Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2009
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 111 389 389
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 8 37 37
Northern Harrier 0 17 17
Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 45 45
Cooper's Hawk 5 25 25
Northern Goshawk 1 2 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 58 189 189
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 125 954 954
Rough-legged Hawk 5 24 24
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 2 2 2
Merlin 0 1 1
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 28 28
Total: 328 1717 1717
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: Barry Cherriere
Observers: Brandon Holden, Colin Horstead, David Weare,
Linda Cherriere, Peter Booker, Roland Parks
Visitors:
Many visitors were there to try to cash in on what looked like a warm
promissing day of raptor migration.
Weather:
Finally a reasonbly warm day getting to 15 degrees. The steady South wind
helped out exept in the late afternoon when birds were held off of the
escarpment with the South winds, towards the lake and beyond our view.
Raptor Observations:
Eight Bald Eagles were observed with four of them being adult birds and the
other four being two and three year olds.
Non-raptor Observations:
A Great Blue Heron was seen passing south of us late in the afternoon.
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Report submitted by Barry Cherriere ()
Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at:
http://www.hwcn.org/link/niaghawk/
Site Description:
The hawk migration at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area is conducted by
the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). The counting is all done by
volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a
member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but
other observers present assist with the spotting and identification.
Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For
wind protection on the cold days of March, a black plastic wind guard is
installed around the towers platform. This platform easily accommodates
ten people but on most busy days, no more than five or six observers would
be on it.
The site lies within a publically accessible property owned by the Niagara
Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The
tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the
outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road)
and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are
present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to
display the days observations for the public. The box enclosing the sign
contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as well as bulletin
boards with news and historical sighting records.
Directions to site:
To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 72, follow Christie St./Mountain
St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go
1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the
conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If
parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your
car.
Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized
after the end of the season. © 2008 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
_______________________________________________
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birding organization.
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