Holiday Beach Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 165 2201 34833 Osprey 0 0 111 Bald Eagle 2 6 101 Northern Harrier 47 195 974 Sharp-shinned Hawk 41 260 9350 Cooper's Hawk 16 98 675 Northern Goshawk 1 9 23 Red-shouldered Hawk 19 168 244 Broad-winged Hawk 1 2 7730 Red-tailed Hawk 132 1071 2193 Rough-legged Hawk 0 10 16 Golden Eagle 4 9 19 American Kestrel 1 2 2104 Merlin 0 5 121 Peregrine Falcon 0 6 107 Unknown 3 14 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 3 Total: 429 4045 58618 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Claude Radley Observers: Eveyln Fisher, Rene Kielbasa Visitors: We had visitors from Grand Bend as well as Andy Shaw from Michigan and Evelyn Fisher from Leamington. Weather: Very little cloud, mist and haze, warm temps and south winds. Raptor Observations: Harriers and Accipiters were moving early as expected with clear skies. The buteos started as the visibility improved. Everything dropped off drastically as day time heating added convective currents to the adverse winds, apparently creating turbulence that the birds did not like. A real surprise was a very late immature Broadwing. Non-raptor Observations: A tremendous migration of "black birds" dominated by Common Grackles but incuding Red-wingeds, Rustys, Cowbirds, Starlings and some Crows. Birds were streaming West when we arrived at 7:00 and continued until noon. >From 7:35 until 8:40 a steady stream of birds, estimated at more than 5000 per minute, passed the tower, blackening the skies. Predictions: We should see light winds out of the North early veering to the Northeast as the day progresses. Sunny skies in the morning becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon. Temps climbing from a low of 3C to a high near 12C. Should be the best day of the month so far! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Claude Radley (ca@radley.ca) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/