Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 7 7 Turkey Vulture 122 1325 1341 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 4 26 30 Northern Harrier 0 2 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 24 24 Cooper's Hawk 1 25 25 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 21 147 149 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 54 450 471 Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 5 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 1 5 5 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 6 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 212 2027 2072 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Phil Waggett Observers: Bruce Campbell, Keith Dieroff, Phil Martin, Rayfield Pye Visitors: Keith Dierhoff, Rayfield Pye, Bruce Campbell, Nathan Hood (from Cambridge), and Phil Martin (from Milton) helped spot and identify the birds. Several families and individuals were visiting today and interested in the raptor migration. Weather: The day started out clear and sunny but by 11 am had completely clouded over with light wispy overcast conditions which continued to thicken until heavily overcast by 2 pm. The dominant weather feature today were the very strong SW winds which pushed the flight out over the plain and below the escarpment where it could not be observed. Significant wind chill for winds out of the southwest. Raptor Observations: The counted flight was dominated by turkey vultures and red-tails. 4 bald eagles were counted--two adults, 1-4th yr. bird, and 1-1st year bird. The rough-leg was a dark bird. Observers at the point/lookout noted a strong flight below the escarpment. When I left Beamer at 5 pm, I counted 38 turkey vultures (not reported) along old Hwy 8 between Mountain Road and Casablanca. Local tv's, red-tails, and coops were all active today. Non-raptor Observations: A significant increase in migratory activity was noted today with larger numbers of blackbirds and robins observed. Notable birds included sandhill cranes (6, with one group of 4), killdeer (3), tundra swan (4), raven, belted kingfisher, great blue heron (3). Predictions: Winds will change to more westerly, still strong but less so than today. With apparently more birds in the pipeline, we could have a better count. ======================================================================== 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
