Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 30, 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 2 Turkey Vulture 24 4622 6605 Osprey 2 50 50 Bald Eagle 2 26 60 Northern Harrier 0 80 104 Sharp-shinned Hawk 82 1888 2066 Cooper's Hawk 4 47 118 Northern Goshawk 0 0 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 104 508 Broad-winged Hawk 272 2856 2856 Red-tailed Hawk 8 903 2077 Rough-legged Hawk 0 9 26 Golden Eagle 0 3 8 American Kestrel 2 44 49 Merlin 1 10 17 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 10 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 3 Unknown Buteo 0 5 10 Unknown Falcon 1 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 3 6 9 Total: 401 10659 14587 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours Official Counter: Chris Escott Observers: Visitors: Spotters Toni Carson and Doris Southwell. Birders Barry Cherriere, Glen Barnett, Brian Hawthorne, Sandra Horvath, Lynne Landon and Terry Yonkers from BOS. Visitors Melanie Mullen and Kamal. Weather: Started cloudy but soon cleared and was sunny with blue sky the remainder of the day, temperatures warming to 20 C, and winds started southerly but switched to NE mid-morning and stayed that way. Raptor Observations: The two Bald Eagles were a Basic III (sub-adult) at about 12:00 EST, and a Basic I (juvenile) at 1:00 EST. Non-raptor Observations: The NE winds pushed the flight far to the south. Early in the day, a Broad-wing flew by at treetop level feeding on prey in its claws - a scope view revealed that it was a very large frog! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chris Escott () 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 tower�s 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 day�s 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 71/72, 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. © 2010 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/
