Observation start time: 09:15:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 4.25 hours
Official Counter: Kiah Jasper
Observers: Juliette Herdman, Michael St. Pierre, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman
Visitors: I started off the day on my own on the tower, though later in the morning I was joined by Mike J and Mike St.P, as well as Noel and Juliette. Thanks for keeping me company on this dreary day : )
Weather: The count had a delayed start this morning due to rain/ice pellets coming down during the early morning. After 9am this changed to a light drizzle, so the count was started just in case anything was moving. It was a cold start at 1C, but the very light wind helped things. The wind mainly retained an Easterly component, but it was variable and at times died completely. Lake Erie was as calm as glass today, which would have been ideal for scanning waterfowl if it weren't for the dark and gloomy lighting. The rain petered out after 11am, though there were a few periods of drizzle after that. We ended at 1:30 today due to the lack of raptor flight and more rain moving in from the West.
Raptor Observations: It wouldn't have been a big surprise if 0 raptors were recorded today given the conditions. 6 birds migrated past today though, 2 Cooper's, 1 Sharpie, 1 Merlin, 1 harrier and 1 shoulder. We will take what we can get! No birds were seen after 12:15, making for a quite end to the count.
Non-raptor Observations: 62 species were seen from the tower today, more than expected given the weather. American Goldfinches were moving in strong numbers even before the rain stopped, with a total of 1,105 seen today. Other songbird highlights included Lapland Longspur (4), Snow Bunting (28), Cedar Waxwing (104) and Eastern Bluebird (10). The highlight bird of the day was a Red-necked Grebe, seen floating on the water far out on Lake Erie. This species is a rare migrant on the Western Lake Erie basin, with this bird representing only the 2nd HBMO record and 1st for Essex County this fall. Interestingly, the 1st record of Red-necked Grebe for the tower was almost on this exact date (1 day off), 40 years ago! Great Egrets (4) and Tree Swallows (8) continue to linger around the marsh. Dabbling duck numbers were somewhat reduced today, and it seemed like many of them were floating out on the lake instead of the marsh. For the full eBird list click here - https://ebird.org/checklist/S285088052
Predictions: The conditions for tomorrow look rather promising! Light Northeast wind, high pressure and a clear sky. There should be a good number of raptors moving, though given that the wind is meant to be light, we will have to see how concentrated they are along the shore. It should also be a great day for songbird movement... winter finches are on the mind! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
