Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 37 37 37 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 3 3 3 Northern Harrier 9 9 9 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0 Cooper's Hawk 1 1 1 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 2 2 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 2 2 3 Merlin 1 1 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 55 55 58 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood Visitors: Thanks to all the observers, including Hugh, Liz, Bob, Noel, Mike, and Robin. It was great to catch up with everyone at the beginning of the season, especially with some exciting raptors around midday. It was also good to see John, David and Steve who visited us through the day. Weather: Very hot, with changeable humidity through the day. Steady breeze around 5km/h, occasional gusts to 10km/h. Raptor Observations: Moderate movement of Turkey Vultures (37) and Northern Harrier (9). The harriers in particular were very exciting, including one "gray ghost" early in the day. Overall good raptor diversity, with seven species and many birds using the thermal updraft north of the marsh. Non-raptor Observations: eBird checklist can be viewed at https://ebird.org/checklist/S388957822 Notable southward movements of Cedar Waxwing, Eurasian Starling and Tree Swallows, and moderate movements of Ruby-throated Hummingbird and American Goldfinch. Eight species of warbler, all in ones except Yellow Warbler, were an added bonus. Predictions: With another hot day forecast, it is likely to remain relatively steady with birds mainly using the thermal uplift north of the station. We expect a continued trickle of Turkey Vultures and hopefully more Northern Harriers. ======================================================================== 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