Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 507 507 67695 Osprey 0 0 46 Bald Eagle 11 11 270 Northern Harrier 5 5 752 Sharp-shinned Hawk 68 68 8854 Cooper's Hawk 5 5 315 American Goshawk 1 1 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 35 35 409 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 56725 Red-tailed Hawk 158 158 1737 Rough-legged Hawk 3 3 7 Golden Eagle 1 1 13 American Kestrel 2 2 2610 Merlin 0 0 127 Peregrine Falcon 1 1 89 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 797 797 139654 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Hugh Kent, Peter Veighey Observers: Aldo Bertucci, Chip Ogglesby, Hugh Kent, Ian Woodfield, Juliette Herdman, Karen Padbury, Liz Kent, Michelle Mastellotto, Noel Herdman Visitors: A big thanks to Peter and Aldo for taking over the count at midday, ably assisted by Juliette and Noel, Karen, Michelle, Ian and Chip. It was good to see again Janice from Quadra Island, BC and Eric, who both took a great interest in the Hawk Watch. Weather: The wind was consistently from WNW, varying from moderate to strong. The day started cold with the temperature at -1 C rising to a high of 8 C by mid-afternoon. It was clear initially but became partially cloudy by mid day. Visibility was good. Raptor Observations: Turkey Vultures (507) again took the top spot with them mostly travelling to the north. Red-tailed Hawks (158) came in at 2nd place, mostly accompanying the TV's but sometimes on their own. Sharp-shinned Hawks (68) appeared sporadically during the day. Red-shouldered Hawks (35) were nice to see with the Red-tails. A Golden Eagle graced us with its presence at 11:49am, just north of the tower. It eventually soared out of sight, gliding to the west. The 'Birds of the Day' were 3 Light Phase Rough-legged Hawks, two of which came over the tower. Today was a good day with a total of 12 out 15 possible raptors seen. Non-raptor Observations: It was nice to see and hear Tundra Swans (78) flying over the marsh. Ducks are maintaining their numbers with Ring-necked Ducks (1580) playing hide and seek amongst the marsh vegetation to keep out of the wind. Bonaparte's Gulls (26) visited the marsh with graceful floating flight. American Crows (426) reappeared in moderate numbers but Blue Jays (30) have almost finished migration. Eastern Bluebirds (22) were heard passing over, once again. Winter Finches, Purple Finch (15) and Pine Siskin (12) made an appearance. It was very quiet around the tower with the exception of the creaking of the Rusty Blackbirds (215). The List is at https://ebird.org/canada/checklist/S153547084 Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast is for moderate wind from the SW. It will be partially cloudy with the temperature rising throughout the day to 8 C. With the direction of the wind it is unlikely we will see the numbers we had today. However the mix could be similar. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Hugh Kent (Hughnkent@gmail.com) 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