Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 571 1840 4542 Osprey 1 5 71 Bald Eagle 7 9 107 Northern Harrier 3 27 262 Sharp-shinned Hawk 147 526 3848 Cooper's Hawk 6 42 188 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 13 Broad-winged Hawk 0 72 6033 Red-tailed Hawk 4 51 326 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 3 American Kestrel 27 43 798 Merlin 1 4 56 Peregrine Falcon 2 9 34 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 8 Unknown Buteo 0 0 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 5 Black Vulture 0 0 1 Gyrfalcon 0 1 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 769 2631 16300 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Todd Pepper Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Bob Pettit, Donald Pye, Frank Dolby, Rayfield Pye Visitors: Rayfield and Donald Pye from parts east dropped in for their annual Thanksgiving weekend visit and did their usual great spotting. Frank Dolby from Pennsylvannia hung in their despite the cold. Four Sisters from the Madonna House in Windsor came for their 2nd visit this fall. Peter and Astor from Kingsville came for their first visit having recently moved to the area. There was a couple from LaSalle and a family of 3 from Windsor out for their first visit. And, a couple from Ann Arbor, Michigan came for their annual visit, but left saying they would be back this year. Last, but far from least, was Rita from London and a plate of home-made (healthy) chocolate-chip cookies. I wonder if I said the words "peanut butter" that my favourite cookies might show up! Weather: As predicted, but without the sun! Winds were out of the west all day with a range of 10 - 20 km/hr, and the temperature ranged from 6.5 - 10.6C. Deduct about 3 degrees for the wind and height effects and it was cold on the tower today. Raptor Observations: A fun day despite the weather. The west wind kept most relatively low, although some were distant both south and north of the tower. A total of 769 birds of 10 species. A real nice mix of Bald Eagles today with 1st, 2nd, & 3rd year plumaged birds, as well as our resident pair of adults. Non-raptor Observations: A relatively brisk morning of passerine migration, but it dropped off quickly after 12 EST. Highlights include: Great Egret - 45 Chimney Swift - 29 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1 Blue Jay - 4,130 Indigo Bunting - 7 American Goldfinch - 189. Notable by their absence today was the frequent calls of Sora Rails that have greeted me every morning since September 1st. Also notable by their absence is any notable movement of American Robins, American Crows and American Robins so far. Four Crows came up on the eastern horizon today, but they never did fly west. Predictions: Sort of like today, but with colder temperatures (5 - 11C); and weaker winds (5 - 11 km/hr) out of the west. Look for more Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper's Hawks should start showing up in good numbers. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Todd Pepper (pepper_todd@yahoo.ca) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/