Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 12, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 5 Turkey Vulture 54 2633 5503 Osprey 2 9 9 Bald Eagle 0 5 37 Northern Harrier 3 17 36 Sharp-shinned Hawk 106 314 375 Cooper's Hawk 2 24 58 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 25 408 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 21 180 775 Rough-legged Hawk 3 8 23 Golden Eagle 0 0 5 American Kestrel 0 6 12 Merlin 0 4 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 10 Unknown Accipiter 0 7 8 Unknown Buteo 0 6 24 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 5 7 Total: 192 3249 7305 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Mike Street Observers: Craig Corcoran, Eric Single Visitors: Andrea Sinclair and a second group of students from the Niagara College Environmental Technician course who were interested in how we obtain and process our data. Weather: South winds brought warmer air as the morning went on. At 1200 a cold front arrived, bringing with it several hours of rain and shutting down the watch at 1230. Raptor Observations: Steady flow of Turkey Vultures and Sharp-shinned Hawks after 0900. The Sharpies were moving quickly, sometimes low but often quite high. Two Osprey and each of Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Harrier. Thanks to Craig Corcoran and Eric Single for their help in spotting and counting the many birds. Non-raptor Observations: 20 non-raptor species including a Great Egret, Bonaparte's Gulls, Common Loons, Eastern Bluebirds, a Pileated Woodpecker that flew by quite low and close to the tower, a Belted Kingfisher and two Eastern Phoebes that landed on the tower minutes after we headed for our cars because of the rain. Predictions: Warm but windy. Should be a continuation of today's Sharpie flight. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mike Street (mikestre...@gmail.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. ©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. 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
