Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
50TH SPRING MIGRATION COUNT IN 2024 Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 05, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 38 56 66 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 5 7 7 Northern Harrier 2 2 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 2 Cooper's Hawk 5 7 7 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 10 10 10 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 38 52 63 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 1 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 4 5 5 Total: 104 144 167 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Lyn Hanna-Folkes Observers: Alicia Dobson, Gianpiero Tondina, Jude Szabo Visitors: None on the tower. A few hikers and dog walkers in the park. Weather: Our pleasant day began with 13C, sun, blue sky and gusty south winds (41 km/hr max). The temperature gradually increased to a maximum of 19C. Humidity started at 65%, decreased slightly until about 1:30 pm, then a dense layer of low gray clouds descended and a cool breeze kicked up briefly. No precipitation fell but humidity rose close to 80% and gusts picked-up before the count end. It started to rain shortly after for the drive home. Raptor Observations: A Red-shouldered Hawk arrived in the first hour and migration improved from there until mid-afternoon. The count included 5 Bald Eagles (plus a sixth that flew SE), all adults. Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks dominated (38 each). Ten Red-shouldered Hawks, 5 Cooper's, a Sharp-shinned and a pair of Northern Harriers were seen. A total of 104 birds for March 5th! (Numbers were decent coming through Derby Hill yesterday too.) Five raptors went unidentified due to distance, cloud and/or backlighting. Flight line and height were variable over the day with most sightings higher along the escarpment towards the end. Early on, it was possible that we missed birds flying below the escarpment. The count ended at 3:30 pm when no raptors had been seen for over an hour and conditions became less favourable. The cooler period in mid-afternoon was the turning point in today's migration, afterwards it quickly came to a halt. Non-raptor Observations: Lots of passerines were present throughout the day including several killdeers, hairy woodpecker, other usuals and many small flocks of robins, grackles and red-wings (females too). A larger flock of 50-60 red-wings flew past in the second hour. Two pairs of low-flying Sandhill Cranes and a Common Merganser went by in the third hour, and later a flock of 15 ducks. About 1 pm, extremely loud pop music erupted from a construction site on the escarpment intermittently causing a disturbance over the conservation area until about 2:30. Predictions: A cooler more humid and cloudy day with light wind from the north is forecast, but no precipitation. Probably slower than today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Lyn Hanna-Folkes ([email protected]) Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=389 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. Only the counter and designated spotters can drive into and park in the conservation area; there is a parking lot outside for visitors. 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 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. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: 1) Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. ©2020 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into the park is allowed, but visitors are asked to have their cars outside the gate by 3PM. 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