Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 1104 59087 Osprey 0 1 44 Bald Eagle 0 94 570 Northern Harrier 0 153 924 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 279 7556 Cooper's Hawk 0 109 405 American Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 159 481 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 40251 Red-tailed Hawk 0 1419 3070 Rough-legged Hawk 0 17 26 Golden Eagle 0 50 82 American Kestrel 0 1 1148 Merlin 0 25 135 Peregrine Falcon 0 13 80 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 21 Unknown Eagle 0 0 2 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 3 Black Vulture 0 0 1 Total: 0 3424 113887 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 09:00:00 Total observation time: 1.25 hours Official Counter: Kiah Jasper Observers: Visitors: Noel and Juliette dropped off hot chocolate for me when I arrived, a nice treat on a morning like this. Otherwise I didnât see a soul at the park today, no surprise given the weather. Weather: Todayâs weather was just as horrendous as it was forcasted to be. Arriving at the tower I was greeted by a steady downpour of rain, light southeast winds and the feeling of dread. The visibility was very reduced today, I could hardly see out over the lake or to the far side of the marsh. Fog continued to build as the hour went on, which coupled with intensifying rain led to the count being ended for the day at 09:00. The rain was meant to stop mid afternoon, however due to the fog and wind direction, it seemed unlikely that birds would be moving today. At the least the temperature was bearable, at 7C. The barometer fell drastically again, and will continue to fall until midday tomorrow as a low pressure system moves through our area. Raptor Observations: The only raptors seen today were the local Bald Eagles, perched along the edge of the marsh and not looking too interested in doing anything. Canât blame them. Non-raptor Observations: Normally when the raptor flight is dead, there is some other activity going on⦠songbirds migrating overhead, waterfowl on Lake Erie⦠well today there was no detectable migration during my time spent at the tower. The only birds seen were songbirds around the tower area and some marsh birds that I could make out through the fog. Duck numbers were heavily reduced today because I couldnât even see the most productive parts of the marsh. Sparrows foraged around the edge of the marsh in good numbers, highlighted by a single lingering Fox Sparrow. The male Hairy Woodpecker that has been hanging around for the last week is still here, sometimes uncommon species at the site (and generally in Essex). On the marsh the lone Trumpeter Swan continues to hang around itâs group of 4 Mute Swans, who are friends or enemies depending on the moment. Pitiful eBird list available here - https://ebird.org/checklist/S286115792 Predictions: Well tomorrow is certainly interesting from a weather standpoint. Interesting in the way that gale force winds are expected to cause a seiche on Lake Erie that could be one of the largest in recent history, with the water level on the western basin being as much as 6ft lower, and 11ft higher in Buffalo, New York! The wind could be gusting to as high as 75kph from the Southwest, with precipitation likely in the morning. This equals absolutely terrible conditions for migrating raptors, so I expect a near repeat of today. I am curious to see if there are any gulls/ducks moving on the lake though, so Iâll still head over to check things out at the tower. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kiah Jasper ([email protected]) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/ More site information at hawkcount.org: https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=100 -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
