Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 18 18 Osprey 0 105 109 Bald Eagle 0 42 42 Northern Harrier 9 329 334 Sharp-shinned Hawk 51 3434 3442 Cooper's Hawk 0 38 38 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1 Broad-winged Hawk 0 12891 12891 Red-tailed Hawk 0 33 33 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 6 1413 1422 Merlin 2 46 46 Peregrine Falcon 3 27 27 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 71 18377 18403 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Carnahan Observers: Don Taylor, Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy Visitors: Despite the shortage of raptors today, our many visitors seemed to have a good time and all pitched in to help which was greatly appreciated. Visitors came from near and far including Bonnie, Sue and Dolly and John Froome, all from London; Rose Welch from Dutton; The Thompsons from Aylmer; Becky, Lynne and Francine from St. Thomas. Some were from afar, including Guy Lacroix and Annie Royle from Ottawa, some were from not quite so far including Jim and Tyler Watson from Woodstock, Mark from West Lorne, and some we forgot to ask where they were from (Pat & Jack Imhoff and Clayton and Sharon Peter). Weather: A ridge of high pressure continues to dominate, so temperatures are continuing to range from the low teens in the morning to mid-twenties by afternoon very pleasant weather but more like summer than fall. At times throughout the day we had almost no wind at all, but what wind we did have shifted from SSE to ENE where it stayed for the three hours in the middle of the watch, then back to E, and by the end of the watch we were at SE once again. Sunshine was a major factor today when combined with an almost cloudless sky makes viewing hawks that are flying high rather difficult. Still, it was a gorgeous day to be at Hawk Cliff. Raptor Observations: The first two hours were a challenge for avid hawk watchers with only 5 birds in total, but things picked up somewhat in the latter half of the morning. Finally, during the noon hour, we tallied a total 22 birds, 2 of which were Peregrines so we hung in until 2:00 when, after a disappointing 7 birds, we did finally close up shop for the day. Our total for today was a meager 71 raptors, comprised of only 4 species. These were Northern Harrier (9), Sharp-shinned Hawk (51), American Kestrel (8) and Peregrine Falcon (3). Local birds were Turkey Vulture, a couple of Bald Eagles and 1 Red-tailed Hawk, circling over the field. Non-raptor Observations: Regulars and visitors tallied 32 passerine species today, including many Cedar Waxwings, adults and young, found up the road and at the cliff, as well as in the woods. Only 7 Warbler species were found (Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black & White, Am. Redstart, Nashville, Northern Parula, and Wilsons Warbler. As well we had 2 Vireos (Red-eyed and Blue-headed), 4 Woodpeckers (Pileated, Downy, Red-bellied and Northern Flicker). Observers saw 1 Eastern Bluebird along Fairview Rd about 10:00 this morning, Robins in the woods and along the road and 1 Swainsons Thrush in the laneway at the woods. Our new species for the day was Dark-eyed Junco, which was found just inside the entrance to the woods along with a mob of White-throated Sparrow. Goldfinches were flying west early in the morning in small numbers, stopping to forage in the goldenrod up and down the road, along the cliff and in the woods. Blue Jays were flying west in large flocks early this morning. By 10:00 the count was at least 6000, but then they slowed to a trickle, and finally, a few individuals were seen flying back and forth, but many others were hanging around in the local treelots and Hawk Cliff Woods. Monarchs were few and far between in the morning, but picked up in the afternoon and Bruce P reported a total of 404 Monarchs passed by today . Other butterfly species seen today were Mourning Cloak, Summer Azure, Orange and Clouded Sulphur. On the dragonfly front, only Green Darners and Black Saddlebags were noted today, but there were a lot of them; the Brown-hooded Owlet Caterpillar continues to entertain visitors by clinging motionless to stalk of goldenrod and posing for folks with cameras. Todays New Bug was Katydid. Predictions: This ridge of high pressure that we have been enjoying for a couple of days will continue to dominate for a few more days. Winds will likely be from the E on Thursday and ENE on Friday at 10 15 km / hr, which is pleasant weather for people and will likely provide sufficient wind speed to ensure a moderate flow of raptors throughout both days. Remember that Easterly winds provide a tail wind for migrating birds, allowing them to attain high altitude; i.e., theyll be hard to see. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Dave Brown (thebro...@ezlink.on.ca) Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.ezlink.on.ca/~thebrowns/HawkCliff/index.htm _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. 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