Vermilion Flycatcher at Holiday Beach C.A. - Sun, 19 Nov 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Ontbirders,

Wes Kinnon came into the Ojibway Nature Centre with a bird photo for me to 
examine. It was a male Vermilion Flycatcher photographed by the little 
trout pond at Holiday Beach Conservation Area on November 7.

Wes was unsure of the identification at the time of the observation so I 
doubt if anyone has thoroughly searched the area since that date.

Holiday Beach C.A. is situated along the shoreline of Lake Erie about 6 km 
east of the Detroit River. The entrance is off County Road 50.

Paul Pratt
Ojibway Nature Centre
Windsor, ON
http://www.city.windsor.on.ca/ojibway
ppratt@city.windsor.on.ca

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 18, 2000 - Sat, 18 Nov 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 18, 2000
=====================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0             40          18325
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             2             18            330
Sharp-shinned Hawk           1             27           9802
Coopers Hawk                 0             12            386
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             73            834
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              1            328           4835
Rough-legged Hawk            0              4             38
Golden Eagle                 0              3            101
American Kestrel             0              3           2205
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              3             35
Unknown Raptor               0              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       4            518          54385
=====================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 6 hours

Site Coordinator: Steve Greidanus

Observers:        Jim McCoy

Weather:
Cold & Windy November day. Strong winds all day from the SW. Intermitent light snow 
flurries. Did I mention it was c-c-c-old. Thermometer high reading was 1 degree celcius, 
while the sun shone briefly, more often the reading was 0 or -1 all day.

Observations:
What was I supposed to be counting? Oh yeah, raptors!! Well there was a grand total of 4,
2 harriers, 1 red-tail and 1 sharp shin. Nothing much was flying against the strong, 
biting cold wind, & I don't blame them!!

Non-raptor highlights: 56 Tundra Swan, 500 Horned Larks, 3 hooded mergansers, 1 Belted
Kingfisher, 200 American Coot, 1500 Ruddy Duck, Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinch, & 
1 Fox sparrow released from the tower by Bander Allen Chartier. Also 1 Saw-whet Owl 
with mouse in talons! (on the nature trail in the pines.)
=====================================================================

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - http://www.hbmo.org/

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Owl at Holiday Beach - Sat, 18 Nov 2000

I read that not too many people were beating the bushes looking for owl lately. I went to the Holiday Beach today. I found one Saw-Whet in the pines, off the nature trail where the Long Eared normally hang out. He was sitting 10 feet up above the old picnic table. I have not been owling the past couple of weeks but Holiday Beach is where I go. I got some nice pictures today of the Saw-Whet eating a mouse. There are 2 pellets under him, so I guess he has not been there long.

Daryl

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 17, 2000 - Nov 17, 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 17, 2000
=====================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0             40          18325
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0             16            328
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0             26           9801
Coopers Hawk                 0             12            386
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             73            834
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              0            327           4834
Rough-legged Hawk            0              4             38
Golden Eagle                 0              3            101
American Kestrel             0              3           2205
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              3             35
Unknown Raptor               0              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       0            514          54381
=====================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 11:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 3 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Pettit

Observers:        

Weather:
Wind West to West-northwest 7-13 mph. Temp: 2.4-2.7 C. Cloud cover 100-60%. 
Pressure steady @ 29.97 in. Hg. Humidity 95%. Visibility: Very Hazy (Snow and rain)
to Clear. 
The clouds thinned-out at 0900 hours, Snow stopped and most clouds were south of the
site giving a partly cloudy (mostly sunny) skies from the east and west-northwest. 

Observations:
One Red-tailed Hawk approached the tower from the east at 0830 hours but retreated to 
(warmer ?) parts east, never to be seen again. NO RAPTORS were COUNTED. I left the site 
early because I had to subsitiute teach for a colleague who's mom is very ill. I don't 
think much was to happen for a flilght today.

