Visitors: Thanks to Alessandra, Cameron, Chuck, Lucretia, Corinne, Hugh, Jeremy, Kiah, Kit, Kory, Liz Kent, Mel and Mike for helping with the count today. We were happy to be visited by Fred and Pille in the afternoon.
Weather: Winter's approach announced itself with one of the first widespread frosts of the season in the region, the early risers among us blowing on our cold hands as our car windshields defrosted. The sunrise was a November classic, lines of dark clouds against a deep orange sky. Clouds quickly began gathering after our arrival on the tower, though a promising strip of clear sky was visible to the North. Shortly after 9am the clear skies arrived, and we were able to enjoy a pleasant mix of blue sky and cumulus clouds for the next several hours. The mix turned into scattered patches of blue and eventually a dark, layered carpet of grey around 2pm. The wind remained light to moderate out of the Northwest for the entire day, the occasional gust rattling our bones. The "Parkaless" observers on the tower cast envious eyes at those decked out in long, fluffy coats, a must-have these days, with the temperature feeling below 0 at times (4C rising to 7).
Raptor Observations: Today was a marvelous mid-November day for raptors on the tower, with almost 1,000 individuals seen! The Red-tailed Hawk flight started as a trickle, then gradually the trickle became a rush as small kettles of tails began appearing on the eastern horizon. It was one of those difficult flights to keep track of, with high birds taking multiple flightlines, groups breaking off from one another and then merging together again further along. Sometimes neck straining was required, with groups of 20 or more Red-tails circling high overhead. We ended up with 468 total, our highest count of the season and much needed to keep the numbers up for this species. Golden Eagles put on a grand show today, with the 21 seen today being by far our highest total for them this season. Several individuals came in very close to the tower, much to the delight of the photographers among us. There was also a strong flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks (53) and Red-shouldered Hawks (53) for the date, as well as one of the larger flight of Bald Eagle (18) this season. Turkey Vulture numbers continue to shatter expectations, with today's very large flight for November pushing us over a remarkable season total of 80,000! A November hawkwatch wouldn't be complete without a Rough-legged Hawk, and today we were able to enjoy viewing two gorgeous dark morphs as they migrated West over the marsh. The raptor flight abruptly shut down when the heavy cloud cover arrived at 2pm, something that occurs with much more frequently late in the season as daylight wains, the peak raptor viewing hours shifting more towards the middle of the day.
Non-raptor Observations: 80 species were observed on the tower today! A fantastic total for the middle of November in Ontario. Things took a bit longer than usual to get going in the morning due to the cold temperatures, but as the sky began to get lighter good numbers of diurnally migrating passerines began streaming past the tower. American Goldfinch (2,311) was the main act, with the highest day total yet this season, following 5 days straight of over 1,000 birds. Purple Finch (24), American Pipit (28), Cedar Waxwing (1,039), American Robin (539) and Rusty Blackbird (280) also passed by in good numbers. The star of the show though was a Western Meadowlark that flew over the tower calling early in the morning, first spotted by Cameron. This western species is quite rare in Ontario, and represents a first for the Holiday Beach area (it is also the first in Essex in 2026). Sandhill Cranes (34) were a welcome sight, and by far our highest count this season. An overland Red-throated Loon heading South was also fun to see, presumably a migrant coming from Lake Huron. Leaf the Meadow Vole made an appearance, and in a bold display of courage took a run at a Red-winged Blackbird and flushed it away from the pile of seed below the tower. Problem the squirrel also made an appearance, at which point Leaf's bravery faltered and he made a quick retreat.
Predictions: Northwest wind will continue into tomorrow, with a mix of sun and cloud expected once again. It should be another good day on the tower, though if it clouds over early in the day that may shut things down somewhat. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kiah Jasper (<kiahbirder...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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