Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 28, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 10 2343 6638 Osprey 2 35 40 Bald Eagle 0 37 78 Northern Harrier 1 36 45 Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 810 910 Cooper's Hawk 0 54 124 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 10 357 Broad-winged Hawk 6 2449 2449 Red-tailed Hawk 0 230 500 Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 7 Golden Eagle 0 5 7 American Kestrel 1 32 41 Merlin 0 2 5 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 5 Unknown Accipitrine 0 6 12 Unknown Buteo 0 6 27 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 19 34 Total: 38 6081 11281 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Carol Teed Observers: Randy McLelland Visitors: Natalia and her father from Vaughn visited early in the afternoon for a few minutes. The grade seven class from Dunnville Christian School visited mid afternoon. Weather: Drizzle and wind from the south 35 km/hr with gusts to 60 km/hr to start the day. Heavy winds persisted throughout the day, the kind that required holding your hat and anchoring down your lunch. The wind whistled through the trees; tapering off a little by late afternoon. Raptor Observations: Local Turkey Vultures and Cooper's Hawks active throughout the day. Non-raptor Observations: White-Throated Sparrows present today in growing numbers along with the regular Cardinals, Blue Jays, Robins, as well as a few Chipping Sparrows. Purple Martins migration outnumbered the raptors. Juncos were conspicuously absent today. Did not see or hear the Eastern Towhees either. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Carol Teed ([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]. 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 To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
