Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 20, 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 1 Turkey Vulture 25 2534 6100 Osprey 2 20 21 Bald Eagle 0 27 77 Northern Harrier 0 22 37 Sharp-shinned Hawk 26 919 967 Cooper's Hawk 3 58 92 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 53 374 Broad-winged Hawk 1456 1581 1581 Red-tailed Hawk 9 425 1000 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 8 Golden Eagle 0 1 6 American Kestrel 0 30 39 Merlin 0 5 7 Peregrine Falcon 0 1 4 Unknown Accipiter 0 10 13 Unknown Buteo 0 10 22 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 23 28 Short-eared Owl 0 0 1 Total: 1522 5724 10380 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 15:15:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Simon Carter Observers: Gianpiero Tondina, Matt Mills, Phil Waggett Visitors: John Niewiadomski, Barb Charlton Weather: Cool, with constant northeasterly winds and occasional gusts, it felt cold on the tower. Partially cloudy but thankfully dry. Raptor Observations: A strong flight of Broad-winged Hawks from 8-11am. It tapered off quickly after 11.00, although small numbers of birds continued throughout the afternoon. Species diversity was low (TV, OS, SS, CH, RT), no falcons or eagles (the day's only BE flew east). Local TV, CH and RT were active throughout the day. A big thanks to Matt Mills, Phil Waggett and Gianpiero Tondina for their help. Non-raptor Observations: Birdy around the tower, with YBSA and PUMA the highlights. Ten COLO flew over during the course of the day. Predictions: Hard to say - there do not appear to be a lot of birds in the pipeline, but today's BW came almost out of nowhere (Hamburg had 200 yesterday). Morning hours could be productive, before the rain begins. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Simon Carter () Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: https://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. Only the counter and designated spotters can drive into and park in the conservation area; there is a parking lot outside for visitors. 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 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. 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!!!