actively
displaying and escorting today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Three Sandhill Crane gave good looks, flying right over the platform,
though were actually heading SW. Two Brown Thrasher sang all morning, and a
single male Eastern Towhee continues. A couple Yellow-rumped warblers were
seen throughout the morning, but otherwise no warblers have shown up around
the observation area yet. First of year House Wren was singing a bit
mid-morning near the feeders.
Predictions:
Steady flights should continue, and cloud cover should make counting a bit
easier. Afternoon showers may shut things down early. I'll hazard a guess
that peak raptor migration has occurred though, and a downward trend should
begin now until the season ends.
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Report submitted by Rob Spaul ()
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!!!
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