Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 248 302 51762 Osprey 0 0 9 Bald Eagle 1 3 62 Northern Harrier 12 23 629 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 21 8001 Cooper's Hawk 3 5 270 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 16 18 556 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 45368 Red-tailed Hawk 41 74 2804 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 7 Golden Eagle 1 1 10 American Kestrel 0 0 1929 Merlin 0 0 157 Peregrine Falcon 1 3 115 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 331 450 111685 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Maryse Gagné Observers: Visitors: We appreciate all the interest in the tower and the hawk watch but remind everyone that the tower remains closed to members of the public and has a three-person limit reserved for the Hawk Counters. Thank you to all who are respecting these precautions. Be safe everyone! Weather: An absolutely lovely day on the tower! The temperature warmed quickly as the sun rose high into the sky with not a cloud in sight. A slight wind from the South-West blew all day, which eventually died down to a calm breeze from the South. By the time 4 o'clock rolled around, the temperature reached a balmy 14 degrees Celsius, and the morning's warm layers had been shed a few hours prior. Raptor Observations: Not a bad day, with 331 raptors counted. The first few hours were slow to start with only a few Northern Harriers peaking over the tree line to fly low over the marsh. The action picked up slightly when a batch of 150 Turkey Vultures came in one fell swoop, their numbers eventually totaled 248 individuals. 41 Red-tailed Hawks came quickly over the tower, not taking much time to cross today. 16 Red-shouldered Hawks accompanied the Red-tails, many were adults. Just past 1 o'clock, an adult Golden Eagle flew past relatively low over the marsh, low enough to spot the pattern on the top of the wing and the golden mane on the head! Last but certainly not least, an immature Peregrine Falcon was the last bird of the day, flying quickly past the tower with such grace and elegance. Non-raptor Observations: The number of Gulls over the marsh is increasing daily, and Bonaparte's Gulls are making their presence knows. Among the gulls on the marsh, a few Tree Swallows can be spotted hawking just above the water, weaving around the many many Ring-necked Ducks (1680). A Belted Kingfisher stopped by today, a species we have not seen in a few weeks, after our residents have left for the year. Finches, American Robins, Cedar Waxings, Horned Larks, and Eastern Bluebirds are the main passerines in the sky, and today we also counted a small flock of 7 Evening Grosbeaks. Lastly, only 55 Blue Jays and 150 American Crows decided to fly past the tower today. Full ebird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S75800417 Predictions: Tomorrow promises to be another beautiful day with temperatures potentially rising to 17 degrees Celsius! The sun is predicted to shine brightly, but the wind will be stronger and from the South-West. Let's hope we keep seeing similar numbers of raptors, including more buteos and maybe a Golden Eagle or two! ======================================================================== 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: https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=100