Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Kiah Jasper
Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin
Visitors: Thanks to Noel, Paul, Mike, Liz and Hugh for helping with the count today. We were visited by Jen from Courtright, Carole and Brian from Toronto, Thaddeus from Windsor, Dwayne from London, Curtis, Nellie and Kerrie from Harrow, Dennis from Windsor, Dale and Linda from Kingsville, Chris and Jane, Dawn from Ohio, Carol from Essex and Lou and Toni from Windsor,
Weather: This morning started off rather chilly on the tower, with a light North wind and the temperature sitting at 0 Degrees C. The North wind persisted for 2.5 hours, but then switched around to come from the South/Southwest... where it remained for the rest of the day. The temperature topped out at 13 Degrees C in the afternoon, but it felt colder at times with the wind chill. The sky remained mainly clear, with increasing cloud cover in the afternoon and dark skies to the North at 4pm.
Raptor Observations: After a day like yesterday it was bound to feel a little quieter... and it sure did! Just after 11am we had a single Golden Eagle and Rough-legged Hawk, but then it got very quiet for the afternoon. Turkey Vultures still flew by in good numbers, with 1,579 counted. Other than that the only highlights were 1 Red-shouldered Hawk and a few nice Grey Ghosts (male Northern Harriers).
Non-raptor Observations: It was active on the passerine front today, with a much busier morning flight than yesterday. Highlights included; 22 Eastern Bluebird, 44 American Pipit, 5 Pine Siskin, 86 Purple Finch, 304 American Goldfinch and 135 Rusty Blackbird. 435 American White Pelicans continue to be seen in the marsh. Waterfowl numbers are on the increase now, with thousands of ducks present in the marsh. We recorded our first Buffleheads of the season today. Other highlights included; a late Nashville Warbler, Black-bellied Plover, Sandhill Crane and Fox Sparrow. 79 species were seen from the tower today, for the full list click here - https://ebird.org/checklist/S200531754
Predictions: Tomorrow is expected to be another clear day with wind from the south all day, though the temperature should be warmer than today. I expect the flight to be similar to todays. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
