Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 19, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 159 267 267 Osprey 1 51 51 Bald Eagle 0 13 13 Northern Harrier 18 161 161 Sharp-shinned Hawk 161 2188 2188 Cooper's Hawk 6 45 45 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 5539 27744 27744 Red-tailed Hawk 30 124 124 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 17 662 662 Merlin 0 24 24 Peregrine Falcon 2 7 7 Unknown 0 7 7 Total: 5933 31293 31293 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Bob Hall-Brooks Observers: Visitors: A great visit from many to celebrate the second of three weekends of the Festival of the Hawks at Holiday Beach. Visitors were treated to a dragonfly walk with Paul Pratt, a Monarch butterfly program with Rachel Powless, raptor and passerine and hummingbird banding demonstrations courtesy of HBMO, and nature product displays from Pelee Wings and Celestron. Weather: Cool start (14.4 Celsius) to warm end (21.1 Celsius), full sun, no clouds, clear visibility, unlimited ceiling. Observations: More Broad-winged Hawks but way up in the blue. Turkey Vultures starting to move as are some Red-tailed Hawks. Blue Jays begin to migrate, 1220 today. Predictions: Weather forecast for Monday is similar to today. ======================================================================== 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).
