Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Chip Ogglesby, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: It was lovely to be assisted by Noel, Chip, Hugh, Liz, Peter and Robin for today's count - thank you all very much for your help across the day even in the brutal conditions! It was also great to catch up with Donald and Cecile, who visited in the afternoon and were full of wonderful anecdotes about local wildlife.
Weather: Excruciatingly hot, with far less cloud cover than proceeding days. Temperatures peaked towards the middle of the day in the upper thirties and then began easing slightly to the low to mid thirties by mid-afternoon.
Raptor Observations: A brief flurry of falcons and harrier before the heat really set in, including one very exciting episode where a Merlin pursued a local Cooper's Hawk for around a minute before streaming off to the south. Otherwise very quiet, with only two Turkey Vultures riding the thermals to the north in the mid-afternoon.
The extreme heat expressed itself with a very surprising Northern Mockingbird who joined us at the picnic table at lunchtime.
Overnight, several species seem to have moved with notable drops in warblers, Baltimore Orioles and flycatchers, and then some new arrivals including Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Chestnut-sided Warbler. The Eastern Kingbirds continue to build up, with at least eleven present around the tower. Waterbirds have also been on the move, with a particularly notable drop in Great Egret.
Predictions: Fortunately, tomorrow is forecast to be slightly cooler and so hopefully we will see a resumption of the steady raptor migration over the northern thermals through the afternoon, coupled with the expected trickle of Merlin, Kestral and Northern Harrier over the marsh in the mid-morning. It will be interesting to see if our prediction comes true and the Eastern Kingbirds do, in fact, choose to leave tonight, or whether they will continue to hang around the tower. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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