Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 04, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 879 1929 5395 Osprey 3 8 13 Bald Eagle 6 12 58 Northern Harrier 0 5 16 Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 52 172 Cooper's Hawk 7 12 63 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 4 219 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 107 153 558 Rough-legged Hawk 2 2 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 3 American Kestrel 0 6 9 Merlin 0 1 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Accipitrine 4 4 6 Unknown Buteo 0 0 12 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Total: 1025 2188 6541 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Katherine Stoltz Observers: Colleen Cugini, Gianpiero Tondina, John Blanchard Visitors: Gianpiero Tondina, John Blanchard, Luc Fazio, Phil Waggett, and Noah from Toronto, Andy from Burlington, Diana from Welland, Marc from Toronto. Weather: A very comfortable early April day on the tower. Winds calm to start, initially from the north, swinging to northeast by late morning, maximum 14 km/hr. High cirrus cloud provided some contrast for high-flying birds. By the end of the count, clouds thickened to 100% coverage. Temperatures ranged from 3-7 degrees. Raptor Observations: A superb day at Beamer with over 1000 migrating raptors counted. Many people assisted with spotting, and I apologize if I omit anyone. The highlights were 3 Osprey in the morning and 2 Rough-legs, one of each morph. A strong flight of Red-tails, but the bulk of the count consisted of TV's. The flight path varied throughout the day, as did the height of flight. Many TV's were picked up only with binoculars, well south of the tower. Only 1 kettle of 31 TV's. Local Cooper's, Red-tails and TV's were seen. Non-raptor Observations: Fox Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, 8 Common Loons, and an active flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Predictions: Rain, including the possibility of thunderstorms, predicted for tomorrow morning. Not conducive to raptor migration. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Katherine Stoltz (Katherine Stoltzstoltz.katherine@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!!!