Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 36 243 243 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 20 20 Northern Harrier 1 5 5 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 4 4 Cooper's Hawk 1 11 11 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 26 88 88 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 35 287 287 Rough-legged Hawk 0 4 4 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 3 3 Merlin 1 3 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 6 6 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 100 676 676 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.67 hours Official Counter: John Stevens Observers: Andreas Steckenborn, Barry Cherriere, Bouwe Bergsma, Carol Horvat, Doug Gillard, Gianpiero Tondina, Phil Waggett, Sara Fabunan Visitors: Many visitors to the tower and through the CA on this first day of spring break. Noted among them were Eric and Sue Single (or should that be Pair!), Glenda Slessor, Bob Curry and Judy Robins. Weather: Mainly sunny in the morning until the sky became covered with aircraft contrails and some cloud cover in the afternoon. Light to moderate winds from the east. Cool, almost cold on the tower. Raptor Observations: A disappointing flight considering the favourable wind direction. Two TVs made a real nuisance of themselves in the afternoon, going round and round. Local CH seen several times. Adult BE went east about 1:25 EST but not counted. Merlin went east in the morning and was counted. Non-raptor Observations: Pileated Woodpecker(s) seen on four occasions and heard in the woods to the east. Common Ravens passed heading west on two occasions. Otherwise there wasn't much movement. Predictions: After some overnight showers it should be partly sunny tomorrow with moderate westerly winds. There will be a flight. ======================================================================== Report submitted by John Stevens () Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://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. 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: 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!!!