Holiday Beach Hawk Watch
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2023
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture 2077 63956 66956
Osprey 0 5 46
Bald Eagle 5 131 255
Northern Harrier 14 369 741
Sharp-shinned Hawk 96 3571 8774
Cooper's Hawk 5 219 310
American Goshawk 1 4 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 38 372 372
Broad-winged Hawk 0 140 56725
Red-tailed Hawk 212 1383 1558
Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4
Golden Eagle 0 11 11
American Kestrel 1 1411 2606
Merlin 3 31 126
Peregrine Falcon 1 50 88
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 2453 71657 138576
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Hugh Kent
Observers: Aldo Bertucci, Ian Woodfield, Kory Renaud, Liz Kent,
Matt Brannagan, Noel Herdman, Peter Veighey
Visitors:
Big thanks to Noel, Peter, Aldo, Matt, Ian and Kory for help in observing
and recording. It was all about dealing with the cold and strong wind
today. Thanks to Patti and Juliette who contributed soup, cookies and
cakes. It was good to meet Geraldine and Irene and several other visitors
who all took an interest in the Hawk Watch.
Weather:
The wind was strong to very strong from the north west, bringing cold
conditions on the Tower with a temperature around 5c. The morning was
overcast under foreboding skies, but there was some blue sky and sun in the
afternoon. Visibility was good.
Raptor Observations:
Another good day, with Turkey Vultures (2,077) again starting in the north
and moving closer to the Tower in the afternoon. Red-tailed Hawks (212)
hung around with the Turkey Vultures, a number of Red-shouldered Hawks (38)
appeared on their own in the morning, taking off from nearby trees and the
remainder followed the Turkey Vultures. Sharp-shinned Hawks (96) came
through on their own for most of the day. An American Goshawk was seen mid
afternoon. Falcons were few in number but one of the Merlins (3) buzzed the
tower seemingly passing between the counters. Cooper's Hawk (5) and
Northern Harrier (14) were lower in number.
Non-raptor Observations:
More variety today with many Tundra Swan (92) overflying with a good number
settling on the marsh. There were many Canvasback (299) overflying, heading
north. Two new for the season Bufflehead were seen flying into the marsh.
Ducks are again maintaining numbers with rafts of Ring-necked Duck (1,767)
sheltering on the northern shore with other ducks. Cedar Waxwing (452) were
again flying by in good numbers with some settling on nearby trees. Good
Sparrow species count (6) included a first for season Fox Sparrow.
Golden-crowned Kinglets (6) have also arrived in greater numbers. The list
is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S153435615
Predictions:
A light to moderate south west wind is forecast for tomorrow, with a mostly
overcast sky. It will be cold (-2c) overnight with the temperature
gradually rising to 5c during the day. It is likely we will see fewer
raptors than today with the wind change, but no doubt some will fly.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Hugh Kent ([email protected])
Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=100
--
Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario
Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario.
Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year
reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to:
[email protected].
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email
at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at
http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra
precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding
physical distancing and non-essential travel.
To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page
at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
