Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 08, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 5 24 24 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 10 10 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 1 Cooper's Hawk 0 2 2 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 4 35 35 Rough-legged Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 1 1 American Kestrel 1 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: 12 79 79 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: Rob Spaul Observers: Keith Dieroff Visitors: Great day for visitors, with lots of dog-walkers and families out. Great visits and observation help on the tower from Alex Pawelek, Chloe Richer, George Bryant, Bob Stamp, John McLachlin, Mike Misener, Keith Dieroff, Bruce Campbell, Celine More, Alastair Dempster, Liam and Josh Thorne, John Hogeveen, Carol Horvat, Hugh Curry and Doug Gillard, and others (sorry if I missed you!). Weather: Beautiful sunny day, with persistent and strong SSW winds. Mostly stayed clear, with minor cirrus cloud cover creeping in. Not really cold, but the wind made it feel like it never quite warmed up. Raptor Observations: Multiple local RTHAs around, and 1 local adult COHA seen. Additional Juvenile/SY COHA around for entire morning, often vocalizing behind feeders. A few "local" TUVU movements, but most were migrants. Non-raptor Observations: Typical Beamer CA residents, with small passerine movement in the morning. First of year (for me) Common Grackles and Killdeer flew over in morning, as well as Horned Larks, and RWBLs flocks. Predictions: Likely to be pretty similar to today, though bird movement is clearly building up slowly. The forecast calls for steady winds again, and more cloud cover than today, so I'd imagine <20 migrant raptors for the day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rob Spaul () 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!!!