Great-blue Heron - 5
Eastern Bluebird - 5
American Pipit - 82
M. Dove - 1
Bonipart's Gull - 11
Am Goldfinch - 4
Song Sparrow - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 1
B-h. Cowbird - 55
Blackbirds sp. 200
Starling - 200
Tundra Swan - 24
Am. Coot - 200+
Rudy Duck - 2000+
Mallard, Black, Wegeon Ducks - 2000+
American Crow - 1,250 They kept coming after sun appeared.
END
=====================================================================

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - http://www.hbmo.org/

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 16, 2000 - Nov 16, 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 16, 2000
=====================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0             40          18325
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0             16            328
Sharp-shinned Hawk           1             26           9801
Coopers Hawk                 0             12            386
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             73            834
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              1            327           4834
Rough-legged Hawk            0              4             38
Golden Eagle                 0              3            101
American Kestrel             0              3           2205
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              3             35
Unknown Raptor               0              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       2            514          54381
=====================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 11:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 3 hours

Site Coordinator: Ray Seng

Observers:        Jack Boxer

Weather:
Winds from the South today were strong gusting to very strong. Temperatures started at 4
degrees Celsius and only increased by half a degree as the morning progressed. Visibility 
was clear under 100% cloud cover. The morning and the watch ended with rain, sleet and 
heavy gusts of wind.

Observations:
Only two raptors were seen in three hours of observation today before wind gusts, rain and
sleet blew us off the Tower (figuratively). This brings us up to a grand total of five 
raptors in four weeks (on Thursday). Tell us again why we keep doing this to ourselves 
(masochistic or what ?).


=====================================================================

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - http://www.hbmo.org/

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 15, 2000 - Nov 15, 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 15, 2000
=====================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0             40          18325
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0             16            328
Sharp-shinned Hawk           2             25           9800
Coopers Hawk                 1             12            386
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             73            834
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              4            326           4833
Rough-legged Hawk            0              4             38
Golden Eagle                 0              3            101
American Kestrel             0              3           2205
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              3             35
Unknown Raptor               0              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       7            512          54379
=====================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Jason Sodergren

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Carl Latta, Mercer Patriarche, Bev Wannick

Weather:
Cold and windy; temperatures ranged from 1C to 6C.  Completely overcast
until 1pm, when sky started to clear.  Constant wind from the southwest.

Observations:
Very few raptors (or much else) flying. 

Other species included:
~40 American Wigeon
~220 American Coot
~2000 Ruddy Duck
~50 Bonaparte's Gull
25 Tundra Swans
No crows today.
==============================================================================

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - http://www.hbmo.org/

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 14, 2000 - Nov 14, 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 14, 2000
=====================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0             40          18325
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0             16            328
Sharp-shinned Hawk           1             23           9798
Coopers Hawk                 0             11            385
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             73            834
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              3            322           4829
Rough-legged Hawk            0              4             38
Golden Eagle                 0              3            101
American Kestrel             0              3           2205
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             1              3             35
Unknown Raptor               0              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       5            505          54372
=====================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 5 hours

Site Coordinator: Wes Kinnin

Observers:        Jim McCoy, Jim Crozier

Weather:
Strong SW Winds, Temp 1c to 3c, Overcast most of the day,Sun did come out but not for
long,Hazy and Cloud cover 80% to 100%,

Observations:
 2 Redtails just after 8am North of Tower flying low, then at 8.55am a Peregine went by
very low over the Trout Pond, I was looking down on it from the Tower, it was a Adult Bird,
then it was afternoon before I seen the next two Birds one Redtail and one Sharp-shin. 

Bonaparte's 206, Crows 26, Swan 1, Pipits 17, A.Coots 210, Ruddy Ducks Several Hundred And
the Redwing is still around the Tower.
==============================================================================

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - http://www.hbmo.org/

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Migration Sumary- Nov. 6-13 - Mon, 13 Nov 2000

The past week has seen a dropoff in Hawk movements. A good snow
will restart it.
Late stuff at Holiday Beach. I saw a Red-headed Woodpecker
and Rough-winged Swallow on Saturday at Holiday Beach.
The Am. Pipit flight peaked last Wednesday with over a thousand
moving along the shoreline of Lake Erie. A few Pine Siskins
and a few Purple Finches migrate along the shoreline every day.
Snow Buntings are not in big numbers yet.
Horned Larks are gaining in numbers everyday.
Lapland Longspurs are mixed in with the H. Larks and can
usually be seen in the field just east of Holiday Beach.

