Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 09, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 152 152 Osprey 0 9 9 Bald Eagle 0 88 88 Northern Harrier 2 136 136 Sharp-shinned Hawk 24 331 331 Cooper's Hawk 2 16 16 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 588 588 Red-tailed Hawk 0 102 102 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 3 265 266 Merlin 6 22 24 Peregrine Falcon 1 6 6 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 4 Total: 38 1719 1722 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith Observers: Hugh Kent, Robin Smallwood Visitors: An enormous thanks to Hugh for coming today in spite of the early morning and dreary weather, and to Robin for joining us in the afternoon and lifting spirits even as the rain set in. Weather: Count abandoned early due to heavy rain. Relatively calm but cloudy through most of the morning, with temporary downpours turning to constant rain in the early afternoon. Winds turning from a weak northerly to a mild south-easterly. Raptor Observations: Relatively quiet with only a minor movement of Sharp-shinned Hawk. The biggest surprise was the steady passing of Merlin, with six individuals in the mid to late morning. Non-raptor Observations: The checklist for today can be found at https://ebird.org/checklist/S391358605. Very quiet today, even in the early morning when things were relatively calm. A small arrival of Blue Jay, Philadelphia Vireo and Wilson's Warbler seems to have occurred overnight, along with a departure of our flycatchers and warbler flock. Bird of the day was undoubtedly a striking male House Sparrow, whose appearance under a gray sky and light drizzle helped cure a homesick English heart. Predictions: If the forecast holds and we get a gentle northerly through the day coupled with mild temperatures, we may see another big movement of Sharp-shinned Hawk tomorrow, along with smaller movements of other raptors such as Northern Harrier and Broad-winged Hawk. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () 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