Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 13, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 17 98 114 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 6 10 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 1 3 3 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 2 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 49 70 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 3 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 20 160 205 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter: Tom Thomas Observers: Phil Waggett Visitors: Lois Evans, Jane Scholer, and a host of Dads, Mums, Kids and dogs. Weather: Blue skies with a slow build up light clouds right up until the noon hour, and then it clouded over quite quickly and heavy snow showers settled in. Raptor Observations: Turkey Vultures trickled through one at a time, and we saw two Bald Eagles flying east 1 adult and 1 immature. A Cooper's Hawk going through quite high and a couple of Red-tails made for a poor day's count when it promised much more. The count ended when heavy snow squalls made it impossible for birds to fly into, and we saw several Turkey Vultures give up and turn back. Below the Escarpment as one of our counters was on his way home he stopped and counted a kettle of 5 T.Vs. He decided to stay and count the birds going through (45mins) and saw a total of 18 T.Vs. 5 Red-tails, and 1 immature Bald Eagle. Now we know where the birds were. Non-raptor Observations: Not very active for other species Predictions: Doesn't look too promising with snow showers predicted for the next couple of days ======================================================================== Report submitted by Tom Thomas (ttho...@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 into park is restricted in March because of construction on site. Visitors can park at the gate BUT 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
