Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: May 08, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 163 7673 Osprey 0 3 41 Bald Eagle 1 3 78 Northern Harrier 1 6 66 Sharp-shinned Hawk 21 123 1205 Cooper's Hawk 1 12 145 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 698 Broad-winged Hawk 2 43 2573 Red-tailed Hawk 0 28 1745 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 46 Golden Eagle 0 0 14 American Kestrel 0 1 38 Merlin 0 0 9 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 5 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 6 Unknown Buteo 0 2 37 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 2 Unknown Raptor 0 0 6 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 26 386 14390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter: Chris Street Observers: Visitors: Conal and Nada Thornton from Toronto kept me company and found a few birds during the first hour. Weather: Clear sunny skies all day long with a bit of wispy cloud cover with light winds from the east and south. By the afternoon the humidity could be felt and it made the temperatures feel closer to 30 degrees Celsius. Raptor Observations: A slow day with mostly Sharp-shinned, a smattering of Broad-winged, and a nice Adult Bald Eagle at 2pm. Non-raptor Observations: It was a fairly birdy day in the non-raptor department with Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blue-winged, and Nashville Warbler's being seen or heard, along with American Redstart, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird. Overall around 50 non-raptor species were recorded. Predictions: The morning should be similar to today with just a trickle of birds coming through, but the afternoon forecasted thundershowers will turn any kind of hawk migration right off. ======================================================================== Report submitted by () Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area 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. © 2015 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch