Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2019 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 2 5154 54390 Osprey 0 0 36 Bald Eagle 0 39 232 Northern Harrier 0 332 789 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 411 5379 Cooper's Hawk 1 83 320 Northern Goshawk 0 0 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 615 830 Broad-winged Hawk 0 6 25779 Red-tailed Hawk 9 4449 5267 Rough-legged Hawk 0 21 21 Golden Eagle 0 25 28 American Kestrel 0 23 1733 Merlin 0 13 120 Peregrine Falcon 0 10 61 Unknown Accipiter 0 3 8 Unknown Buteo 0 13 25 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 7 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 13 11200 95032 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Maryse Gagné Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Bob Pettit, Chip Ogglesby, Dave Martin, Dorothy McLeer, Jim McCoy, Larry Ludwicki, Len Jones, Linda Wladarski Visitors: More visitors than birds today! Thank you all very much for your lovely company and conversation today. Thank you to Ed and Lynn Daniels, Larry Ludwicki, Bob Pettit, Jim McCoy, Lene Jones, Chip Ogglesby, Ron Delacourt, Dave Martin, Linda Wladarski, Dorothy McLeer, Bob Hall-Brooks, and Michelle Mastellotto. Lastly thanks to Tim Jarrold for bring up a feisty Red-tailed Hawk to the tower to be released. Thank you to the lake station for continuously bringing me beautiful banded raptors to admire! Weather: Today's weather seemed very promising for migration, with a second day of Northern winds, and a full cloud cover. The thick clouds did not allow for even a slight ray of sunshine all day which encouraged the damp cold to creep into our bones. Raptor Observations: Personally, I try my very best to say positive things about a day on the tower; but today was disappointing. We really expected a good day, especially with those Northern winds, but only 13 raptors came by. I mean it is better than 1, but we couldn't help but feel cheated. 9 red-tailed Hawks graced us with their presence, along with a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk and a Turkey Vultures. Fortunately, most hawks flew close to the tower which gave a great look! Non-raptor Observations: Today's highlights came from Tundra Swans, a few Sandhill Cranes, and an American Pelican (Great spot, Linda!). Waterfowl numbers are starting to dwindle slightly with majority still being Mallards with some Buffleheads, Scaup, Ruddy Ducks and Mergansers. In the passerine department, we spotted an Eastern Phoebe, American Goldfinches, Snow Buntings, a Carolina Wren, and many Chickadees. Check out our full eBird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S61852241 Predictions: The last day of the count for the 2019 season does not look very pleasant, with temperatures staying around 3 degrees Celsius for most of the day with a full cloud cover and steady winds from the East. The morning does bring some North-Eastern winds, which could be beneficial to spot some migrants. Who knows, maybe we'll see more birds than we did today, fingers crossed! ======================================================================== 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