Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Kiah Jasper, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Robin, Kiah and Peter for helping conduct the day's count, despite the exceptional misery and hardship. Not since Balto the Dog has such bravery been shown in the face of climactic adversity.
Visits from Bob, his canned Peregrine, and Pille were unexpected but welcome additions to our day.
Weather: A bleak day on the tower, with a biting northerly wind ripping through us in the afternoon. Bands of mizzle kept our noses damp, and hands were shoved deep into pockets for fear of hypothermia.
Raptor Observations: A really strange day given the conditions. The morning started very slowly - amazingly, all six of our first birds represented different species! In the afternoon, as the drizzle set in, we were just about to call it a day when Robin came up the stairs. We could never say no to the latest Robin news from the pickleball court, and so we decided to hang on for another half an hour. Boy, is it lucky we did!
Things picked up really quick with a late surge in Turkey Vulture, along with notable passages for both Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawk. Among them were three Rough-legged Hawk, including one at relatively good range from the tower. It seems the cold has finally become too much to bear and the raptors have decided it is now or never!
A relatively muted migration for most of our diurnal movers except American Goldfinch, who surpassed a thousand individuals for the fourth day in a row, Cedar Waxwing (1185), and Rusty Blackbird (620). We had yet another Common Raven, our fourth sighting this season, flying west along the north end of the marsh.
Predictions: We expect relatively similar conditions to today, with a few showers around and strong northerly winds throughout the day. The cold front may motivate northern ducks and songbirds that the time to move is now, so we could see a few winter specialties from the tower. For raptors, we will hopefully get more late-fall buteos accompanied by a smattering of other raptors in the early afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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