Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: May 06, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 5 Turkey Vulture 13 19 6219 Osprey 1 1 36 Bald Eagle 4 8 62 Northern Harrier 1 2 52 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 108 1086 Cooper's Hawk 1 3 97 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 415 Broad-winged Hawk 10 340 3400 Red-tailed Hawk 9 10 1013 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 24 Golden Eagle 0 0 9 American Kestrel 0 2 26 Merlin 1 3 13 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 11 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 9 Unknown Buteo 1 1 49 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 1 Unknown Raptor 1 1 18 Total: 59 498 12547 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.08 hours Official Counter: John Stevens Observers: Bill Read, Joe Ventura Visitors: A couple of visitors stopped by and Joe Ventura stayed for most of the day and was a great help finding birds. Weather: Clear to begin but fully clouded over at the finish. Moderate winds from the southwest or even south around mid-day. Warm, into the twenties but feeling cooler when the wind was stronger. All in all a beautiful day. Raptor Observations: The wind certainly kept the birds down with only an adult BE getting high. Many birds went east, possibly because of the wind including the NH and ML. Non-raptor Observations: 34 non-raptor species seen or heard from the tower with a late afternoon Red-headed Woodpecker being the best. That includes zero warbler species although some warblers were reported over the lip of the escarpment. An Eastern Towhee sang almost all day although not continuously. Predictions: Forecast is calling for light rain in the morning but partly sunny in the afternoon. Cooler with winds swinging around all day but being lighter than today. Could be a late day push but I wouldn't expect much before noon. ======================================================================== 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. ©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. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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