Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Alessandra Kite, Jaron Wilkinson, Kiah Jasper, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Kiah, Alessandra, Jaron, Mike, Noel and Robin for your help conducting today's count. It was lovely to be joined once again by Quinton and Dana, as well as Brian from Toronto.
Weather: North winds in the morning were weak and yielded little, but the afternoon's easterlies were slightly stronger. Moderate cloud cover with temperatures peaking in the mid to late teens.
Raptor Observations: A relatively slow day, although the afternoon kettles of Turkey Vultures help beef up the day total and push us ever closer to the magic number of 200,000 raptors for the season! Sharp-shinned Hawk have dropped off dramatically as have all three falcons. Golden Eagle have been fairly reliable around midday and in the mid-afternoon for the past week, with five counted today including one beautiful sub-adult in near-adult attire.
It was a busy day for ducks with season high counts for both Green-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck, as well as a very healthy flyover of 68 Redhead. The standout duck for the day however has to be Jaron's lifer Common Merganser. Dawn on the tower is currently a sight to behold with tens of thousands of Common Grackle, European Starling and Red-winged Blackbirds roosting in the woods along the northern edge of the marsh.
I was initially devastated when the shout of "FOX" was not followed by the word "SPARROW," but it was really cool to see the sly critter pace into its den with a duck in its mouth. A new buck White-tailed Deer by the tower was an added bonus, with this one being much more well-tempered than yesterday's violent basher. On the cracked corn, Leaf the Eastern Meadow Vole made a reappearance and Peter the Cottontail brought a plus one out for lunch!
Predictions: Clear skies should hopefully generate nice thermals through the afternoon tomorrow, so eyes will be cast north to catch birds approaching the Detroit River in spite of an unfortunate southerly breeze. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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