Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 30, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 2 3364 3364 Osprey 0 1 1 Bald Eagle 0 46 46 Northern Harrier 0 11 11 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 119 119 Cooper's Hawk 0 47 48 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 215 215 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 404 404 Rough-legged Hawk 0 6 6 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Accipitrine 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 12 12 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Total: 2 4239 4240 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 14:15:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Chris Escott Observers: Visitors: None. A few hardy souls walked by with their dogs or children, but none stopped by to chat. Weather: The day began with 100% cloud cover but no rain, a light NE breeze, and a thin layer of ice on the platform decking. Full cloud cover and little or no wind continued all day, with light rain starting in the third hour, cloud beginning to descend in the fourth hour, and a foggy drizzle with brief periods of actual rain for the balance of the day that reduced visibility to about 100 m. With little hope of conditions improving, the count was terminated at 2:15 PM. Raptor Observations: Two brave Turkey Vultures headed west along the escarpment at the very beginning of the count, and several local TUVU circled over the corner in the first hour, but no other raptors were observed for the remainder of the day. Non-raptor Observations: A singing Carolina Wren was heard in the early morning. Juncos and Song Sparrows were abundant, but no Fox Sparrows were seen. The surprise of the day was a Northern Shrike that perched atop a tall tree about half way between the tower and Poole's. It sat there for more than 10 minutes before being flushed by Blue Jays, the reappeared three times over the next hour in between periods of drizzle. Predictions: The forecast is a bit more promising than today with rain early but some sunshine possible in the afternoon, albeit west winds may not be overly favourable. However, today's counts from hawkwatches in northern New York State were not much better than Beamer, suggesting Monday's count at Beamer may be limited. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chris Escott (chris@escott.ca) 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!!!