Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 111 276 50129 Osprey 0 0 82 Bald Eagle 0 2 173 Northern Harrier 6 19 685 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 30 8124 Cooper's Hawk 1 2 185 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 11 11 243 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 59 110 903 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 3 6 26 American Kestrel 1 1 1517 Merlin 0 0 58 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 45 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 16 Unknown Buteo 0 0 82 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 0 0 23 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 209 458 78932 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Dan Loncke, Jim McCoy, John Craft Visitors: A few people were walking around the park but only two came up to the tower momentarily. Weather: It was a beautiful, warm, calm day full of sunshine. Unfortunately that often means it's not full of raptors at this time of year, but you can't have everything right? Any breeze was from the south, and a haze along the far side of the marsh got heavier through the day. Raptor Observations: Eight species were seen, with Red-tailed Hawks being the most prominent of the raptors. They flew by along the north shore of the marsh, but also every now and again a few would fly right along the shoreline of Lake Erie, being illuminated wonderfully by the sun, and showing off their plumage. A handful of Red-shouldered Hawks accompanied them, mostly far away, but one adult close enough and in the perfect light to get a great look at the "crescents" and banding in the tail. Sharpies and Cooper's Hawks were in fairly short supply compared to earlier in the season and one American Kestrel made an appearance, which was nice to see after missing that species for a few days now. Three Golden Eagles graced us with their presence, all along the north side of the marsh, but one in particular had the most striking white wing patches that it was hard not to stare. Non-raptor Observations: Huge flocks of blackbird species and starlings moved east this morning and later on many flocks returned to the west. We had another great treeful of Rusty Blackbirds and four species of sparrow near the tower. American Crows took advantage of the afternoon to stretch in large groups across the entire sky, a couple hundred Blue Jays in tow. Horned Lark, Cedar Waxwing, House Finch, Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch also made good showings over the tower. Eastern Bluebirds were heard from afar, but unfortunately never spotted, on several occasions. Ducks continue to puddle around in the marsh, and today there was a Redhead, 2 Bufflehead 2 Hooded Mergansers, and a few Ruddy Ducks to add to the usual species, and in the lake there was one Greater Scaup. A lonely Monarch seemed confused and was flying around the grounds. See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S25676580 Predictions: Another beautiful day with no cloud and a warm afternoon. South winds continue tomorrow. ======================================================================== 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
