Holiday Beach Hawk Watch
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 16, 2024
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Turkey Vulture 19 178 200
Osprey 0 10 10
Bald Eagle 1 60 63
Northern Harrier 8 156 175
Sharp-shinned Hawk 105 1245 1247
Cooper's Hawk 2 47 48
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 30 624 636
Red-tailed Hawk 2 241 281
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 13 374 382
Merlin 1 37 37
Peregrine Falcon 0 15 15
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Mississippi Kite 0 1 1
Total: 181 2988 3095
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Chad Cornish, Kiah Jasper
Observers: Chad Cornish, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber,
Patrick Tomlinson, Steve Wagner
Visitors:
Quiet for visitors on the tower today (especially after hawkfest!), but a
few keen birders kept me company for the entire day. Big thanks to Chad,
Mike, Steven, Patrick, Liz and Hugh for helping me spot birds today. John
from Oxford County also visited for most day, helping spot birds and taking
photos.
Weather:
Another hot and sunny day, with temperatures reaching 27C. Another day of
clear blue skies and a light haze in the air at higher elevations. Another
day of light Southeast winds throughout the day. This has become the norm
for the past week, as a blocking system of high pressure sits over the
region.
Raptor Observations:
We observed less birds today than the previous days, and we had to work a
LOT harder for them. The flight today was at the limit of our vision,
mainly comprised of Sharp-shinned Hawks that passed by singley or in small
groups of 2-5. Eye strain was intense in the afternoon, as birds gained
even more elevation and could only be seen as little black specks in our
binoculars. Several Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers and American
Kestrels were seen today, and a lone Merlin zipped by right before we left.
3 small groups of Broad-winged Hawks migrated over, but the masses seemed
to be elsewhere today.
Non-raptor Observations:
There was a brief flurry of songbird activity around the tower in the
morning, including 12 species of warblers, White-throated Sparrows and a
lingering Willow Flycatcher. The first Eastern Bluebird of the season flew
overhead, and a steady stream of Blue Jays migrated west over us in the
morning (1440 total). Other highlights included Black-crowned Night Herons
and 6 Sandhill Cranes out in the marsh.
A total of 74 species were recorded from the Hawk Tower today, to see the
full list click this eBird link - https://ebird.org/checklist/S195404859
Predictions:
Tomorrow is meant to be very similar to today, but with winds more out of
the East. Hopefully the shift away from South winds means a few more birds
will be in view, though I donât expect a very large flight.
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Report submitted by Kiah Jasper ([email protected])
Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=100
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