Am. Tree Sparrows can be found in good numbers around the
county.
A few Fox Sparrows are intermingled with White-thr. Sparrows,
White-cr. Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows and Song Sparrows.

There are about 5,000-6,000 ducks at Holiday Beach on good days
with Pied-billed Grebes, and Am. Coots.

Migrant gulls are Bonaparte, Little, Black-legged Kittiwake,( and
Black-headed Gull at Leamington Marina ).

E. Bluebird numbers are 50-100 a day after the passage of a
cold front. They are usually very high in the sky and often
missed by observers.
Am. Robins are not moving in large numbers.

On Saturday, thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds, C. Grackles
and Rusty Blackbirds moved along the south shore of Essex
County.
Rusty Blackbirds can be found all over Essex County.

Owl sightings have been light- possibly not many people
digging through the bushes and trees.

Good birding,

Fred Urie
Windsor
fred_urie@hotmail.com

Holiday Beach/Erie Shores Migrants- Nov. 11 - Sat, 11 Nov 2000

I identified the following migrants through Erie Shores/Holiday
Beach on Saturday:
Am. Pipit 86
Pine Siskin 8
Lapland Longspur 45
Snow Bunting 6
Purple Finch 6
Red-Headed Woodpecker 1
R. W. Swallow 1
Thousands of Rusty Blackbirds, C. Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds
migrated along a line about 880 yards/800 meters from the lake.
As usual Lapland Longspurs were on the ground in the field east
of Holiday Beach.

Fred Urie
Windsor
fred_urie@hotmail.com

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Other Passerines at Holiday Beach - Nov. 3-4 - Sat, 04 Nov 2000

As well as the N. Mockingbird it is possible to see around 70 species
of birds at Holiday Beach. On Nov. 3 there were 2,610 Ruddy Ducks,
Pied-billed Grebes, 88 Am. Coots, and 2 Black-crowned Night Herons.

Two day totals for Erie Shores/Holiday Beach are:

H. Lark 85
E. Bluebird 81
Am. Pipit 276
Yellow-rumped 29
Lapland Longspur 92
Snow Bunting 5
Purple Finch 24
H. Finch 106
Pine Siskin 13

It is possible to approach Lapland Longspurs in the surrounding fields
to view them through binoculars.

Fred Urie
Windsor
fred_urie@hotmail.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 04, 2000 - Sat, 4 Nov 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 04, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture              16             34          18319
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0              2            314
Sharp-shinned Hawk           4              8           9783
Coopers Hawk                 2              7            381
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          6             41            802
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk             42            204           4711
Rough-legged Hawk            1              2             36
Golden Eagle                 3              3            101
American Kestrel             0              0           2202
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              1             33
Unknown Raptor               1              7             34
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                      75            309          54176
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Steve Greidanus

Observers:        Denis Boulay, Jason Sodergren, Jim Crozier, Bob Pettit,
                  Jim McCoy, Mike Fitzpatrick, Rachel Pascoe, Carl Pascoe

Weather:
Clear and cold day with a steadily increasing West wind all day long.
Started out with clear blue skies, with increasing clouds as the day went by, mostly 
overcast by mid-afternoon. Temperature range from 6 - 10 degrees celcius. 

Observations:
Skies were empty of raptors for the first 2 hours of the watch, with the first few 
trickling thru , & finally at 11-12am most of the birds seen today past thru. Most  birds 
were extremely high 
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 03, 2000 - Fri, 3 Nov 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 03, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               3             18          18303
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             1              2            314
Sharp-shinned Hawk           4              4           9779
Coopers Hawk                 1              5            379
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk         25             35            796
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk             31            162           4669
Rough-legged Hawk            1              1             35
Golden Eagle                 0              0             98
American Kestrel             0              0           2202
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              1             33
Unknown Raptor               0              6             33
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                      66            234          54101
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 09:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 5 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Pettit

Observers:        Denis Boulay, Fred Urie, Jim Crozier

Weather:
Wind light maximum gust 9.1 mph West to Northwest back to West and to South. Tempature 
range 14-17.8 C Barometer 30.18 in of Hg until 1300 hours than 30.12 in of Hg. Low 
humidity. The last wind shift to the south occured during 1200-1300 hour. The shift was 
very noticeable. The Ruddy Ducks and Am. Coots shifted their positions on Big Creek open 
water with a flurry. They moved to be in a downwind position. Sky was mostly sunny with 
cover averaging 30%. I the last two hours the zeinth sky was covered with a thin vail of 
cirrus clouds. This softened sky made it easy to pick out RT & RS that got so high. With 
the South wind it didn't matter what the sky/cloud misture was sinice the birds were 
pushed northward out of our range of viewing.

