Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 20, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 132 771 771 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 6 23 23 Northern Harrier 3 6 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 29 29 Cooper's Hawk 4 16 16 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 60 282 282 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 56 307 307 Rough-legged Hawk 0 5 5 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Accipiter 1 1 1 Unknown Buteo 12 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Total: 278 1467 1467 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Bill Lamond Observers: Kevin McLaughlin, Matt Mills, Tom Thomas Visitors: several visitors included Kevin McLaughlin, Bob Stamp, Bill Smith, David Trumble, Eric Single, Bob Curry, Glenda Slessor, Matt Mills, Tom Thomas, Judy Robins, Rob Waldhuber Weather: The count began with clear skies and appreciable wind from the SSW and a temperature around zero degrees Celsius. Wind increased as the day wore on and was a factor in pushing a lot of birds over the Lake Ontario plain. The daytime high reached 9 degrees Celsius but I bet no one at Beamer on this day thought it got anywhere near this temperature with the strongish wind. No one took their winter coats off! At 3 pm a high cloud eclipsed the blue and it became noticeably cooler. Raptor Observations: A good flight of Red-shouldered Hawks with numbers slightly more than Red-tailed Hawks. Six Bald Eagles were observed, all in the afternoon hours. The flight was uneven with long periods of few birds and other periods quite active. Peak time was between 2-3 p.m. EDT. Non-raptor Observations: A diverse flight of diurnal migrants in the morning with fair number of grackles, red-wings, Killdeers, and robins. A flock of about 35 Tundra Swans was noted. The non-raptor highlight was a group of five Sandhill Cranes flying south over the Lake Ontario plain in the morning and another group of three seen at 4 p.m. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill Lamond () 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. ©2019 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into the park is allowed, 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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