Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 21, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 22 2705 6171 Osprey 0 19 24 Bald Eagle 0 17 63 Northern Harrier 1 14 25 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 309 429 Cooper's Hawk 1 28 79 American Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 11 226 Broad-winged Hawk 0 131 131 Red-tailed Hawk 0 241 646 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 3 American Kestrel 0 12 15 Merlin 0 3 5 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Accipitrine 0 7 9 Unknown Buteo 0 5 17 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 1 1 Unknown Raptor 0 2 4 Total: 26 3509 7862 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Chris Escott Observers: Bouwe Bergsma Visitors: Half a dozen little tykes with moms in mid-morning, and another mom with four kids an hour later, climbed the tower for a quick look. Jeff and Alana from Ottawa, and later on Veronica from Oakville, came up the tower for a brief chat before heading off in search of woodland birds. A small group of hikers, led by Joan from St. Catharines, stopped by the display board to chat in the afternoon fog and rain. Several other hikers and dog walkers passed through the conservation area, but traffic was slow throughout the day given the weather. Weather: The day began with heavy cloud cover, but skies cleared somewhat and gave way to some brief periods of sunshine. It was not too windy on the tower although below the escarpment there was a gusting east wind in the morning. Temperatures started at 7 C, warming a few degrees before early afternoon rain cooled things back down. Despite a gloomy forecast, the weather wasn't too terrible until rain started in the 1:00-2:00 EST hour, after which fog moved in! The fog started to lift around 3:00, but a line of incoming thunderstorms threatened and there was no flight in evidence, so the count was terminated an hour early. Raptor Observations: A disappointing day but, given the weather that was not surprising. Local TUVU came and went throughout the day, and a local Cooper’s Hawk passed the tower in the morning. Migrants were very few and far between, and not very exciting. The excellent BWHA counts at Braddock Bay on the 18th and 19th on a south-east flight line, and an exceptional count at Derby Hill on the 19th on a north-east flight line, suggest the peak of BWHA migration has now passed Lake Ontario - mainly to the east - on its way north. Beamer had a very good count of BWHA at Beamer on the 20th - headed west - and hopefully there are still enough birds in the pipeline that there are a few more still to pass by Beamer in the next week! Non-raptor Observations: Good numbers of WTSP and RCKI sang throughout the day., and a FOSP showed in the afternoon. Apart from that, nothing unexpected was observed, and it was generally a slow day for migrant passerines. Predictions: There is no rain in the forecast for Tuesday although winds are forecast as westerly, which is not ideal, and counts in upstate New York suggest there are not a lot of birds in the pipeline. Wednesday looks much better with no rain, east winds, and maybe by then more birds will have reached upstate New York. ======================================================================== 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!!!