Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Chuck Sharbaugh, Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Karen Padbury, Liz Kent, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz, Noel, Juliette, Robin, Mike, Chuck, Bob and Karen for helping conduct the day's count. We had a lovely array of visitors lending their eyes and good company, including Fran and Brian, Maria, Tim and Sue, Mary and Pille, as well as Emily and her wonderful Grade 11 and 12 students from St Josephs.
Weather: Very clear skies throughout the day, with light to moderate winds from the north-west.
Raptor Observations: By far the busiest day for Turkey Vultures so far this season, with over one-and-a-half thousand individuals passing through across the day! This is almost double our next highest count, so they are now well and truly on the move. The majority of them passed in the afternoon after the day had warmed up, streaming high overhead.
We also enjoyed moderate movements of Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Kestrel and Northern Harrier, including two beautiful "gray ghosts."
Early October is a great time for making you appreciate the busyness of early September, with remarkably few small birds around the tower. Standouts included two very cute Indigo Bunting, a particularly rambunctious Purple Finch, a buzzy Pine Siskin, and a pugnacious Red-winged Blackbird who helped himself to spiders in our weather station. Red-winged Blackbird (410), European Starling (640) and American Goldfinch (398) were all on their way south, along with a spectacular showing of 259 Chimney Swift in the morning.
Predictions: Clear skies overnight coupled with gentle winds may bring in a few new birds around the tower, with eyes and ears open for our first Orange-crowned Warblers and hopefully a few new sparrows in the coming week. During the day, clear skies will create nice thermals for the Turkey Vultures to ride, but the southerly winds will likely push them further away from the tower as the day progresses. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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