Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2019
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 1 3 3
Turkey Vulture 179 1650 1650
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 0 26 26
Northern Harrier 0 9 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 37 37
Cooper's Hawk 2 26 26
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 336 336
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 364 364
Rough-legged Hawk 0 9 9
Golden Eagle 0 4 4
American Kestrel 0 5 5
Merlin 1 3 3
Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 14 14
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 189 2492 2492
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:45:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Rob Spaul
Observers: Barry Cherriere, Ezra Campanelli, John Hogeveen,
Legzdins family
Visitors:
It was a great day for visitors, who endured cold weather and rather
"raptor-less" skies for most of the day, but kept conversation and spirits
up. Huge thanks to Jade Simon for a full day count, and long visits from
Ezra Campanelli, William Konze, Justin Peter and Amanda Guercio. Lots of
visitors included Ina and Markus Legzdins, Bob Bell, Eric Single, Barry
Cherriere, Darlene Hardy, Liam Thorne, Chris Wilson, Joe Minor, John
Hogeveeen, Dave Langford, Pauliina Saarinen, Margaret Thompson, Peter
Bailey, and Rose O-Reilly who all helped a lot.
Weather:
Overcast for almost the entire day, with steady/moderate and surprisingly
cold west wind, which gradually shifted to a S/SW wind, and eased in the
afternoon. The sun finally broke up the clouds around 15:15 EST, and we
finished the day with rather pleasant weather.
Raptor Observations:
Very slow day for most of day. Small morning flight of Turkey Vultures in
the first hour, then barely anything for 4-5 hours. an afternoon flight
began, and the sun finally broke through at about 16:15 (15:15 EST), when
birds quickly made a good push for about an hour before it shut down again
at 17:20 (16:20 EST). According to multiple reports from Lookout Point,
Turkey Vultures (and a lone Black Vulture) had been milling
about/roosting/unsuccessfully trying to get lift up from the Lake for most
of the day, and presumably these were many of the birds we finally saw push
through at the end of the day. Its likely many migrants were missed on
flight lines closer to Lake Ontario, but poor thermals/ lift kept them low
and out of view.
The lone Black Vulture of the day was first reported and photographed
earlier by others. First seen at the Hawkwatch briefly at 15:35 (14:35
EST), when it rose to the east, then quickly descended out of view (a
failed attempt to get lift/out of valley seems most likely). It finally
migrated at 17:09 (16:09 EST), among a large late day group of TUVUs. Poor
early day views of 1 migrant Merlin. A few Red-shouldered Hawks gave good
late day looks to end on a good note.
Non-raptor Observations:
Very quiet today with relatively cold spring weather. Horned Lark flyovers.
Great Blue Heron, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, and 1 Northern
Pintail flew over. Other typical passerines and waterfowl were observed,
though were generally less abundant/conspicuous than usual.
Predictions:
The weather should be more sunny today, hopefully with more migrants.
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Report submitted by Rob Spaul ()
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!!!
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