Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bryan Girling, Frances Girling, Hugh Kent, Kiah Jasper, Liz Kent, Michael Arthurs, Michael St. Pierre, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Olga Klekner, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood, Wade Carlton
Visitors: If I had a dollar for everyone named Michael on the tower today, I would have four dollars, which is not a lot but it's weird that there were four of us.
Thanks to Bryan, Fran, Hugh, Kiah, Liz, Michael, Michael, Mike, Noel, Olga, Nolan, Peter, Robin, and Wade for all your help in conducting the day's count! The combination of Noel's hot chocolate and Peter's muffins has set a very high bar for hospitality in our final month of the count.
Weather: Cloudy skies throughout the day with a moderate southerly breeze. Visibility was good over the open lake but the lighting cast a frustrating shadow over the marsh across much of the morning. Temperatures fairly steady in the mid-teens.
Raptor Observations: It was a day with very little to report, with only a few dozen raptors seen and most at a pretty painstaking distance. The standout bird was a beautifully plumaged male Northern Harrier transitioning from his immature to adult feathers. Perhaps this was his Halloween costume - half harrier, half ghost.
It was an interesting day for diurnal songbird migration, with no Eastern Bluebird or Purple Finch and only a smattering of American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin, while we churned out the highest ever Holiday Beach day count for American Robin (2358) and fifth highest for Cedar Waxwing (1668). The work was evenly split between me (who counted 35 robins) and Kiah, who counted everything else.
We were treated to absolutely sensational views of an American Woodcock foraging on the edge of the lawn by the weather station. Its appearance during broad daylight might suggest that woodcocks have joined the western provinces in protest against DST.
The only mammal of note was Noel sporting a very spiffy shacket from his November collection.
Predictions: Today's falling barometric pressure forewarns of some scattered showers overnight, so we will unfortunately have poor conditions for nocturnal migration - terrible news for any Fox Sparrow hopefuls among us. The strong southerly winds and cloudy skies will not make for great raptor migration, but occasional sunshine may allow for some movement in buteos and Turkey Vultures to our north. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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