Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Kiah Jasper
Observers: Alessandra Kite, Chad Cornish, Chuck Sharbaugh,
Michael Arthurs, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin
Visitors:
Today was "HawkToberfest" at HBMO and we welcomed many visitors to the
tower today. Thanks to Paul, Noel, Chuck, Chad, Alessandra, Erik, Karen and
Neil for helping spot and count today. The HBMO team on the ground level
also helped out a lot today, setting up tents, the tables and banners. The
raptor banding and passerine banding teams brought us several birds in the
morning, which were very popular with the birders present. Our list of
visitors included; Justin and Cassie from Cambridge, Nicole from Hamilton,
Craig from Indiana, Dani from Buckhorn, Réal from Kingsville, Ernest and
Claudia from Windsor, Nick and Daniela from Windsor, Tom, Maj, Connor and
Blake from Essex, Clair from LaSalle, Carol from Essex, Caro and Mary from
Michigan, Sharon from Michigan, Brian and Billy from Windsor, Karen from
Wheatley, Betty from LaSalle, Darlene and Katie from Kingsville, Allen and
Denise from Leamington, Penny and Brian from Windsor, Donna from Chatham,
Andrew from Windsor and Dianne & Don from Amherstburg
Weather:
The fog was thick today, very thick indeed. Driving into the park we had
very reduced visibility, and once we got up on the tower we could only see
out around 200 meters. It took until after 09:30 for the fog to clear,
during which time there was a nice "fog rainbow". The wind was again out of
the South/Southwest all day, dying completely at times and maxing out
around 10kph. The sky remained completely clear all day, though there was
some haze in the air. The temperature rose from 7 Degrees C to 21 in the
afternoon, and the barometer held close to 30.30.
Raptor Observations:
Despite the poor conditions we still had a decent day for raptors, with
1,701 individuals of 9 species recorded. Turkey Vultures once again made up
the bulk of those numbers (1431), with Sharp-shinned Hawk being the only
other raptor to reach triple digits. 25 Northern Harriers were a nice
treat, including several "grey ghosts". In the afternoon the flight was
very far inland and almost lost in the heat shimmer, making counting quite
challenging.
Non-raptor Observations:
Today was another huge day for American White Pelicans in the marsh, with a
minimum of 598 counted (our highest number this fall). Since the raptors
weren't very close to the tower the pelicans provided a lot of
entertainment for our visitors today. We recorded our highest single day
tally of American Goldfinch this season (1491), with several Pine Siskins
and Purple Finches mixed in. Cedar Waxwings were also recorded in larger
numbers than we've seen in several weeks. A late Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher
foraged by the base of the tower, a bird we haven't seen here in weeks. The
lingering Common Gallinule from yesterday continued today as well. On the
shorebird front highlights were 10 Lesser Yellowlegs and 2 Wilson's Snipe.
78 species were observed from the tower today, for the full list click here
- https://ebird.org/checklist/S199538821
Predictions:
more of same weather wise tomorrow, Southwest wind, high of 20 C and a
clear blue sky. We expect the flight line and numbers to be quite similar
to today.
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Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>)
Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/
