Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area (29 Mar 2026) 543 Raptors
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Mar 29, 2026, 9:19:44 PM (7 days ago) Mar 29
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Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
OVER 50 YEARS Of ANNUAL SPRING COUNTS
Visitors:
Thanks to the many visitors that helped with spotting today, especially at times when there were multiple flight paths and the many kettles late in the day: Mike McInnis from Toronto, Gina Turone from St. Catharines, Lisa from Waterloo with her niece Ellen from Guelph, Marcie Jacklin from Fort Erie, Randy McLelland from the Hamilton-Burlington Bird Friendly Group, David and Elaine MacLachlin from Barrie. Hawkwatch volunteers Gianpiero Tondina and Catherine Manschot brought much welcome assistance with spotting during their visits. The park was busy with many groups of hikers and dogwalkers. A few families visited the tower for the view and to hear more about the Hawkwatch.
Weather:
Cooler temps most the day in range of 3 to 9 degrees Celsius with strong wind gusts up to 40km/hr at times making it feel much cooler. Breaks of sun in the morning and late afternoon but mostly overcast throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
A good variety of species today with seven total. Shifting flight paths throughout the day with mid-day flight volume heaviest at ~0.5-1 km past the house; with shift in last few hours of count seeing large volumes of TVs in kettles of 20-40 on the lake side ~1 km out from the Escarpment. Two Bald Eagles spotted today: First a 2nd year spotted at 12:20 p.m.; the second a 1st year spotted close to 4pm - this one joined in a large kettle of TVs a few kms off the escarpment.
Non-raptor Observations:
Many Robins, Blue Jays and American Crows active throughout the day with a few Juncos also spotted. Canadian Geese, ducks seen flying over at a distance. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was vocal late morning and again in the afternoon. Flyovers included a Common Raven and a Pileated Woodpecker.
Predictions:
Monday calls for similar SSW winds to today but with warmer temperatures climbing to 14 degrees Celsius by the afternoon - this could make for a similar flight if not better.
Report submitted by Sarah Stover (stover...@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 29, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 506 | 3162 | 3170 |
| Osprey | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 40 | 40 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 7 | 45 | 45 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 8 | 50 | 50 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 3 | 343 | 343 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 12 | 247 | 247 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Merlin | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Unknown Buteo | 4 | 16 | 16 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Total: | 543 | 3944 | 3953 |
| Observation start time: | 08:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 8 hours |
| Official Counter | Sarah Stover |
| Observers: | Catherine Manschot, Gianpiero Tondina |
Visitors:
Thanks to the many visitors that helped with spotting today, especially at times when there were multiple flight paths and the many kettles late in the day: Mike McInnis from Toronto, Gina Turone from St. Catharines, Lisa from Waterloo with her niece Ellen from Guelph, Marcie Jacklin from Fort Erie, Randy McLelland from the Hamilton-Burlington Bird Friendly Group, David and Elaine MacLachlin from Barrie. Hawkwatch volunteers Gianpiero Tondina and Catherine Manschot brought much welcome assistance with spotting during their visits. The park was busy with many groups of hikers and dogwalkers. A few families visited the tower for the view and to hear more about the Hawkwatch.
Weather:
Cooler temps most the day in range of 3 to 9 degrees Celsius with strong wind gusts up to 40km/hr at times making it feel much cooler. Breaks of sun in the morning and late afternoon but mostly overcast throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
A good variety of species today with seven total. Shifting flight paths throughout the day with mid-day flight volume heaviest at ~0.5-1 km past the house; with shift in last few hours of count seeing large volumes of TVs in kettles of 20-40 on the lake side ~1 km out from the Escarpment. Two Bald Eagles spotted today: First a 2nd year spotted at 12:20 p.m.; the second a 1st year spotted close to 4pm - this one joined in a large kettle of TVs a few kms off the escarpment.
Non-raptor Observations:
Many Robins, Blue Jays and American Crows active throughout the day with a few Juncos also spotted. Canadian Geese, ducks seen flying over at a distance. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was vocal late morning and again in the afternoon. Flyovers included a Common Raven and a Pileated Woodpecker.
Predictions:
Monday calls for similar SSW winds to today but with warmer temperatures climbing to 14 degrees Celsius by the afternoon - this could make for a similar flight if not better.
Report submitted by Sarah Stover (stover...@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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