Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 226 1173 1173 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 10 35 35 Northern Harrier 1 10 10 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 10 10 Cooper's Hawk 3 12 12 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 55 102 102 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 24 226 226 Rough-legged Hawk 2 5 5 Golden Eagle 2 4 4 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 1 3 3 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 326 1583 1583 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Catherine Manschot Observers: Carol Teed Visitors: Many thanks goes out to Carol Teed who helped with spotting all day. We also had Kevin O'Sullivan assist with spotting between 11 and 1, Marco DeCarolis between 1 and 3 pm, and 2 visitors, Shirley Chambers and Debbie Wright assisted from 3 to 4 pm. Weather: It was quite pleasant today with virtually no breeze coming through on the tower. There was almost 100 percent cloud cover all day. Raptor Observations: The flight began at 9 am (bird time) with the flight path over the escarpment. Numbers dropped over the noon hour but picked up again in a big way over the course of the afternoon with almost all raptors fairly high and crossing west between the tower and the farmhouse to the north, including 2 immature Golden Eagles that were very distant but identified with the aid of a scope. We had 24 Red-tailed Hawks, a stellar 55 Red-shouldered Hawks (a few came right over the tower providing excellent looks at their field marks) as well as two Rough-legged Hawks (one light-morph and one dark morph)! Of the 55 Red-shouldered Hawk total, 29 came through (seemingly one after the other) between 2 and 3. A glorious day! Non-raptor Observations: We had 9 Great Blue Herons fly over and many Canada Geese, American Robins, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Two Cardinals sang their hearts out on-site all day. Predictions: There is light rain predicted overnight and well into the morning however light winds are predicted to persist from the south. There may be a shift to the east however which may mean raptors may not "turn the corner" to come between the two lakes later in the day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Catherine Manschot (hitthetrail.manschot@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!!!