Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 04, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 0 2 2 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 0 0 Northern Harrier 4 8 8 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 4 4 Cooper's Hawk 0 3 3 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 21 35 35 Merlin 0 3 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 1 1 Total: 26 59 59 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Maryse Gagné Observers: Elizabeth Kent, Hugh Kent Visitors: Thank you to all the visitors who had quick conversations with counters from the base of the tower. We thank you for your understanding of the three-person limitation of the tower at this moment. Stay safe everyone! Weather: Incredibly pleasant weather on the tower today, the type that we all wish we could have during the entire count. Winds blew from the West all day, keeping the clouds at bay, and leaving us to work with a clear blue sky. Raptor Observations: The American Kestrel was our main flyer today, coming in at 21 migrants. A few Northern Harriers made an appearance, including our first male "Gray Ghost" of the season! As the afternoon wore on, most birds were flying very high and getting lost in the clear blue sky, particularly non-migrating Ospreys and Bald Eagles. Additionally, we were entertained by two Peregrine Falcons chasing each other and anything that flew too close to them over the marsh. Non-raptor Observations: Well the overnight Northern winds expected to bring in passerines did not deliver, but we spot a few warblers including a Prothonotary Warbler, a Wilson's Warbler, and a Black-and-White Warbler. In the morning, continuous flocks of swallows and swifts passed over the tower and we ended the day with 162 Chimney Swifts! Our other numerous migrants were Cedar Waxwings (228 individuals), and American Goldfinches (207 individuals). The marsh is home to many Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, and today we added the Black-crowned Night-Heron to that list. We are also counting a flocks of shorebirds, such as Killdeer and Yellowlegs passing over the water. Full ebird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S73191503 Predictions: Tomorrow we expecting another pleasant day on the tower, with temperature in the mid 20 degrees Celsius and winds from the West for most of the day. We are hoping to see more American Kestrels and maybe start to see more Accipiters such as Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Maryse Gagné (maryse.gagne35@gmail.com) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=100