Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 17, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 71 2078 6373 Osprey 1 21 26 Bald Eagle 4 18 59 Northern Harrier 0 20 29 Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 324 424 Cooper's Hawk 6 27 97 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 8 355 Broad-winged Hawk 286 513 513 Red-tailed Hawk 12 153 423 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 6 Golden Eagle 0 5 7 American Kestrel 0 15 24 Merlin 0 2 5 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 4 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 6 Unknown Buteo 1 1 22 Unknown Falcon 1 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 2 9 24 Total: 389 3199 8399 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Sarah Stover Observers: Gianpiero Tondina, John Blanchard, Randy McLelland Visitors: Thanks to our visitors throughout the day who helped with spotting: Diana and Rick Werezak, John Niewiadomski, Tony Dobson, Marcie Jacklin, Linda Goodridge, Christopher Adams and Danielle Lepp. Weather: The day started with overcast and drizzle for first few hours of the count with a temp ~9 degrees Celsius, mild wind from north. By midday, precipitation had stopped and warmer temps, more favourable winds and clearer skies brought more flight activity. Raptor Observations: Seven species total with a large volume of Broad-winged Hawks. Flight path for most the day had birds flying over the quarry and tower. Late in the day saw a shift in flight path with large volumes of birds - mostly Broad-winged Hawks - in numerous kettles flying over farmland past Kemp Road. After the count, John Blanchard and I headed out towards Kemp Road to verify how far out the kettles were indeed travelling. Between 4:30 - 5 p.m. seen at Kemp Road were ~40 Broad-winged Hawks, 2 Cooper's Hawks and 1 Sharp-Shinned Hawk (not included in count total). Ages of Bald Eagles in today's count: 2 x 1st year birds, 2 x 3rd year birds Non-raptor Observations: Swallows and Purple Martins were busy in the sky. Most notable were a pair of Swallows that went after a migrating Red-tailed Hawk while it was climbing a thermal. Other birds noted: Great Blue Heron x 3 (flyover), Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Juncos, Eastern Towhee, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Robins, Blue Jays, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatch Dragon flies! Predictions: It looks like rain is on the move tracking to land at Beamer late morning. With the warmer temp and south wind, some birds may be on the move ahead of the rain but once the rain arrives, I expect flights will be grounded for the rest of the day. Keep tabs on your weather/radar apps as rain could move in later meaning a longer flight window. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sarah Stover (stoversaraha@gmail.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. ©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!!!