Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Hugh Kent
Observers: Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Peter Veighey
Visitors: Thanks to Liz for keeping me company all day, Mike in the morning and Peter who popped in for an hour or so in the afternoon. There were a number of visitors including Jim and Joan from Michigan who were very interested in the Hawk watch and birds on the marsh.
Weather: Moderate wind from the south all day, with unseasonably warm weather reaching 21c in the afternoon. Scattered clouds throughout with at least 60% coverage, visibility good all day. Pressure fell 6 points over the day.
Raptor Observations: Very quiet day with Turkey Vultures (31) seen rising from roosting and continuing on west. Next were Red-tailed Hawks (7), mostly to the north. Cooper's Hawk (4) and Sharp-shinned Hawk (3) were the only other raptors seen today.
Non-raptor Observations: Good numbers of ducks with 12 species seen, spread across the marsh with notable numbers of Ring-necked Duck (1675), Gadwall (1664) and Mallard (1256). American Coots (1191) were also everywhere. American White Pelicans (110) still have a presence on the marsh but most flew east after being spooked by a low flying aircraft. European Starling (38,100) headed west over the marsh in large numbers and there was also a good passage of Rusty Blackbirds (1033). There were also notable numbers of Cedar Waxwing (345) today. Little diversity around the Tower though. The list is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S201527799.
Predictions: A light wind from the west south west under a cloudy sky is forecast for tomorrow. The temperature will still be unseasonably high, but a little lower than today. So pretty similar to today. I don't expect a significant increase in raptor numbers. However Thursday looks better with a light wind from the north. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Hugh Kent (<Hughnkent...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
