Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 23 125 125 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 3 12 12 Northern Harrier 0 1 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 5 5 Cooper's Hawk 0 4 5 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 7 28 28 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 36 177 178 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Catherine Manschot Observers: Visitors: The visitors made up for the low number of raptors today. Manystudents from the Niagara College Ecosystem Restoration Program visited today and were very interested in the hawk count. Also, John Hegoveen, George Bryant and Bob Stamp visited for a while. Another couple who were very keen on learning about birds visited as well, and many families came up to the tower to learn about raptor migration. Weather: Calm winds, sunny, and pleasant. To begin the day the winds were coming from the SW and then shifted to mainly coming from the W. Raptor Observations: It was a somewhat slow day with a total of 36 individuals, with the bulk being Turkey Vultures (23). Non-raptor Observations: Early short-distance migrants noted including Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Blue Jays. There were also some Cedar Waxwings, plenty of Slate-coloured Junco's and several Northern Cardinals enjoying the feeder. A few Black-capped Chickadees were singing "spring's here" which was encouraging. Predictions: The forecast doesn't look much different for tomorrow so the count may echo today's numbers, although I can imagine we could get relatively more Turkey Vultures. ======================================================================== 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!!!