Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada 50TH SPRING MIGRATION COUNT IN 2024 Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 12, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 60 144 154 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 14 28 28 Northern Harrier 10 13 14 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 3 4 Cooper's Hawk 5 18 18 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 31 67 67 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 47 198 209 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 1 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1 Unknown Buteo 2 6 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 5 5 Total: 171 487 510 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Lyn Hanna-Folkes Observers: Alicia Dobson, Brandon Holden, Gianpiero Tondina, Jude Szabo, Markus Legzdins, Matt Mills Visitors: Many people visited the conservation area on this very comfortable bright day including dog walkers, hikers, families and mixed age groups. Visitors to the tower included: Marco (photographer from Smithville who pointed out some distant birds), Dianne (St. Catherines), Kathy (Beamsville), "Chicago Mike" (Hamilton), Brandon Holden and daughter Pasha (London), Wendy (Vineland), Marlis Butcher a journalist & photographer for National Geographic (Burlington), Sue Neal (Simcoe), a large supervised group of children (St. Catherines) and Ina Legzdins (Oakville). Weather: Calmer day than predicted, very pleasant for the second week of March. Winds were very light until 14:00 when a stronger gusty breeze from the West picked up. The temperature climbed to 15C in the afternoon. Cloud cover was was very thin for the most part, so the day remained bight with some blue sky. Humidity was 76% at 8:00 but dropped to under 50% by the end of the count. No precipitation fell. Raptor Observations: 171 raptors for March 12th was unexpected with very low numbers reported crossing the border yesterday. Only a few local raptors appeared before 10:00: a pair of Cooper's Hawks, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Turkey Vulture (with a few more local Vultures and Red-tails showing up later too). As it warmed and humidity dropped significantly, migration began with 6 species in the third hour - starting with an immature Red-shouldered Hawk (31 for the day), our first Bald Eagle (of 14), our only American Kestrel, and a group of 7 brown-plumaged Northern Harriers that displayed unusual behavior by repeatedly attacking one particular bird in their group. Ten Harriers were seen in all, as well as 60 Turkey Vultures, 47 Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Cooper's Hawks, a single Sharp-shinned Hawk and two Buteos that were too distant in cloud to identify. The morning's flight line was highly variable but as west winds strengthened most of the migration was pushed east, well past the escarpment. This made raptors increasingly distant and/or hidden below the escarpment. A telescope was necessary for much of the afternoon, until the last hour when binoculars were enough again. The count would have been more difficult without the help of several good birders who manned telescopes for us, thank you! An additional adult Bald Eagle flew south at 12:07 (not counted). Non-raptor Observations: The day began with moderate birdsong including the usuals plus a Tufted Titmouse, a few Mallard pairs and several woodpecker species that were very active. Several Northern Flickers and Hairy Woodpeckers were seen plus an adult male Pileated Woodpecker that flew by quickly, just east of the tower in perfect light. A Horned Lark flew over in the second hour. During the third hour, a mob of Blue Jays escorted a migrating Turkey Vulture north, a Common Raven croaked as it flew close to the tower and a Pine Siskin was heard. At 11:00, two small flocks of American Crows moved into the area and at about 13:00 a flock of 46 flew north in a long line. Predictions: It sounds like tomorrow's weather will be similar to today's but slightly warmer with less cloud, so it could be another good March count. A plain blue sky might make it harder to spot birds if the flight gets as high as it was this afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Lyn Hanna-Folkes (lhfolkes8112@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!!!