Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch
Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2014
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 16 103 103
Osprey 3 83 83
Bald Eagle 0 58 58
Northern Harrier 14 382 392
Sharp-shinned Hawk 25 4544 4554
Cooper's Hawk 1 67 68
Northern Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 70533 70564
Red-tailed Hawk 1 26 26
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 55 1699 1732
Merlin 0 41 42
Peregrine Falcon 0 45 45
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Total: 115 77583 77669
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Keith Sealy, Mary Carnahan
Observers: Dave Verkley, Jason McGuire, Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy,
Mary Carnahan, Ronnie Goodhand
Visitors:
Visitors today Monica and Bruce Gates from Sudbury, who have helped us out
for the past week. Thanks to them along with our volunteer crew
today...Mary, Jim, Keith, Jason, Ronnie, Dave V. and Rose W., along with a
few others whose names we didn't get.
Weather:
The wind was out of the NNW and NW for the morning but was very light. It
eventually backed to the W. The was little cloud for the day never more
than 20%. Temp continued to be on the warmer side getting to a high of 23C.
Raptor Observations:
Kestrels got off to a slow start this morning with only 1 "early" bird
which didn't appear until the second hour of the watch, but then they
peaked between 12:00 and 1:00 PM with 30 birds counted! Observers reported
only 12 in the next hour, dwindling to 5 for the final hour of the count.
The last countable bird of the day was an Osprey that flew low along the
Cliff. Not to be outdone, an adult Bald Eagle flew right along behind the
Osprey, also headed west, but suddenly did a U-turn and went back eastward,
followed closely by a second Bald Eagle that suddenly cruised in from the
west, its white head and tail absolutely gleaming in the late afternoon
sun. Viewed from the observation knoll each bird segued neatly into the
next -- not a bad way to end the day. Total birds for today's flight was
115.
Non-raptor Observations:
Thanks to Jason for spotting a Golden-crowned Kinglet, a new species for
this season at Hawk Cliff. Also seen were Ruby-crowned Kinglets along with
many Black-capped Chickadees, multiples of White-breasted Nuthatch. Flocks
of European Starlings and American Goldfinches were seen flying along with
the Blue Jays which numbered 3700 by 11:00 AM. In addition, observers
reported 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a couple of Killdeer and a Great Blue
Heron spotted from the knoll. Nearby were Carolina Wren, Eastern Phoebe and
Eastern Wood-peewee, while farther north along Hawk Cliff Rd were several
Swainson's Thrush, a Common Yellowthroat, a Black-throated Blue and a few
Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Again today observers reported 6 Woodpecker species including Red-bellied,
Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers plus Northern Flicker and
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. As well, Blue Jays continued the westward
journey with 3700 counted by 11:00 AM.
Mosquitoes and Stable Flies continue to dominate the insect scene (much to
the chagrin of observers up and down the road) but Monarch Butterflies are
still an item, especially during the mid-day hours. A few were still
making their way across the field at the end of the hawk watch.
Predictions:
Variable and light winds are forecast for tomorrow along with a slight
chance of rain in the morning.
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Report submitted by Dave Brown ([email protected])
Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.ezlink.on.ca/~thebrowns/HawkCliff/index.htm
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