Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 247 1471 1471 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 4 39 39 Northern Harrier 1 11 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 16 16 Cooper's Hawk 5 18 18 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 117 223 223 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 213 439 439 Rough-legged Hawk 1 6 6 Golden Eagle 1 5 5 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 593 2234 2234 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours Official Counter: Lyn Hanna-Folkes Observers: Alex Duncan-Harrison, Alfred Adamo, Dave Langford, Katherine Stoltz Visitors: Thank goodness for Kat Stoltz who stayed most of the day - thank you for your excellent and much needed help! Thanks also to Alex Duncan-Harrison (Hamilton), Dave Langford (Etobicoke) and Alf Adamo for their great help with the high count today. Thanks also to Chris Vickerson for providing several diagnostic photos of distant birds. Other visitors included Bob Curry and Glenda Slessor (Burlington), Steven Vine, Shirley & Debbie (1st visit from Niagara Falls), a large Grade 7-8 school class from Dunnville, Cecilia & Danielle (Brampton), Julia Coruse (1st visit from Hamilton). Weather: Beautiful cool day with great light conditions for hawk watching! Mainly cloudy, temperature began at -2C, climbed to and stayed at 5C from 14:00 EST on. Calm NE breeze most of day with excellent visibility. Humidity dropped throughout the day from 80% to 54%. Raptor Observations: Fantastic busy Hawk Watch day! 117 RSHAs!; 1 Adult GOEA; 4 juv. BAEA (plus an adult BAEA migrated with one juv but later returned and flew south, not counted); 213 RTHA (2 dark morph); one adult male NOHA; a light-phase RLHA; 4 SSHA; 5 COOP; and 247 TUVU. A couple Merlins also flew south, not counted. Dominant flight line was directly over the tower. Also many birds over the escarpment plus several TUVUs and RSHAs over the farmhouse. Altitude and lighting made for great views of many birds. Non-raptor Observations: Arrived to the usual birds in song and loud woodpecker drumming. In the morning, 4 aggressive TUVUs chased out a single Canada Goose as well as a flock of 35 TUSWs made up of many small 'V' formations; 3 Sandhill Cranes flew N over the farmhouse; a pair of Mallards and a Killdeer flew very close over our heads. A flock of 16 CEWAs flew just over the tower in the afternoon, and a CORA soared to the west. Predictions: A poor migration forecast with a storm bringing freezing rain early in the morning, and then 20-25 mm of rain for the day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Lyn Hanna-Folkes (lhfolkes8112@gmail.com) 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!!!