Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 71 207 207 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 20 20 Northern Harrier 0 4 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 4 4 Cooper's Hawk 3 10 10 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 33 62 62 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 106 252 252 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4 Golden Eagle 1 2 2 American Kestrel 1 3 3 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 2 6 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 220 576 576 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Rob Spaul Observers: Gianpiero Tondina, John Hogeveen, Lauren Booker, Marcie Jacklin Visitors: Lots of people were maintaining their social distance today by hiking around Beamer CA, and many reported seeing distant raptors too. We had great first time visits from Andreas Steckenborn, Sara Fabunan, Selina Yang and Anthony Tang, who all picked up hawkwatching quite quickly, and should really come back! Great visits from Stuart Laughton, Andrew Ling, Dennis Lewington, Debbie and Steve Wood, Bob and Janette Vantol, Carol Horvat and Doug Willard. Big thanks to John Hogeveen, Marcie Jacklin, G.P. Tondina, and especially Lauren Booker for help in detecting/managing a surprisingly good day. Weather: Today was beautifully sunny and cloudless, though with a brisk headwind and chilly temperature, the cold surprised us all a bit. Winds remained throughout the day, letting up only briefly mid-day, and mid-afternoon, and allowing for some thermals to develop. Raptor Observations: Migrants were generally pretty high today, especially during peak flight, seemingly from a mix of updraft off the escarpment and modest thermals. A kettle of 6 RSHAs and 1 adult GOEA were the highlights. Local COHA and RTHAs were both active, and the RTHAs were clearly escorting migrants a few times. 1 Adult and 1 juvenile Bald Eagles were not counted, as they were heading down the escarpment. Non-raptor Observations: A nice looking pair of Pileated Woodpeckers were pretty active, flying around together a few times and vocalizing. A Carolina Wren was singing in the morning a bit. Two pair of Common Mergansers came through separately. Predictions: I would expect tomorrow to be pretty good, as things are definitely heating up now. The weather looks slightly warmer and a bit less windy. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rob Spaul () Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://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. 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 park vehicles (along the road) and 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. Parking is normally available inside the park. 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!!!