Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 235 4920 54156 Osprey 0 0 36 Bald Eagle 0 38 231 Northern Harrier 8 308 765 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 368 5336 Cooper's Hawk 5 62 299 Northern Goshawk 0 0 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 48 574 789 Broad-winged Hawk 0 6 25779 Red-tailed Hawk 279 3912 4730 Rough-legged Hawk 1 21 21 Golden Eagle 3 19 22 American Kestrel 0 21 1731 Merlin 0 10 117 Peregrine Falcon 0 7 58 Unknown Accipiter 1 3 8 Unknown Buteo 0 12 24 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 7 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 591 10284 94116 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Maryse Gagné Observers: Visitors: With such great weather today, many people were out in the park. Thank you to Neil, June and Kevin, Tara and Sharron, Colleen and Chris, and Cameron and Ella for their company and help spotting raptors today. Weather: Temperatures on the tower today were, dare I say it, pleasant! Very little wind from the South-East and sunshine warmed up the air, so much so that layers were shed quite quickly. Hoping for a few more days like this in the next two weeks of counting. Raptor Observations: After yesterday's mega migration, I expected most raptors had gone through yet I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Red-tailed Hawks that migrated by, with 279 individuals. Among them you could also spot Red-shouldered (48 total). The majority of raptors migrated North of the tower, forcing the use of the scope for most of the day. One light colouration Rough-legged Hawk flew by as well as three Golden Eagles. Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper's Hawks are still coming, but in fewer numbers today. Bald Eagles are still spending time on the frozen marsh, and today you could spot at least 16 Eagles at any given time. Non-raptor Observations: Today's main highlight came from 4 Eastern Bluebirds who decided to spend some time on the trees surrounding the tower, an absolutely wonderful sight! Other passerines included Horned Larks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins, Goldfinches, and a House Sparrow. A small flock of Sandhill Cranes flew by along with a few Tundra Swans. Ducks are still very much present and with the thawing marsh, might coming closer for a while. We were lucky to spot Hooded, Common, and Red-breasted Mergansers along with Buffleheads and Goldeneyes. Check our full eBird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S61535712 Predictions: Tomorrow we are expecting another batch of North-Eastern winds in the morning, potentially prompting another good day of migration, yet I promise nothing! ======================================================================== 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