Observations:
The day was better than Thursday's count. That said it sure makes it a slow day when one 
hours nets zero raptors and two different hours net 1 each. The 1100-1200 EST time had the
greatest number of individuals sighted.

Am. Robin - 20
Am. Pipit - 45
E. Bluebird - 16
Starling - 1,000
Am. Crow - 1,512
Black-crowned Nightheron - 1
G.B. Heron - 6
C. Waxwing - 15
Am. Goldfinch -14

==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 02, 2000 - Fri, 3 Nov 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 02, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               1             15          18300
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             0              1            313
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0              0           9775
Coopers Hawk                 1              4            378
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             10            771
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk              1            131           4638
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0             34
Golden Eagle                 0              0             98
American Kestrel             0              0           2202
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             1              1             33
Unknown Raptor               0              6             33
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                       4            168          54035
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 6 hours

Site Coordinator: Ray Seng

Observers:        Jack Boxer

Weather:
A clear but cloudy day with moderate winds from the SE and SSE, temperatures ranging from
12 to 14 degrees Celsius.

Observations:
A slow day raptor-wise with only four birds, a Turkey Vulture, a Cooper's Hawk, a Peregrine
Falcon and a Red-Tailed Hawk.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Nov 01, 2000 - Wed, 1 Nov 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Nov 01, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture              14             14          18299
Osprey                       0              0             71
Bald Eagle                   0              0             63
Northern Harrier             1              1            313
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0              0           9775
Coopers Hawk                 3              3            377
Northern Goshawk             0              0             16
Red-shouldered Hawk         10             10            771
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          17245
Red-tailed Hawk            130            130           4637
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0             34
Golden Eagle                 0              0             98
American Kestrel             0              0           2202
Merlin                       0              0             64
Peregrine Falcon             0              0             32
Unknown Raptor               6              6             33
Other Raptor                 0              0              1

Total:                     164            164          54031
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 5 hours

Site Coordinator: Betty Learmouth

Observers:        Jason Sodergren, Denis Boulay, Jim Crozier

Weather:
Clear conditions with winds light from the east southeast.  Temperatures in the mid teens. 

Observations:
A steady stream of Red-tailed Hawks, mostly at a distance using the telescope to determine
identification.

Some non raptor sightings included 29 Double-crested Cormorants, 3 Killdeer, 4 American 
Robins, 907 American Crows, one Monarch and one Clouded Sulphur.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 31, 2000 - Tue, 31 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 31, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture              65          16741          18285
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   1             25             63
Northern Harrier             2            131            312
Sharp-shinned Hawk           3           5817           9775
Coopers Hawk                 0            254            374
Northern Goshawk             0             16             16
Red-shouldered Hawk         10            748            761
Broad-winged Hawk            0             12          17245
Red-tailed Hawk            199           4157           4507
Rough-legged Hawk            0             34             34
Golden Eagle                 2             98             98
American Kestrel             0           1046           2202
Merlin                       0             21             64
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     282          29147          53867
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Wes Kinnin

Observers:        

Weather:
 I was on the Tower at 7.30am and sun was coming through the mist, but Scoth Mist(Fog) 
rolled in at 8.00am and could not see Parking area from Tower
Mist cleared at 9am and Sunny the rest of day,Winds started N-NNE and then at 11am it 
shifted to S and very calm, Temp from 2c to 13.5c

Observations:
      Most raptors were north of Tower and after 11am when winds turned south
      most birds went more North, had to use scope then.

