Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 14 38 38 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 3 13 13 Northern Harrier 2 2 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 3 3 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 10 45 45 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 0 2 2 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 30 109 109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: John Stevens Observers: Dave Sked, Eric Single, Gianpiero Tondina, Tom Thomas Visitors: Greg Vandervelde, Barbara and Dave Bartram of Vineland, Nina Szpakowski of Guelph Weather: Very warm for early March with a strong wind from the SSW swinging to more westerly in the afternoon. Mainly sunny midday but clouding over in the afternoon. So pleasant that there were lots of visitors to the CA throughout the day. Raptor Observations: Instead of the strong winds pushing the raptors off the edge of the escarpment, most of the migrants passed to the south of the tower. All were at a nice low elevation except for some local Red-tailed Hawks, one of which was very high. Local CH also seen a couple of times. Non-raptor Observations: Hundreds of Common Grackles in flocks moving west, mainly during the morning. Also a few flocks of American Crows, Canada Geese, one of Eastern Bluebirds and quite a few American Robins and Horned Larks seen in the air. Predictions: Forecast is for rain although still rather mild. Wednesday looks better and Thursday could be quite good with SE winds. ======================================================================== Report submitted by John Stevens () Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ More site information at hawkcount.org: http://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. 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 park vehicles (along the road) and 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. Parking is normally available inside the park. 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!!!