Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2018 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 7 Turkey Vulture 197 5812 7153 Osprey 2 33 33 Bald Eagle 2 10 40 Northern Harrier 4 20 22 Sharp-shinned Hawk 114 413 437 Cooper's Hawk 3 38 63 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 56 205 Broad-winged Hawk 204 213 213 Red-tailed Hawk 49 413 884 Rough-legged Hawk 3 10 15 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 4 15 20 Merlin 0 7 9 Peregrine Falcon 0 5 8 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 10 16 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 1 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 6 6 Total: 583 7065 9137 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Phil Waggett Observers: Bill Rapley, Ron Pittaway, Stuart Laughton, Tom Thomas Visitors: A huge thank-you to Tom Thomas whose eyesight continues to amaze me--he spotted most of the high shins and broadwings coming through. Another high-five to 7 year-old Asher Clayton who was visiting from Georgetown with his dad--Asher spotted many birds with naked eye before we ever saw them. Lots of visitors today, many of whom helped with the count--Stewart Laughton, Bill Rapley, Kayo Roy, Bob Curry & Glenda Slessor, Bob Stamp, Gord Kuzak, Craig Corcoran, Brian Hawthorne. If I omitted any names, my apologies. Weather: Started out with high, hazy overcast skies which gave way to a mix of sun and cloud (mostly high and wispy). Winds were out of the WSW to start and eventually shifted into the north in the afternoon although the winds were light for most of the day. Cool in the morning giving way to more pleasant temperatures (finally!!!) in the afternoon. Raptor Observations: A good flight with a moderate number of broad-winged hawks and sharp-shins. Turkey vultures again migrated in good numbers. The flight was extremely high with most of the shins and broad-wings being mere specs in the sky. Local TV's, coops and red-tails were again active. Non-raptor Observations: Not a major flight of other migrants today but we had some good birds migrate through Beamer. Bonaparte's gulls (3), wood duck, great-blue heron, common loon, eastern phoebe, and rusty blackbird were all seen.Kayo Roy noted 4 fox sparrows under the feeders. Local red-bellied woodpeckers are becoming more active. Predictions: I suspect we will have a continuation of today's flight, aided by east winds. Ripley's flight today showed good numbers of Broad-wings and shins; Derby Hill also counted over 1800 birds today. Birds are "in the pipeline" and the next 2 to 3 days look very promising. ======================================================================== 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 is again allowed into the park, but visitors are asked to have their cars outside the gate by 3PM. If parking at the gate DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE!!! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. 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