Lots of Ruddy ducks in water west of Tower, had 632 crows, 2 Robins,33 Jays 35 Canada's,
and some Red-wing's around Tower,
==============================================================================       

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 29, 2000 - Sun, 29 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 29, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             199          16572          18116
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   2             24             62
Northern Harrier            16            128            309
Sharp-shinned Hawk          42           5801           9759
Coopers Hawk                 8            252            372
Northern Goshawk             1             16             16
Red-shouldered Hawk        225            714            727
Broad-winged Hawk            3             12          17245
Red-tailed Hawk           1489           3233           3583
Rough-legged Hawk           12             33             33
Golden Eagle                13             83             83
American Kestrel             0           1045           2201
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                    2010          27980          52700
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 06:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 11 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Hall-Brooks

Observers:        Denis Boulay, Mike Fitzpatrick, Bob Pettit, Dorothy McLeer,
                  Carl Pascoe, Rachel Pascoe, Dave Stimac, Steve Greidanus,
                  Jason Sodergren

Weather:
Sunny all day. Cold but only light winds from the N-NNE. Temperatures ranged from -1 to 11
degrees Celsius. Visibility was clear with cloud cover ranging from 0-70%.


Observations:
A good day today with 2010 raptors. Primarily Red-tailed Hawks (1489) ruled the skies today,
but they were joined by 225 Red-Shouldered Hawks, 12 Rough-legged Hawks, 3 Broad-winged 
Hawks, 199 Turkey Vultures, 16 Northern Harriers, 42 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 8 Cooper's Hawks,
1 Northern Goshawk who attacked one of the Northern Harriers over Loosestrife Island, 2 Bald
Eagles and 13 Golden Eagles.

Two flights of Sandhill Cranes provided the excitment, 5150 American Crows flew by along
with Red-winged Blackbirds too numerous to count.
==============================================================================

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 28, 2000 - Sat, 28 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 28, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            1582          16373          17917
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   2             22             60
Northern Harrier            12            112            293
Sharp-shinned Hawk          48           5759           9717
Coopers Hawk                10            244            364
Northern Goshawk             2             15             15
Red-shouldered Hawk        150            489            502
Broad-winged Hawk            1              9          17242
Red-tailed Hawk            535           1744           2094
Rough-legged Hawk            3             21             21
Golden Eagle                13             70             70
American Kestrel             1           1045           2201
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                    2359          25970          50690
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 10 hours

Site Coordinator: Steve Greidanus

Observers:        Bruce Dixon, Jim McCoy, Betty Learmouth, Mike Fitzpatrick,
                  Jim Crozier, John Winebrenner, Jason Sodergren

Weather:
Clear & cold all day with strong steady N-NE winds. Sunny all day with some nice clouds in
the morning, very few clouds in the afternoon. 
Low 6 degrees, high 10.5 degrees celcius.

Observations:
Excellent raptor migration today, with Turkey Vultures taking 1st place in numbers. The 
strong winds pushed the vultures all over the sky today, making counting difficult, 
especially when mixed in with the thousands of migrating crows. A good showing for 
Red-tails with the largest numbers towards the end of the day when the winds were a little
lighter. Excellent views of Red shouldered hawks as well. And of course, there were more 
Golden Eagles. It looked like we were going to end up with 7 eagles, until those who were 
waiting for the 4 O'clock eagle packed up their scopes,  and sure enough 6 more Golden 
Eagles in about 5 minutes, bringing our day to 13. 
Nice day all round. 
Also, released from the tower were 1 Cooper's, 2 Red-tail & 1 Red Shouldered hawk brought 
over by the banders.Thanks to all the visitors on the tower for helping out!!

Non Raptor highlights: 9500 American Crows, 3 Tundra Swans, 2 Eastern Meadowlark, 20 
American Coot, Eastern Bluebirds, American Pipits, lots of Bonaparte's gulls, & Bander 
Allen Chartier reported a Yellow-headed  Blackbird heading east down the shoreline.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

HBMO Passerine Banding 10-28-2000 - Sat, 28 Oct 2000

Banders & Birders,

The strong north wind overnight, and all day today, resulted in a productive morning of banding, with 44 birds of 13 species. Nets were open from 0600-1300 for a total of 68.25 net hours. Temperature was 8-11 (C) and the wind was north at 15-20 mph.

