Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2021 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 3 3401 68572 Osprey 0 0 26 Bald Eagle 0 40 182 Northern Harrier 4 74 581 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 137 7744 Cooper's Hawk 3 51 290 Northern Goshawk 0 2 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 176 582 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 5262 Red-tailed Hawk 18 1539 3060 Rough-legged Hawk 1 7 8 Golden Eagle 1 44 57 American Kestrel 0 3 1305 Merlin 0 7 124 Peregrine Falcon 0 11 99 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Black Vulture 0 0 1 Total: 34 5492 87900 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Stasso, Jacob Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent Visitors: We thank today's observers for their efforts and those interested in the ongoing Hawk Count. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, access to the top level of Hawk Tower is limited to hawk counters and qualified observers only. The 2nd and lower levels are open to the public practising COVID-19 safe precautions (social distancing). Thank you for your understanding and involvement. Weather: As expected, the day started off cold with a low of -2, temperatures rose to about 3 C. Sunny skies with some clouds were dominant in the morning hours providing good visibility and light levels, but this eventually shifted to overcast skies by afternoon. Winds were primarily westerly with some northerly elements in the morning and southerly elements in the afternoon. Raptor Observations: Good visibility, clear skies, and northerly wind components led to an improved morning for raptors with a diverse array of species seen. Species include 3 Turkey Vultures, 4 Northern Harriers, 1 Sharpie, 3 Cooper's, 3 Red Shoulders, and 18 Red Tails. The morning hours also gave us two pleasant surprises, a light moprh Rough-Legged Hawk and an adult Golden Eagle. Non-raptor Observations: Non-raptor count was of standard diversity but with a few changes in abundance. Most apparent was the disappearance of Ring-Necked Ducks, with only 45 present on the marsh today. On the lake side, a mix raft of Canvasback and Greater Scaup were present. Songbird activity was slightly higher with increased sparrow activity and a movement of 200 American Goldfinch. The highlight of the day was the movement of 2 Cattle Egrets flying west across the marsh. https://ebird.org/checklist/S98257391 Predictions: Tomorrow temperatures are expected to be slightly warmer with partly cloudy skies throughout the whole day. Most importantly, strong north-westerly winds are expected in morning hours followed by westerly in the afternoon. Hopefully these factors lead to a successful and eventful final day of hawk counting! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jacob Stasso (jacobstasso@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 Count data submitted via Dunkadoo - Project info at: https://dunkadoo.org/explore/hbmo/hbmo-hawk-watch-fall-2021