Holiday Beach Hawk Watch Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Turkey Vulture 352 41245 43349 Osprey 0 4 9 Bald Eagle 3 13 46 Northern Harrier 14 271 481 Sharp-shinned Hawk 151 3647 7596 Cooper's Hawk 3 158 230 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 192 193 Broad-winged Hawk 0 194 45367 Red-tailed Hawk 5 846 1030 Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 1 711 1923 Merlin 0 48 151 Peregrine Falcon 0 49 105 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 1 Unknown Buteo 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 532 47383 100488 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 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: A cool morning on the tower, with a full cloud cover and steady winds from the West. Thankfully, the overnight rain had stopped before the count began. As the afternoon wore on, the cloud cover disappeared slightly to reveal a beautiful blue sky covered by a thin layer of clouds. The sun managed to shine through warming the air causing a few buteos to migrate. Raptor Observations: After yesterday's successful watch, the next day can seem disappointing. However, today we counted many Sharp-shinned Hawks (151) flying right at eye level and even below the tower. We also counted an American Kestrel and a few Northern Harriers when the winds were strong and the sky was dark. When the clouds lifted slightly, Turkey Vultures came and only 352 individuals loafed passed the marsh. A few Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks came by in the sunny period. Finally, we ended our day with 6 Northern Harriers flying past the tower in a single file! Non-raptor Observations: Variety was the key today, with many different species seen in the area. Some key highlights included a flock of Eastern Meadowlarks (15), Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, an American Pipit, many Mourning Doves (141) and Purple and House Finches. Blue Jays and American Crows took a well deserved break today with 700 and 160 individuals, respectively. Passerines are still swirling around the tower and included Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo, and White-crowned Sparrows. On the marsh, we spotted a flock of Dunlins, a decreasing number of Mute Swans, and two juvenile Black-crowned Night-herons flying together. Full ebird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S75192902 Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast is not very promising with light rain in the morning which should clear up by mid-day and winds from the East. Hopefully, the rain will stop earlier then predicted and we will keep spotting Sharp-shinned Hawks and a few more Northern Harriers. ======================================================================== 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