Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 13, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 3 29 29 Bald Eagle 0 1 1 Northern Harrier 11 79 79 Sharp-shinned Hawk 127 822 822 Cooper's Hawk 4 8 8 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 41 76 76 Red-tailed Hawk 0 9 9 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 11 244 244 Merlin 3 12 12 Peregrine Falcon 1 2 2 Unknown 0 6 6 Total: 201 1288 1288 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Bob Hall-Brooks Observers: Chuck Gossel, Esther Gossel, Sylvia Telasco, Wayne Telasco Visitors: Visitors from Michigan, Leamington, Windsor and Barrie, Ontario made the heat tolerable and the day enjoyable as a result. Weather: Another scorcher, hot and humid, not a cloud in the sky, temperatures ranged from 23 to 31 degrees Celsius. Observations: Things are picking up. A total of 201 raptors today, mainly Sharp-shinned Hawks. A good falcon day with a Peregrine, three Merlin and 11 American Kestrels. Eleven Northern Harriers including one Male. Three Osprey were sited. And...wait for it...a smattering of Broad-winged Hawks numbering 41, mostly in twos and threes. The highlight was a Least Bittern spotted in the marsh along with the Pied-billed Grebes, Moorhens, Coots, and Black-crowned Night Herons. The only shorebird today was a flight of six Kildeer. Even the Goldfinch and Waxwing numbers were down today.The Passerine banders put in a half day but only caught eight new birds ( four species)and three retraps. Only two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were banded today. Dragonflies abound and even Monarch numbers were up today, although still disappointingly small. Predictions: If this heat breaks and winds change, who knows what tomorrow may bring. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bob Hall-Brooks ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/ Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Information on southern Ontario's hawk migration and the Holiday Beach Conservation Area site ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Southwestern Ontario is largely an area of flat, featureless farmland. There are only two geographic features of note in the region. One is the proximity of the Great lakes, which influence bird migration in the area to a great extent, The second is the shape of the province, roughly funnel-shaped with the narrow end to the southwest. These features confine south-bound bird migrants, especially hawks, to specific flight corridors. Holiday Beach Conservation Area was formerly a Provincial Park, but is now administered by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). It is strategically located at the extreme southwestern tip of southern Ontario. The park is on the eastern end of a large freshwater estuary known as Big Creek. (Specifically the site is 1.1 miles south of the junction Highway 20 (old 18) and Essex Road 50, Town of Amherstburg). The Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) (founded in 1986) is a non-profit, volunteer organization formed to promote the study and protection of migrating birds. Activities focus primarily on fall migration of raptors and other species. This site is in Essex County, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Erie near the Detroit River. In 1988, HBMO persuaded Detroit Edison to donate a 40 foot Hawk Tower which is now at the site. Southwestern Ontario has a funneling effect on migrating raptors due to the geography of the nearby lakes and the reluctance of most raptors to cross large bodies of water. Birds gain altitude over the flat farmland to the north and east, rising easily with the thermals that such areas provide in abundance. As the birds head south they meet Lake Erie and, reluctant to cross it , turn west. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lake shore and move west until they reach the narrow crossing at the Detroit River (or island hop within the river mouth).
