Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 24, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 5 Turkey Vulture 69 3228 6098 Osprey 4 29 29 Bald Eagle 0 16 48 Northern Harrier 2 31 50 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 841 902 Cooper's Hawk 16 55 89 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 31 414 Broad-winged Hawk 290 1607 1607 Red-tailed Hawk 40 339 934 Rough-legged Hawk 0 9 24 Golden Eagle 0 2 7 American Kestrel 0 16 22 Merlin 1 7 10 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 11 Unknown Accipiter 0 8 9 Unknown Buteo 16 24 42 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 9 14 16 Total: 456 6264 10320 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Jack Alvo Observers: Rob Buchanan Visitors: Many keen and sharp-eyed helpers: Rob Buchanan, Stephanie Birkett, Bob Manson, Marcie Jacklin, Lynda Goodridge, Lynne Freeman, Bev Hadler, Loretta Shields, Chris Bailey, John (unsure of last name), Brian Hawthorne & John Blanchard Weather: Pleasant day, with temperatures ranging from cool to comfortable. Cloud cover ranged from 10 to 95%. Wind ranged from mild to moderate (gusty). Visibility excellent (except for mid- to late-afternoon when many raptors (esp. Broadwings) were flying high and in and out of clouds. Raptor Observations: Steady flow in morning (~30 per hour) with some birds close (including some Broadwings) and others very distant. After mid-day lull, flight pass was more consistent - very high and right overhead, so challenging to pick out of sky but this is when we got big Broadwing numbers: 284 between 3:00 and 6:00 people time, not Standard time. (How many did we miss....?) 456 raptors total, excluding 2 non-migrating Bald Eagles (1 adult and 1 first year) and local TV's, RT's and Cooper's Non-raptor Observations: 1 Pine Warbler early. Two singing Towhees. Sparrows - 4 species (no Fox Sp). Brown Thrasher. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. Swallows - 4 species (all except Cliff). Purple Martins. Cormorants overhead. Phoebe. Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. Great Blue Heron. Flickers plus Downy and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Miscellaneous others. Predictions: More birds to come. Weather conditions reasonable. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jack Alvo (a...@sympatico.ca) 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. 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