Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 1 1690 48418 Osprey 1 3 56 Bald Eagle 4 48 284 Northern Harrier 28 121 524 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 146 7770 Cooper's Hawk 2 32 318 Northern Goshawk 1 4 11 Red-shouldered Hawk 8 106 409 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 36348 Red-tailed Hawk 39 1020 2379 Rough-legged Hawk 2 17 23 Golden Eagle 3 46 72 American Kestrel 1 7 1026 Merlin 0 5 74 Peregrine Falcon 1 7 53 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 23 Unknown Buteo 4 24 224 Unknown Eagle 0 3 5 Unknown Falcon 0 1 7 Unknown Raptor 0 1 47 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 97 3282 98072 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Claude Radley, Dan Lumm, Jim McCoy, Larry Ludwicki Weather: What an absolutely gorgeous day out. The sun was shining and the wind was calm, making it seem warmer than the average -3C that it was. Wind direction basically swung counter-clockwise, starting at WNW, then NW, W, SW, SSW and finally straight S by the time we headed home. Raptor Observations: Raptors really put in a good showing today, with 13 species! All 3 Accipiter species flew by; a Northern Goshawk going across the north side of the marsh. There was one adult and 2 immature Golden Eagles, showing off their golden napes even from a distance. The Bald Eagles were not to be outdone by goldens, and 5 adults balds were seen flying at the same time! A lovely female American Kestrel stopped for a quick break in a tree close to the tower, seeming to give us a little nod as it dipped its head. 28 Northern Harriers became our second highest daily count for the season, 11 of them coming in just one hour! Right around the same time as the Harriers were bombarding us from all sides, a beautiful light-colouration Rough-legged Hawk soared overhead, seeming to pause perfectly for some photo opportunities before it carried on. What a rewarding day! Non-raptor Observations: There was no lack of excitement with non-raptors today. Hundreds of Tundra Swans passed overhead, some quite messily and some in very nice formation. American Crows were back in numbers, 3410 migrating. Other movement in the sky were the typical starlings, blackbirds and American Goldfinches. Moving to ground level, 2 American Pipits spent the day foraging by the tower and one American Woodcock in the brush was a nice find, so imagine the excitement when it turned out there were 2! On a completely non-avian note, a coyote spent some time strolling across the ice, looking for a tasty meal. See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S20628497 Predictions: Warming to above freezing tomorrow, though with a 70% chance of showers through the day. Winds from the SW. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jenna McDermott ([email protected]) Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/ _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] 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
