Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 23, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 1
Turkey Vulture 50 2062 6766
Osprey 1 34 34
Bald Eagle 0 14 44
Northern Harrier 1 63 79
Sharp-shinned Hawk 31 723 786
Cooper's Hawk 2 31 81
Northern Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 102 574
Broad-winged Hawk 22 2049 2049
Red-tailed Hawk 11 732 1711
Rough-legged Hawk 0 13 49
Golden Eagle 1 3 3
American Kestrel 0 17 26
Merlin 1 8 10
Peregrine Falcon 1 4 7
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 2
Unknown Buteo 0 10 31
Unknown Falcon 0 2 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 4 6
Total: 121 5873 12262
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Brian Mishell
Observers: Brian Hawthorne, Dave Sked, Dawn Davidson, Gord Kozah,
Jean Irons, Ron Pittaway, Terry Osborne, stuart Laughton
Visitors:
Lots of visitors all day.
Weather:
A wild and wooly start to the day. Rain then drizzle and fog turning in the
the afternoon to warm sunny weather. Just think 3oC at 9 a.m. then 25oC at
5 p.m. Very windy from the South at 9 a.m. 50 km/h then at 11 a.m. the wind
changed to the SSW and diminished greatly by the end of the day to 5 km/h
Raptor Observations:
After yesterday a big drop to just over 120 birds, but 10 species
Non-raptor Observations:
2 common loon, w.t. Sparrows, w.c. sparrows. blue jays and Robins,Brown
Thrasher entertained and N. Flicker obvious all day.Bald eagle and American
Kestrel reported from the point.
Predictions:
The wind is forecast from the North tomorrow morning and then the SW in the
afternoon. Not the most promising.
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Report submitted by Brian Mishell ()
Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at:
http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/
Site Description:
Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in
Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All
counting is 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 cold days, particularly in 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 publicly 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 seven day's worth of observation data 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. © 2011 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
