Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area (26 Mar 2026) 60 Raptors
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Mar 27, 2026, 2:17:39 AM (10 days ago) Mar 27
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Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS
Visitors:
A lively visitor day! 9 am EST: Bruce Jones from Hamilton (also helped with the count today); Marcy Jacklin and Nicole, both from Fort Erie; Mike & Barb Vandyke from Welland. 11 am EST: Chris from Niagara Falls. 12 pm EST: Photographer Tony Dobson from Grimsby. Scattered hikers and dog-walkers also visited the park throughout the day. Thank you to spotters Sandy, Phil and "the 3 Dave's" who also provided good company as well.
Weather:
Comfortable but changing conditions throughout the day, ending in steady rain which halted migration at 1 pm EST. Bright sun, 50% blue sky, high humidity and 4C at the start. It warmed to 15C but felt cooler due to brisk wind gusts over 30 km/hr. There were calm periods on and off. Wind direction changed from SW in the morning to NE in the last hour as clouds thickened and darkened. Although the reported humidity dropped to a low of 51% at 11 am EST, it still felt damp with patchy rain showers seen from the tower over the last half of the count. Those present commented on the odd weather changes.
Raptor Observations:
Only 60 raptors in total dominated by Turkey Vultures (42). Surprisingly, the smaller raptors showed up next bouncing around on the gusts: 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Cooper's Hawks, 2 American Kestrels and a Merlin. Oddly, we didn't see a single buteo until the 4th hour of the count, and even then only 1 Red-tailed Hawk migrated during each of the last three hours. No Red-shoulders, after 100 yesterday! The flight path was variable until the last hour when birds were mainly seen along the escarpment edge. Weather conditions kept birds lower with some good views over the tower. Spotters and visitors commented on the surprising lack of migration for the conditions. There was a decent flight over the border the previous day.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerines were loud and active early in the day. Birds seen (some new): Killdeer, Northern Flicker, White-throated Sparrow, Reb-bellied Woodpecker, Great Blue Heron, Eastern Phoebe, a few Northern Pintails and Wood Ducks, and large flocks of Canada Geese and Grackles. Smaller flocks of American Robins, Red-wings and Grackles were also common. A trio of American Crows and other commonly seen species flew about during the count. Bruce Jones took a walk to the escarpment edge and reported Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Chickadees in the woods too.
Predictions:
Bundle up! Stronger winds and much colder temperatures are predicted for Friday with the feel well below zero, not great for migration unfortunately. At least it'll be dry and sunny.
Report submitted by Lyn Hanna-Folkes (lhfolk...@gmail.com)
Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://nphawkwatch.ca/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Site Description
Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby,
Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All counting is
done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a
member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other
observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done
from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on cold
days, particularly in March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the
tower's platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy
days, no more than five or six observers would be on it.
The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara
Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. Only the
counter and designated spotters can drive into and park in the conservation
area; there is a parking lot outside for visitors. The tower stands in the
centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This
provides lots of room to set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet
facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting
board to display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box
enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as
well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records.
Directions to site:
To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie St./Mountain
St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to
Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. If
parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car.
Please note: 1) Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. ©2020 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into the park is allowed, but visitors are asked to have their cars outside the gate by 3PM. If parking at the gate DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE!!!
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS
| Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 26, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 42 | 2177 | 2185 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 35 | 35 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 8 | 38 | 38 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 3 | 40 | 40 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 336 | 336 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 211 | 211 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Merlin | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Total: | 60 | 2888 | 2897 |
| Observation start time: | 07:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 13:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 6 hours |
| Official Counter | Lyn Hanna-Folkes |
| Observers: | Dave Sked, David Jacobs, David Thomas, Phil Waggett, Sandy Darling |
Visitors:
A lively visitor day! 9 am EST: Bruce Jones from Hamilton (also helped with the count today); Marcy Jacklin and Nicole, both from Fort Erie; Mike & Barb Vandyke from Welland. 11 am EST: Chris from Niagara Falls. 12 pm EST: Photographer Tony Dobson from Grimsby. Scattered hikers and dog-walkers also visited the park throughout the day. Thank you to spotters Sandy, Phil and "the 3 Dave's" who also provided good company as well.
Weather:
Comfortable but changing conditions throughout the day, ending in steady rain which halted migration at 1 pm EST. Bright sun, 50% blue sky, high humidity and 4C at the start. It warmed to 15C but felt cooler due to brisk wind gusts over 30 km/hr. There were calm periods on and off. Wind direction changed from SW in the morning to NE in the last hour as clouds thickened and darkened. Although the reported humidity dropped to a low of 51% at 11 am EST, it still felt damp with patchy rain showers seen from the tower over the last half of the count. Those present commented on the odd weather changes.
Raptor Observations:
Only 60 raptors in total dominated by Turkey Vultures (42). Surprisingly, the smaller raptors showed up next bouncing around on the gusts: 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 3 Cooper's Hawks, 2 American Kestrels and a Merlin. Oddly, we didn't see a single buteo until the 4th hour of the count, and even then only 1 Red-tailed Hawk migrated during each of the last three hours. No Red-shoulders, after 100 yesterday! The flight path was variable until the last hour when birds were mainly seen along the escarpment edge. Weather conditions kept birds lower with some good views over the tower. Spotters and visitors commented on the surprising lack of migration for the conditions. There was a decent flight over the border the previous day.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerines were loud and active early in the day. Birds seen (some new): Killdeer, Northern Flicker, White-throated Sparrow, Reb-bellied Woodpecker, Great Blue Heron, Eastern Phoebe, a few Northern Pintails and Wood Ducks, and large flocks of Canada Geese and Grackles. Smaller flocks of American Robins, Red-wings and Grackles were also common. A trio of American Crows and other commonly seen species flew about during the count. Bruce Jones took a walk to the escarpment edge and reported Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Chickadees in the woods too.
Predictions:
Bundle up! Stronger winds and much colder temperatures are predicted for Friday with the feel well below zero, not great for migration unfortunately. At least it'll be dry and sunny.
Report submitted by Lyn Hanna-Folkes (lhfolk...@gmail.com)
Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://nphawkwatch.ca/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Site Description
Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby,
Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All counting is
done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a
member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other
observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done
from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on cold
days, particularly in March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the
tower's platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy
days, no more than five or six observers would be on it.
The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara
Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. Only the
counter and designated spotters can drive into and park in the conservation
area; there is a parking lot outside for visitors. The tower stands in the
centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This
provides lots of room to set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet
facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting
board to display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box
enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as
well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records.
Directions to site:
To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie St./Mountain
St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to
Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. If
parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car.
Please note: 1) Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. ©2020 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. 2) Vehicular traffic into the park is allowed, but visitors are asked to have their cars outside the gate by 3PM. If parking at the gate DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE!!!
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