Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 51 51 Osprey 1 58 58 Bald Eagle 0 34 34 Northern Harrier 5 243 243 Sharp-shinned Hawk 178 2613 2613 Cooper's Hawk 1 91 91 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 5 4393 4393 Red-tailed Hawk 1 76 76 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 41 1103 1103 Merlin 2 50 50 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 12 Unknown 0 1 1 Total: 234 8725 8725 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours Official Counter: Mike Fitzpatrick Observers: Claude Radley Visitors: P.Tomlinson and S. Wagner of Cincinnati, and P. and B. Schlenk from Grand Ledge, were back again today. J. Griffin from Muskoka, and L. Weber from Detroit also visited. More birders than birds most of the time. Weather: What a difference a day makes! Today was even hotter feeling than yesterday, probably due to the fact that the SW wind was only 6kph most of the period. Again, cloudless skies made for tough watching. Raptor Observations: flight primarily lasted only a couple of hours, btwn 9-11 am EST. Birds were somewhat easily observable due to low flights. "High-sky searching" did not turn up any birds that we may have been missing. Non-raptor Observations: a greater yellowlegs was the only non-raptor of note Predictions: Rain, SW winds. Could be excellent for falcons. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Fitzpatrick ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/ Site Description: 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). Directions to site: See http://hbmo.org/directions.php
