Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Pratt, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Mike, Hugh, Liz, Noel, Paul and Robin for helping conduct the day's count. A special mention to Peter who counted 25 Blue Jays (and more crucially brought pumpkin spice muffins). It was a busy day for visitors, with Paul's OFO group and Emily's wonderful fourth grade class who were all very excited about the Blue Jays! It was also great to see Neil, Jean, Steve and Donna, who were great company up on the tower.
Weather: Light drizzle in the morning giving way to partially cloudy skies, with temperatures rising to the mid teens. Wind from the north-west, moderate for most of the day.
Raptor Observations: A nice increase on yesterday, with a steady tickle of Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel. As forecast, we had a few small kettles of Turkey Vultures, mainly coming in the early afternoon.
The little birds took a while to wake up today, but we ended up with a nice collection of passerines including our first Lincoln's Sparrow of the season and eight species of warbler. Waders were on the move overhead with a few flocks of Killdeer, 38 Black-bellied Plover, 13 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 Wilson's Snipe - the first for the season.
For the herpers there was a bit of excitement with Common Snapping, Midland Painted and Common Musk Turtles seen from the tower.
Predictions: Tomorrow's north-east winds and clear skies will hopefully see another increase in raptor migration. Over the coming days we need to make the most of our remaining Ruby-throated Hummers and warblers, as it won't be too long till small birds become sparse! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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