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
Visitors:
It was quiet on the tower today, though it’s not too surprising since
it’s the first day the park is closed for vehicles. Thanks to Mike for
helping out in the morning and Hugh and Liz for assisting with the count in
the afternoon. Cynthia and Mohsan from LaSalle, Alban and Heather from
Windsor were visitors today.
Weather:
It started off warmer than yesterday, at 5 Degrees C. The temperature later
went up to 17 C, and it felt quite warm on the tower. The wind was light
(1-10kph) out of the South all day. The sky started off mainly blue, but
later clouded over to a max of 60% cloud cover in the afternoon. The
pressure remained around 30.13
Raptor Observations:
The first 2 hours on the count were incredibly slow, with 0 raptors
recorded. It almost went 3 hours, but a few vultures started flying around
10:55 and saved my from the 3rd “tick of disappointment”. The
afternoon’s flight was very distant and often required the scope for
accurate counting, with vultures shimmering in and out of the heat haze.
The vultures aside it was a very slow day on the tower, with the occasional
Red-tailed Hawk or other raptor mixed in. Our highlights of the day were
two Golden Eagles, which both came in the last half hour of the count.
Non-raptor Observations:
It was one of the slower days of the fall on the non raptor front, with a
nonexistent morning songbird flight and hardly any birds calling around the
tower. There were lots of waterfowl flying around though, including several
thousand ducks in the marsh and 15,000 diving ducks on Lake Erie. The
highlight for me was a White-winged Scoter spotted by Mike, a new bird for
our season list. The American White Pelicans continue in large numbers,
with a minimum of 480 on the marsh. Other highlights included; 23 Pectoral
Sandpipers and a Fox Sparrow.
Only 69 species were recorded from the tower today, for the full list click
here - https://ebird.org/checklist/S200638534
Predictions:
Tomorrow is meant to be warmer (High of 22 Degrees), with stronger
Southwest winds. There is also a chance of rain in the morning. We expect a
slow flight again, though hopefully the vultures will continue moving in
numbers.
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Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>)
Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/
