Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 26, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 1206 51059 Osprey 0 1 83 Bald Eagle 2 25 196 Northern Harrier 4 161 827 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 173 8267 Cooper's Hawk 0 19 202 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 194 426 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 16636 Red-tailed Hawk 7 1246 2039 Rough-legged Hawk 0 16 16 Golden Eagle 0 33 53 American Kestrel 0 5 1521 Merlin 0 4 62 Peregrine Falcon 1 7 51 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 18 Unknown Buteo 0 24 106 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 1 3 Unknown Raptor 0 1 24 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 14 3118 81592 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Jenna McDermott Observers: Dan Loncke, Jim McCoy Visitors: Chris, Colleen, and a family of 7 came up to the tower and got to enjoy the resident Bald Eagles. Weather: The heavy clouds of the morning didn't keep the temperature down too much, with 8am already being at 8C. It warmed further from there, turning into a beautiful day with patches of sun beaming down on us. Winds came from the south at on average 10kph. Raptor Observations: Four species were seen today, all shooting out of the trees to the east with great gusto. The first two birds of the day were male Northern Harriers, their pale feathers gleaming. 2 others followed later on, both allowing for good looks. 7 Red-tailed Hawks also soared across the marsh, seeming slow compared to the one Peregrine Falcon that absolutely sped across on the lake shore. 2 adult Bald Eagles also migrated, both causing a bit of a ruckus with the residents who promptly chased them off. The resident Bald Eagles provided much of the amusement for the day, sitting in plain view for most of the time, and even bathing in the middle of the marsh, shaking their whole bodies vigorously to get the water off and then leaving their wings drooping to the sides, soaking up some sun. Non-raptor Observations: Horned Larks may have been the passerine of the day today, with 238 making their way overhead in large groups of up to 85 at a time. American Goldfinch numbers were almost half of that, and Pine Siskins brought in 15. Three groups of Cedar Waxwings totalled up to 90, and handful of starlings and robins also flew by. Around the tower there were chickadees, Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, American Tree Sparrows, a Song and White-throated Sparrow, and 2 Northern Cardinals. Duck numbers were diminished from the past while with the most for one species being 177 Mallards. A couple of large groups of Bonaparte's Gulls also flounced across the marsh. See today's eBird list http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist?subID=S26007736 Predictions: A 90% chance of rain all day, with temperatures continuing around 10 to 13C. Winds will be from the SW in the morning, switching to the NW and N in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jenna McDermott (jmcdermo@alumni.uoguelph.ca) Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/