Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 29, 2013 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 718 2471 2471 Osprey 0 1 1 Bald Eagle 6 28 28 Northern Harrier 2 6 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 26 26 Cooper's Hawk 3 32 32 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 26 96 96 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 83 594 594 Rough-legged Hawk 0 8 8 Golden Eagle 1 2 2 American Kestrel 2 9 9 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 2 2 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Total: 845 3281 3281 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Tim Foran Observers: Dave Sked, Peter Booker, Phil Waggett, Sandy Darling Visitors: Ben Oldfield, Gord Kozak, Dennis Gardiner, Jennifer and Derek Lyons.Tom Flynn, Matt Mills Mike Kirchin and John P. Norm Gardiner Pat Hogge, Too many to list all of them. Weather: Cool and somewhat cloudy, changing to clear and sunny. Raptor Observations: First great day for overall numbers. Eleven species recorded. Non-raptor Observations: An excellent job done by Tom Thomas, and others for our annual Visitor's Day.There was a great turn out and many exhibits. Predictions: Please ignore premature posting for March 30th. This is the correct count and numbers for March 29th. the birds are really backed up, so when the weather is good, they will come in large quantities. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Tim Foran () Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ 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. 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 park vehicles (along the road) and 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. Parking is normally available inside the park. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2013 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch