Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 11, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 239 1745 6040 Osprey 3 15 20 Bald Eagle 4 11 52 Northern Harrier 0 9 18 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 145 245 Cooper's Hawk 0 12 82 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 6 353 Broad-winged Hawk 4 5 5 Red-tailed Hawk 15 130 400 Rough-legged Hawk 1 1 5 Golden Eagle 0 3 5 American Kestrel 0 6 15 Merlin 0 1 4 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 4 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 6 Unknown Buteo 0 0 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 19 Total: 275 2094 7294 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Philip Waggett Observers: Gianpiero Tondina, Matt Mills, Susan Fraser, Tim Foran Visitors: Susan Fraser, Gianpiero Tondina, Stephen Vine, Shannon, Tim Foran, Marco, and Matt Mills helped with spotting birds today. The park was quite busy today with the nice weather. My apologies to anyone I may have omitted. Weather: A very pleasant early spring day. A bit cool with temps only reaching 9 degrees Celsius, but with a light north-west to east wind that blowing off the lake made it feel cooler. Sunny during the count period with the only clouds being to the south of the count site. Raptor Observations: A flight dominated by turkey vultures, the flight picked up at 12:30 as winds shifted into the east but the flight became higher. Buteos featured 4 broad wings, several red-tails that were quite high and a light-form rough-leg that was spotted by Matt Mills. Four bald eagles were counted today, with one second year bird, one adult, and two that were to far to determine the age. Shins were surprisingly few for this time of year. Local TV's were very active, complicating the count. Also active were local red-tails and a male coop. The local merlin did yet another south to north pass in front of the tower but was not counted. Also noted but not counted was a male harrier flying east. Non-raptor Observations: The eastern towhee was quite territorial and actively feeding today. Also noted were 2 fox sparrows, several northern flickers, and two common ravens. Predictions: Tomorrow is looking very unsettled with rain developing near noon so we may get a flight in the morning, especially with east winds forecast. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Phillip Waggett (philip waggett <philipwaggett@hotmail.com>) Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://nphawkwatch.ca/ 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. &copy;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!!!