Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 12, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 7 Turkey Vulture 133 5009 6350 Osprey 8 24 24 Bald Eagle 1 7 37 Northern Harrier 3 9 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk 123 215 239 Cooper's Hawk 5 28 53 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 55 204 Broad-winged Hawk 1 1 1 Red-tailed Hawk 14 260 731 Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 8 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 3 8 13 Merlin 1 5 7 Peregrine Falcon 3 5 8 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 9 15 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Total: 296 5643 7715 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:15:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Sandy Darling Observers: Craig Potter, Matt Mills Visitors: Matt Mills and Craig Potter were very useful on a day where birds (especially Sharp-shinned Hawks) were all over the sky. Ivars Copps also visited. Weather: Wet and foggy in the morning. Warm front moved in at 11:10 EDT (12:15 EDT) and it was like the cork came out of the bottle with 107 raptors in the first 45 minutes. Thereafter, bands of rain moved through from time to time, but both raptors and non-raptors continued to move through. Raptor Observations: First Broad-winged Hawk of the season among 12 species, including 8 Ospreys, 3 Peregrines and other fine birds. Non-raptor Observations: Both Kinglets in the woods before we started counting. During the count Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin, Eastern Meadowlark, House Wren and many others. Predictions: Birds are there to come, but weather will be the determining factor. If there are open periods in the weather, I expect there will be rush. Currently we have no scheduled counter for Friday, so please send us any records from the site. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sandy Darling (darli...@cogeco.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. ©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!!! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