This was our first big day of White-throated Sparrows (!), and both the first Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos and Fox Sparrows for the season. It was also a day for seconds, with our second Swamp Sparrow and second Brown Creeper for the season. Our second and third American Woodcock for the season were found on the first net run, where two additional woodcock were flushed; clearly a good movement of these birds is underway. One of our two recaptures today was the first Sharp-shinned Hawk captured at the passerine station. It was banded on October 11 (17 days!) by Gary and Dorothy Balkwill at our raptor station about 200 meters east of the passerine station. They're supposed to migrate, aren't they?

Non-banding highlights included a Horned Grebe off the beach on Lake Erie, and an adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird flying east along the beach above the trees. This is about the fifth or sixth Yellow-headed for our site, but the first I've personally seen.

Thanks to Jason Sodergren for stopping by briefly this morning and helping with the first bunch of sparrows!

Birds banded today:

American Woodcock - 2 (2nd & 3rd for the season)
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Carolina Wren - 1
Brown Creeper - 1 (only our 2nd for the season)
Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin - 2
Northern Cardinal - 1
Fox Sparrow - 2 (our first fir the season)
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (our 2nd for the season)
Song Sparrow - 5
Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco - 9 (our first for the season)
White-throated Sparrow - 15
American Goldfinch - 2

Allen Chartier
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI 48141
Website: http://www.amazilia.net
Email: amazilia@juno.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 27, 2000 - Fri, 27 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 27, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               9          14791          16335
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   0             20             58
Northern Harrier             2            100            281
Sharp-shinned Hawk          13           5711           9669
Coopers Hawk                 1            234            354
Northern Goshawk             0             13             13
Red-shouldered Hawk          1            339            352
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk             11           1209           1559
Rough-legged Hawk            0             18             18
Golden Eagle                 1             57             57
American Kestrel             0           1044           2200
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                      38          23611          48331
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Pettit

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Phyllis Coble, Jeanece Seals, Theresa Lindsey,
                  Jim McCoy

Weather:
100% cloud cover to 10%.  Vary hazy all day.  Temp 16.4C to 21.5C.  
Wind south to southwest, light.

Observations:
Mixed with peak at 1200 to 1300 EST.  One golden eagle at 1345 EST.  Appeared to be
immature, but observation in Michigan by SMRR counter, Craig Fosdick, noted it to 
probably be sub-adult individual.  Also, at 1300 adult red-tailed hawk was very light
colored underneath including a very pale patagium.

Am Pipit   145
Song sparrow   1
Snow Bunting?  2
American Coot   30
Sora   1
Tree Sparrow   1
E. Bluebird  34
Rusty Blackbird  3
Pied-billed Grebe  3
Redwings  7K
Starlings  5K
Blackbirds  sp. 14K
American Crow   12K

==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 26, 2000 - Thu, 26 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 26, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0          14782          16326
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   0             20             58
Northern Harrier             0             98            279
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0           5698           9656
Coopers Hawk                 0            233            353
Northern Goshawk             0             13             13
Red-shouldered Hawk          0            338            351
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk              0           1198           1548
Rough-legged Hawk            0             18             18
Golden Eagle                 0             56             56
American Kestrel             0           1044           2200
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                       0          23573          48293
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 12:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 5 hours

Site Coordinator: Ray Seng

Observers:        Jack Boxer

Weather:
Dense Fog all day, less than 100yards visibility. Temperature was 13 degrees Celsius.Winds
started NE but changed quickly to East then South.

Observations:
No raptors seen.

Nothing else seen today.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 25, 2000 - Thu, 26 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 25, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0          14782          16326
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   0             20             58
Northern Harrier             1             98            279
Sharp-shinned Hawk           6           5698           9656
Coopers Hawk                 1            233            353
Northern Goshawk             0             13             13
Red-shouldered Hawk          3            338            351
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk              2           1198           1548
Rough-legged Hawk            0             18             18
Golden Eagle                 0             56             56
American Kestrel             0           1044           2200
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                      13          23573          48293
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 6 hours

Site Coordinator: Betty Learmouth

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Denis Boulay, Jason Sodergren,
                  Mercer Patriarche, Carl Latta

Weather:
Foggy conditions persisted all day with light winds from the north, swinging to the 
southeast in the early afternoon.  Temperatures were at 13.2 degrees in the morning, 
rising to 19 degrees in the afternoon.

