Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 6 6 Turkey Vulture 75 864 880 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 19 23 Northern Harrier 0 2 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 9 9 Cooper's Hawk 1 14 14 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 23 65 67 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 31 236 257 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 4 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 132 1229 1274 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Phil Waggett Observers: Keith Dieroff, Keith Park Visitors: Keith Dierhoff and Keith Park helped observe the flight. Many families out enjoying Beamer Park. Weather: Bright sunny day with clear blue skies made finding the hawks very challenging. Moderate winds were from the north until noon when they shifted to the NNE producing a nice tailwind for the migrating raptors but pushing them high into the sky. The winds also created a significant wind chill with the temperature never rising much above freezing. Raptor Observations: Almost entirely turkey vultures, red-tails, and red shoulders. Two bald eagles were noted--a 3 year old at 1:58 and a 2 year old at 2:20. Local TV's, red-tails, and coopers hawks were active today. Non-raptor Observations: No migratory activity was observed. Predictions: I suspect more of the same tomorrow. Ripley NY still shows no major uptick in the vulture flight today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Phil Waggett (philipwagg...@hotmail.com) 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
