Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 03, 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 262 492 3543 Osprey 0 0 1 Bald Eagle 0 0 32 Northern Harrier 0 0 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 3 47 Cooper's Hawk 3 5 39 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 5 6 230 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 23 29 787 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 13 Golden Eagle 0 0 3 American Kestrel 0 1 10 Merlin 0 0 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 2 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 2 Unknown Buteo 0 0 13 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 293 537 4734 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Sandra Horvath Observers: Frank Horvath, George Holland, Gord Kozak, John Stevens Visitors: Greg Vandervelde, Jean Scriven,Laura, Alex and Gavin Watt, Mark Sawyer and John Hendrix from Toronto, and Andy Johnson from CTV Web Site. Thanks to all for coming and helping to make a mostly cold day quite pleasant. Weather: A beautiful, bright, fairly calm, sunny though cold morning led to a day of recurring cloud, wind and snow flurries. Later in the day the sun stayed out most of the time making the weather more tolerable in the tower. The westerly winds changed to the Northwest around noon. Raptor Observations: The migration flight of mostly Turkey Vultures was sporadic during the day. Non-raptor Observations: Nothing new arrived at Beamer. Fox Sparrows and Golden-crowned Kinglets joined the other regulars seen near the feeder area. Only 2 Killdeer were heard flying past the tower. Predictions: With the warming trend beginning tomorrow there should be a good flight of Turkey Vultures but the rest of the raptors still seem to be waiting for better weather. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sandra Horvath () 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. © 2013 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/
