Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Kiah Jasper
Observers: Aldo Bertucci, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Peter Veighey
Visitors: Thanks to Peter, Aldo, Mike, Hugh and Liz for helping me with the count today. We were visited by Joan from LaSalle, Heather from British Columbia and Harrison (formerly from Essex).
Weather: The day started off at 6 degrees C, with a totally clear sky and wind from the West. True to the forecast, the wind remained out of the West (at 5-20kph) for for the whole day, shifting briefly to the NWN on several occasions. The temperature went up to a maximum of 16 degrees C in the afternoon, though it felt warmer in the sun. The pressure dropped from 29.98 to 29.94.
Raptor Observations: Despite the less favourable conditions compared to yesterday, we still had a great day on the tower. It started off with a push of Cooper's Hawks first thing in the morning, which was a bit strange because I saw 5 before seeing my first Sharp-shinned Hawk of the day. Activity was quiet until 10:30, when a slow but steady stream of buteos and other raptors started passing by. With the wind occasionally shifting to WNW we saw periodical increases in raptor movement along the shoreline, with the flight actually being much closer than yesterday on average. We recorded 17 Golden Eagles today, 7 of them almost directly overhead. Just before we finished for the day a golden flew right by us just above eye level, going right past the moon too! With today's Golden Eagles we have passed the 100 mark for the season. To top things off we had a nice dark morph Rough-legged Hawk to end the day.
Non-raptor Observations: There was once again a very strong songbird flight in the morning, though the diversity was quite different compared with yesterday. Today the main species were American Pipit and Horned Lark, whereas yesterday there were many more Eastern Bluebirds and finches. Highlights of morning flight included; 6 Lapland Longspur, 1 Eastern Meadowlark, 179 Cedar Waxwing, 39 Pine Siskin, 847 American Pipit, 686 Horned Lark, 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler and 9 Tree Swallow. 28 American White Pelicans visited the marsh today, with small groups coming and leaving frequently. Other highlights from today included; 27 Tundra Swan, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper and 22 Great Egrets. 76 species were recorded from the tower today. HBMO eBird list here - https://ebird.org/checklist/S201820266
Predictions: Tomorrow is meant to be another fairly sunny day on the tower, with a high of 11 C and wind from the East. The flight will really depend on how much the wind shifts Southeast (bad) or Northeast (good). Either way it should be another enjoyable day on the tower! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
