Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area (16 Mar 2026) 106 Raptors

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Mar 16, 2026, 11:47:28 PMMar 16
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Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada

OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2026
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture99622630
Osprey000
Bald Eagle01818
Northern Harrier056
Sharp-shinned Hawk11212
Cooper's Hawk02626
American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk4145145
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk17171
Rough-legged Hawk044
Golden Eagle000
American Kestrel133
Merlin011
Peregrine Falcon022
Unknown Accipitrine011
Unknown Buteo022
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor077
Total:106919928


Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.58 hours
Official CounterBill Lamond
Observers:



Visitors:
None noted. Eric Baldo was a spotter for 2 hours in the morning.

Weather:
A day with very strong winds with overcast conditions. There were some really "good" gusts and the the roar of the wind through the trees was constant. All precipitation was very modest. At one moment in the morning, there was dappled blue sky overhead and the sun almost peaked through.

Raptor Observations:
A TV day. That seems to be the raptor that deals best with high winds. They were really rockin' and rollin' today. Not many buteos today but RSHA outnumbered RTHA 4:1 (the actual number!).

Non-raptor Observations:
Robins were really on the move with well over 200 overhead in the morning hours. Other highlights were five duck species, two Pine Siskins and an Eastern Phoebe.

Predictions:
Morning will not be nice with a -8 degree C temperature and sustained winds of 40 km/hr from the W. I don't want to think about what the gusts will be. Not likely there will be much of a flight. Counters may want to angle their car to the E and watch, whatever hawks may come, from the comfort of their car.


Report submitted by Bill Lamond (bill-...@hotmail.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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