Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada 50TH SPRING MIGRATION COUNT IN 2024 Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 52 520 530 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 40 40 Northern Harrier 0 17 18 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 12 13 Cooper's Hawk 1 32 32 American Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 148 148 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 338 349 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 5 5 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1 Unknown Buteo 0 7 7 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 8 8 Total: 61 1136 1159 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Phil Waggett Observers: Gianpiero Tondina, Tim Foran Visitors: Gianpiero Tondina and Tim Foran helped with the spotting today. Samuel Ayala from St. Catherines joined us on the tower for an hour this afternoon. Weather: Mostly overcast with very strong winds out of the south-west. Significant wind chill with air temps rising to 8C. Raptor Observations: The strong south-west winds are never favourable for migration numbers at Beamer. Today was a day dominated by turkey vultures. Two bald eagles were noted at 1:15 (adult) and at 2:15 (2nd year bird). Local coop was observed only twice today doing its display flight. Anecdotally, it appears that birds were migrating below the escarpment and not seen at Beamer--on the way home at 4:15, 8 turkey vultures were noted at Fifty Road/Hwy 8; another 40 were noted flying over Vineland in a report on Discord at 4 pm. Non-raptor Observations: No passerine migratory activity was noted today. The pair of local wood ducks were seen flying around on three occasions. Predictions: Although tomorrow's weather again features unfavourable westerly winds, Ripley NY and Prequ'ile both had over 1000 birds today. In addition, Braddock's Bay and Derby Hill had strong flights as one would expect with these winds. There are clearly birds in the pipeline so I would expect perhaps better numbers than today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Phillip Waggett (philip waggett <philipwaggett@hotmail.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. &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!!!