Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 37 2183 5649 Osprey 1 12 17 Bald Eagle 1 14 60 Northern Harrier 1 6 17 Sharp-shinned Hawk 24 114 234 Cooper's Hawk 0 20 71 American Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 6 221 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 2 184 589 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 9 Golden Eagle 0 0 3 American Kestrel 0 6 9 Merlin 0 1 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 3 Unknown Accipitrine 0 7 9 Unknown Buteo 0 2 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 3 Total: 68 2559 6912 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Bill Lamond Observers: Chris Escott, John Niewiadomski Visitors: None. Lots of dogs and their walkers. Weather: It was "March-like" weather; cold, blustery and largely cloudy. However, the sun was prominent in the morning and felt good on the face. The wind was from the SW and increased during the day, peaking in the late afternoon. A high of 4 degrees Celsius was reached by noon. Although largely cloudy, enough blue was present most of the time for an interesting sky, and an easy sky for picking out hawks. Raptor Observations: A pretty slow day but better than anticipated. It was great to start off with a couple of juvenile Red-shoulders, with one landing on a post in the old vineyard. Eight species were observed although the Cooper's was the resident one. One adult Bald Eagle flew up the valley at three different times. It was not migrating and I wondered if it might be a local nesting bird. The species of the day was Sharp-shinned Hawk with 24 recorded. Non-raptor Observations: Ravens were the highlight of the day. At one point a pair appeared from the west over the quarry and for the next 5 minutes were joined by 12 other ravens. These birds got higher and higher and drifted off to the east out of sight. About 20 minutes later a group of 10 Ravens appeared from the SW, low, and flew rapidly E. Same birds? Who knows? A Towhee was heard calling on a few occasions but never in the 8 hours I was there came out to feed on the bird seed with the 10 Juncos, five Fox Sparrows and a White-throated Sparrow. Very little was flying over. A group of about 25 Robins fed on the lawn below us for most of the day and a squadron of 22 Cormorants flew over near the end of the day. Other migrants noted (over 8 hours!) included Common Loon, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tree Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Winter Wren. Predictions: Glad I'm not counting tomorrow. Starting off at 2 degrees Celsius at 9 a.m. increasing to a high of 4 at noon. Moderately-strong E winds with gusts to 40km/hr. Mixed precipitation beginning at 11 a.m. and continuing until dusk. 70% chance of precipitation given for each hour. The good E winds give the day a chance of a hawk flight but the extent of the precipitation will be the determining factor. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Bill Lamond (bill-lamond@hotmail.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!!!