Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 08, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 1921 4631 7631 Osprey 0 2 43 Bald Eagle 5 17 141 Northern Harrier 20 66 438 Sharp-shinned Hawk 191 712 5915 Cooper's Hawk 8 41 132 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 6 21 56606 Red-tailed Hawk 16 27 202 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 320 816 2011 Merlin 3 11 106 Peregrine Falcon 2 17 55 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: 2492 6361 73280 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours Official Counter: Chad Cornish Observers: Chip Ogglesby, Hugh Kent, Jacob Stasso, Liz Kent, Paul Gosselin, Paul Pratt Visitors: Huge thanks to Chad who was the Official Counter today, ably assisted by Chip, Deane, Jacob, Paul G and Paul P. Deane did a great job, staying all day. It was good to see Marianne again today. We also had a number of visitors who showed a great interest in the Hawk Watch and the wildlife of the marsh. Weather: Wind was moderate and strong at times from the west with a slight northerly aspect, with cloud cover gradually increasing throughout the day. The temperature rose from a low of 6c to the low teens by midday. Visibility was good throughout the day. Raptor Observations: The numbers of Turkey Vultures (1921) are gradually increasing, with pretty much a constant slow stream throughout the day. American Kestrels (320) must love the blustery wind from the west with another good count today. Sharp-shinned Hawks (191) were next followed way back by Northern Harriers (20) and Red-tailed Hawks (16). We have a faint suspicion that the Buteos may be starting to migrate. Non-raptor Observations: Good variety of duck today with a total of 10 species, with Ring-necked Duck and Lesser Scaup new to this season's party. Another new season species was a Pine Siskin flying over the Tower. Blue Jays (3,940) are still flying past but with a lower number. Chimney Swifts (4) are around, high in the sky, I was remiss in not mentioning that we saw 91 yesterday. The list is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S151754254 Predictions: Forecast is again pretty similar to today but without the slight northerly aspect to the moderate wind from the west. It is likely to be more cloudy with temperatures similar. We will probably get a similar mix to today, and lets hope the American Kestrels keep coming! ======================================================================== 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