Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: May 09, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 1 Turkey Vulture 14 208 6864 Osprey 1 4 33 Bald Eagle 5 11 92 Northern Harrier 0 4 37 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 71 855 Cooper's Hawk 0 19 126 American Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 232 Broad-winged Hawk 2 19 1986 Red-tailed Hawk 4 28 741 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 4 American Kestrel 0 3 26 Merlin 0 0 9 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 5 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 13 Unknown Buteo 0 0 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 0 1 6 Swainson's Hawk 1 1 1 Total: 29 370 11065 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Katherine Stoltz Observers: Visitors: Nobody visited me. The usual contingent of dog-walkers and hikers. Weather: Mainly sunny skies with a slight haze in the morning. Temps started at 6 and reached 12 degrees C by the end of the count. Cool north winds at a modest 9km with the eagerly anticipated easterly component only in the last hour. Raptor Observations: Today was the last uncovered day in the 2025 schedule and even dangling the possibility of a Mississippi Kite got no bites, so I put on my big girl pants and ascended the tower for my final day of the season. Not a lot of raptor migration but I was rewarded with juvenile Swainson's Hawk (see hourly notes for details). 7 species in total, with TV taking the gold (as usual), Bald Eagles making a last minute push for silver, and juvenile Red-tails coming in 3rd. No clear flight path. Local vultures very active. Local Red-tail and Cooper's seen. Non-raptor Observations: Not a lot of warbler activity. I heard or saw Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-sided Warblers and Northern Parula. White-throated Sparrows are still hanging around. Predictions: Another brilliant sunny day, but I do not have intel on what is in the pipeline. Still time for a MIKI! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Katherine Stoltz (Katherine [email protected]) Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://nphawkwatch.ca/ More site information at hawkcount.org: https://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. Only the counter and designated spotters can drive into and park in the conservation area; there is a parking lot outside for visitors. 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 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. 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. ©2020 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 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]. 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