Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2018
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 7
Turkey Vulture 1272 4558 5899
Osprey 4 11 11
Bald Eagle 1 3 33
Northern Harrier 4 5 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 44 68
Cooper's Hawk 4 20 45
Northern Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 25 54 203
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 110 211 682
Rough-legged Hawk 1 2 7
Golden Eagle 0 0 2
American Kestrel 4 5 10
Merlin 0 3 5
Peregrine Falcon 1 2 5
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2
Unknown Buteo 0 9 15
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 1 2 2
Total: 1436 4932 7004
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: John Stevens
Observers: Barry Cherriere, Brad Wilson, David Weare, John Hogeveen,
Karen Ross, Paul Neilsen, Tom Thomas
Visitors:
All visitors were put to work helping with spotting and counting. All
helped a lot.
Weather:
Mix of sun and cloud to start but becoming overcast as the day progressed
albeit with thin clouds until late in the afternoon. Light winds from the
southeast to start becoming more northeasterly after noon and subsiding
somewhat later in the day. Very cool temperatures. Still glove and toque
weather.
Raptor Observations:
Steady push of TVs throughout the day with the flight line swinging from
well off the escarpment in the morning to well south midday and back to
almost overhead in the afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
A few loons flew over but not much else of interest. One of the TVs had no
tail at all and yes it was not a BV.
Predictions:
Should be OK until late in the day but wind shift to the west may drop the
number of birds coming through.
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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. ©2018 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch.
2) Vehicular traffic is again allowed into the park, 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!!!
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