Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
50TH SPRING MIGRATION COUNT IN 2024
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 12, 2024
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 60 144 154
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 14 28 28
Northern Harrier 10 13 14
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 3 4
Cooper's Hawk 5 18 18
American Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 31 67 67
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 47 198 209
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 1 1 1
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 2 6 6
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 5 5
Total: 171 487 510
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Lyn Hanna-Folkes
Observers: Alicia Dobson, Brandon Holden, Gianpiero Tondina,
Jude Szabo, Markus Legzdins, Matt Mills
Visitors:
Many people visited the conservation area on this very comfortable bright
day including dog walkers, hikers, families and mixed age groups. Visitors
to the tower included: Marco (photographer from Smithville who pointed out
some distant birds), Dianne (St. Catherines), Kathy (Beamsville), "Chicago
Mike" (Hamilton), Brandon Holden and daughter Pasha (London), Wendy
(Vineland), Marlis Butcher a journalist & photographer for National
Geographic (Burlington), Sue Neal (Simcoe), a large supervised group of
children (St. Catherines) and Ina Legzdins (Oakville).
Weather:
Calmer day than predicted, very pleasant for the second week of March.
Winds were very light until 14:00 when a stronger gusty breeze from the
West picked up. The temperature climbed to 15C in the afternoon. Cloud
cover was was very thin for the most part, so the day remained bight with
some blue sky. Humidity was 76% at 8:00 but dropped to under 50% by the end
of the count. No precipitation fell.
Raptor Observations:
171 raptors for March 12th was unexpected with very low numbers reported
crossing the border yesterday. Only a few local raptors appeared before
10:00: a pair of Cooper's Hawks, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Turkey Vulture
(with a few more local Vultures and Red-tails showing up later too). As it
warmed and humidity dropped significantly, migration began with 6 species
in the third hour - starting with an immature Red-shouldered Hawk (31 for
the day), our first Bald Eagle (of 14), our only American Kestrel, and a
group of 7 brown-plumaged Northern Harriers that displayed unusual behavior
by repeatedly attacking one particular bird in their group. Ten Harriers
were seen in all, as well as 60 Turkey Vultures, 47 Red-tailed Hawks, 5
Cooper's Hawks, a single Sharp-shinned Hawk and two Buteos that were too
distant in cloud to identify. The morning's flight line was highly variable
but as west winds strengthened most of the migration was pushed east, well
past the escarpment. This made raptors increasingly distant and/or hidden
below the escarpment. A telescope was necessary for much of the afternoon,
until the last hour when binoculars were enough again. The count would have
been more difficult without the help of several good birders who manned
telescopes for us, thank you! An additional adult Bald Eagle flew south at
12:07 (not counted).
Non-raptor Observations:
The day began with moderate birdsong including the usuals plus a Tufted
Titmouse, a few Mallard pairs and several woodpecker species that were very
active. Several Northern Flickers and Hairy Woodpeckers were seen plus an
adult male Pileated Woodpecker that flew by quickly, just east of the tower
in perfect light. A Horned Lark flew over in the second hour. During the
third hour, a mob of Blue Jays escorted a migrating Turkey Vulture north, a
Common Raven croaked as it flew close to the tower and a Pine Siskin was
heard. At 11:00, two small flocks of American Crows moved into the area and
at about 13:00 a flock of 46 flew north in a long line.
Predictions:
It sounds like tomorrow's weather will be similar to today's but slightly
warmer with less cloud, so it could be another good March count. A plain
blue sky might make it harder to spot birds if the flight gets as high as
it was this afternoon.
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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. If parking at the gate DO NOT LEAVE
VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE!!!
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