Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Dec 06, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 2 51147 Osprey 0 0 83 Bald Eagle 0 4 211 Northern Harrier 1 3 885 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 8283 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 224 Northern Goshawk 0 0 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 12 507 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 7 93 3039 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 27 Golden Eagle 0 0 56 American Kestrel 0 0 1521 Merlin 0 0 64 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 52 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 22 Unknown Buteo 0 0 107 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Raptor 0 0 24 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 9 117 82896 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 14:45:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Jeremy Hatt Observers: Kory Renaud, Marianne Balkwill Visitors: A few visitors came up the tower in the afternoon when the fog cleared. Many thanks to Marianne for providing company on a slow day for hawk migration! Weather: A foggy morning with low visibility. The fog eventually started to break up around noon. Temperatures ranged from 1.7C to 5.6C by mid-afternoon. Winds under 5km/h were out of the south all day. Cloud cover was 100% for the majority of the day until the fog left in the afternoon and the sun shone through, warming things considerably. Raptor Observations: A slow morning w/ no raptors observed until the first Red-tailed Hawk flew by just after 11:00am. With the fog lifting and conditions warming, a few more Red-tailed Hawks migrated by mostly between 12 and 1p.m. (7 total). An immature Northern Harrier and an immature Cooper's Hawk also flew past. Two resident Bald Eagles were seen around the marsh as well. Non-raptor Observations: W/ the milder temperatures, the marsh continues to hold a good diversity of ducks and other water birds. Mallards and American Coots are present in the highest numbers w/ over 300 of each. Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, and Ruddy Duck are all still present. 5 Pied-billed Grebes and a single Double-crested Cormorant were also spotted. Songbirds migrating today included 37 Horned Larks, 6 Eastern Bluebirds, 2 American Robins, 27 European Starlings, 32 Cedar Waxwings, 497 Red-winged Blackbirds, 1 Rusty Blackbird, 1 Common Grackle, 24 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 4 House Finches, and 205 American Goldfinches. The Winter Wren and two Swamp Sparrows are still present around the base of the tower along w/ Black-capped Chickadees, American Tree Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. See full day list: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26156341 Predictions: Another foggy morning is predicted but the sun will appear in the afternoon. Temperatures ranging from 1-6C. Winds under 5km/h out of the north in the morning then switching to east then south by the late afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jeremy Hatt (hattjer...@hotmail.com) Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/ _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
