Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 19, 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 61 3251 5577 Osprey 2 18 20 Bald Eagle 1 9 56 Northern Harrier 2 44 75 Sharp-shinned Hawk 32 473 671 Cooper's Hawk 4 23 106 Northern Goshawk 1 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 22 721 Broad-winged Hawk 75 185 185 Red-tailed Hawk 48 611 2629 Rough-legged Hawk 2 17 68 Golden Eagle 0 8 12 American Kestrel 1 31 47 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 5 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 5 25 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 11 19 62 Total: 240 4718 10268 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Keith Dieroff Observers: Visitors: A big thank you to Barry Cherriere and Mike Cavanaugh for helping erect the new sign-board. Sorry about the cuts and blisters guys! Other visitors included Tim, Roland, Jacob, Phil, Michael, and others (sorry I didn't catch your names!) Weather: Variable cloudiness with a strong northeast wind. Much cooler than Saturday's high of 24 degrees celsius. Raptor Observations: Not a bad flight considering the cool temperature and gusty northeast wind. 11 species of raptors were seen during the count period, including great looks at an adult Bald Eagle, Osprey and Rough-legged Hawk riding the updrafts along the ridge of the escarpment. Non-raptor Observations: A single Sandhill Crane was seen heading west. A Pileated Woodpecker was seen from the tower. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Keith Dieroff () 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. © 2009 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
