Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Hugh Kent, Mike Jaber
Observers: Ian Woodfield, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber
Visitors: Big thanks to Mike Jaber for starting off the count, and to Hugh, Liz, and Ian for helping. Also Chris from Philadelphia did a great job counting the Blue Jays. It was nice to meet Aaron from Windsor, Clair and Dan from eastern Ontario, and it was also very good to see Robin, a new member of HBMO.
Weather: Sunny day, mostly clear skies. Wind moderate, originally from the northeast, switching to east late morning. Temperature mostly in the lower 20s, but increased in the last hour to 26C. Visibility good all day. Pressure remained high.
Raptor Observations: Turkey Vultures took the top spot, with 1075, followed by Sharp-shinned Hawks, at 124. A few more Red-tailed Hawks are starting to appear. One interesting sighting later on in the day was a leucistic Turkey Vulture.
Non-raptor Observations:
First of the season Rusty Blackbird and Dark-eyed Junco. Blue Jay numbers being maintained at 71520. Still not many ducks on the marsh, but reasonable numbers of Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and American White Pelican. Good flight of Yellow-rumped Warblers (57). The list is at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S276724972
Predictions: Wind is forecast to be from the ESE, moderate from the east, under partially cloudy skies. We are likely to have a similar mix to today, but maybe fewer raptors. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erik van den Kieboom (<ErikKieboom...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
