Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Chad Cornish
Observers: Daniel Lee, Jaron Wilkinson, Jeremy Bensette, Kitty Bradshaw, Michael Burton-Smith, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin
Visitors: A huge thank you to all of our HBMO volunteers who worked very hard to prepare for the festival under adverse weather conditions. Thanks also to all the observers who toughed it out today on the soggy and very slippery tower: Jeremy B., Paul G., Jaron W., Daniel L., Kitty, Michael B-S., and last but certainly not least Noel H. We also had many visitors to the tower today, including several youngsters who were very keen to learn more about raptors.
Weather: Steady rainfall throughout the morning until noon, with northern winds clipping a little stronger than the previous day. The temperature would drop from almost 18C to a chilly 14C by end of day.
Raptor Observations: Day 2 of our Festival of Hawks proved to be a slow starter, but very rewarding in the afternoon. A few raptors did fly early, with Merlins as per usual zipping by all day unperturbed. The majority however would wait until noon, when the rain subsided and the northern winds picked up a notch. A steady stream of birds then took a line from directly behind the trout pond and straight through the marsh for two solid hours. Sharp-shinned Hawks entered the winner's circle today (356) followed by Broad-winged (154), American Kestrel (50), Northern Harrier (34), Turkey Vultures (16), Merlin (12), Cooper's Hawk (4), Osprey (2), Red-Tailed Hawk (2), and a lone Bald Eagle took the sky highway west.
Non-raptor Observations: Another productive day around the tower with 68 species observed, including 17 Warbler species. The first Swamp Sparrow of the season was also observed today. To view the HBMO checklist follow the link below: https://ebird.org/checklist/S394760432
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for a mainly cloudy sky, a 30% chance of showers (please not again), a high of 18C, and the all-important winds gusting from the northeast. Let's hope the backlog of wet raptors will shake it off and take to the skies. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chad Cornish (<mail...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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