Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 63 649 52109 Osprey 0 0 9 Bald Eagle 7 10 69 Northern Harrier 10 81 687 Sharp-shinned Hawk 8 95 8075 Cooper's Hawk 6 24 289 Northern Goshawk 0 0 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 95 633 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 45368 Red-tailed Hawk 159 525 3255 Rough-legged Hawk 2 8 15 Golden Eagle 1 10 19 American Kestrel 1 4 1933 Merlin 0 3 160 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 116 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: 271 1508 112743 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours Official Counter: Maryse Gagné Observers: Elizabeth Kent, Hugh Kent 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: Goodbye Southern winds! We were very happy to see steady winds from the West today. The temperature also dropped slightly, staying around 8 degrees Celsius. No clouds in sight most of the day and very good visibility which was useful to spot hawks flying very high in the sky. Raptor Observations: Up, up, and away was today's flight path for most hawks, and there were plenty today! Most of the migration took place after 11 o'clock, when the air was warm and hawks could reach insane heights. They flew so high that the hawks seemed to appear out of nowhere, and disappear just as quickly. In the deep blue sky, 159 Red-tailed Hawks were the main flyer for the day. Among them; 1 Golden Eagle, 1 American Kestrel, 7 Bald Eagles, 14 Red-shouldered Hawks, 6 Cooper's Hawks, 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks, and 10 Northern Harriers also took to the sky. Additionally, few more Turkey Vultures (63) were added to the count. The only raptors that did not get the memo on the agreed upon height of flight was a pair of Rough-legged Hawks. The two playfully popped-up over the tree line and while the first flew west quickly, the second came to inspect the tower and its counter very closely. I wonder if it heard the audible gasp, and "wow!" coming from the counter? Non-raptor Observations: Raptors were not the only ones seen in the blue sky; Tundra Swans were on the move today. 191 Tundra Swans were counted, often heard first and then seen, shining and sparkling against the sky. One flock was even lead by an American White Pelican! Most small birds have dwindled in numbers, but the American Goldfinch is still going strong with 526 individuals today. Plenty of ducks for everyone, today the Northern Shovelers were abundant while the Northern Pintails did not produce very good numbers. It is interesting to see the composition of the marsh change daily. Full eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S76135386 Predictions: Northern winds tomorrow! Let's hope they stay in that direction all day, even if they are meant to shift to the East in the afternoon. The temperature will keep dropping, and the sun is predicted to shine brightly with very little clouds throughout the day. This could mean another back breaking day with high raptors, but we are so excited for it. Fingers crossed everybody! ======================================================================== 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