Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 06, 2016 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 3 4 11 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 0 1 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 1 2 3 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 3 15 16 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 2 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 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: 8 22 34 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Mike Street Observers: Barry Cherriere Visitors: Eric Geneen, a potential new counter, with his parents and sisters; Roberta, a potential new NPH member; John Hogeveen, Jane Scholer and Ken Estabrooks of Grimsby. Many couples and families taking advantage of the nice weather; 30+ dogs of myriad species with their associated human appendages. Weather: Blue sky until 11AM, clouds increased slowly after that. Temperature got to +2-3°C. Very light winds. A pleasant watch. Raptor Observations: Only a few birds today. Barry Cherriere was lucky to have the Kestrel fly through his field of view while looking south. Gary, the local Cooper's Hawk, made a few display flights. It appears we already have two local Turkey Vultures in the ravine. If so, it is the earliest this has ever happened here. Non-raptor Observations: The only other migrants were a Robin and a high flight of ~50 Canada Geese. Local birds included four (4) Red-bellied Woodpeckers simultaneously. A possible Tufted Titmouse did not show itself to allow confirmation of the ID. Predictions: Temperatures will be increasing for the next few days. More birds are possible tomorrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mike Street (mikestre...@gmail.com) Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ 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: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2016 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