Observations:
A quiet migration day with the day's highlight a handsome hatch year female Northern 
Goshawk brought to the tower by HBMO banders at noon.  Later hawk watchers were able to 
view an immature Red-shouldered Hawk through the telescope as it perched in a tree at the 
point.

Some non raptor species observed were 15 Double-crested Cormornats, rafts of Ruddy Ducks, 4
Pied-billed Grebes, 3 Tree Swallows, and 2010 American Crows.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 24, 2000 - Tue, 24 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 24, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0          14782          16326
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   0             20             58
Northern Harrier             0             97            278
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0           5692           9650
Coopers Hawk                 0            232            352
Northern Goshawk             0             13             13
Red-shouldered Hawk          0            335            348
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk              0           1196           1546
Rough-legged Hawk            0             18             18
Golden Eagle                 0             56             56
American Kestrel             0           1044           2200
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                       0          23560          48280
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Wes Kinnin

Observers:        Jim McCoy, Sue Morris

Weather:
 Dense Fog all Day, Humidity 100% most of the day,Light rain at start of day and end,
 From 13c to 18c,

Observations:
No Raptors flying.

 Sora north of Tower seen several times, first time sighting for a U.S.visitor we had on
 Tower 
 Lots of Ducks on water but very hard to see, Seven Yellowlegs went over, and I had a 
 Redwinged Blackbird keep me company several times on the wind gauge.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 22, 2000 - Sun, 22 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 22, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            1119          14782          16326
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   2             20             58
Northern Harrier            15             97            278
Sharp-shinned Hawk          33           5692           9650
Coopers Hawk                23            232            352
Northern Goshawk             3             13             13
Red-shouldered Hawk        146            335            348
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk            454           1196           1546
Rough-legged Hawk            5             18             18
Golden Eagle                 7             56             56
American Kestrel             1           1044           2200
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                    1808          23560          48280
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 06:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 10 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Hall-Brooks

Observers:        Steve Greidanus, Allen Chartier, Jim McCoy, Jim Crozier,
                  Carl Pascoe, Rachel Pascoe

Weather:
Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, 6 to 16 degrees Celsius, winds from the NE changing
to ESE then back to NE.

Observations:
While not the same as yesterday, 1808 raptors were seen today. Turkey Vultures and 
Red-tailed Hawks dominated the skies, but visitors were treated to 7 Golden Eagles, 5 
Rough-legged Hawks, 3 Northern Goshawks, 23 Cooper's Hawks, 15 Northern Harriers, 33 
Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Bald Eagles and one American Kestrel. The disadvantage was that
the birds rose high into the cloudless skies and viewing them proved neck-breaking work.

American Crows were counted (8490) but large flocks of European Starlings, Red-winged
Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Brown-headed Cowbirds dominated the early hours. Also
seen or heard were Rusty Blackbirds, American Pipits, American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing,
Purple Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Siskin, Black-crowned Night Heron, Savannah 
Sparrow, Eastern Screech Owl, Common Loon and a Common Snipe.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 21, 2000 - Sat, 21 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 21, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            1256          13663          15207
Osprey                       0              6             71
Bald Eagle                   4             18             56
Northern Harrier            19             82            263
Sharp-shinned Hawk         209           5659           9617
Coopers Hawk                32            209            329
Northern Goshawk             3             10             10
Red-shouldered Hawk        114            189            202
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk            390            742           1092
Rough-legged Hawk            7             13             13
Golden Eagle                35             49             49
American Kestrel            12           1043           2199
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                    2081          21752          46472
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 10 hours

Site Coordinator: Steve Greidanus

Observers:        Bruce Dixon, Dave Stimac, Mike Fitzpatrick, Bob Hall-Brooks,
                  Allen Chartier, Jason Sodergren

Weather:
Very nice day, Sunny with blue skies most of the day, Tempurature was warm ranging from 14
to 20 degrees Celsius. Winds were light to moderate, starting SW and switching to N around
noon, & later to NE. Very little cloud except around early afternoon as the front pushed 
through.

Observations:
The day started out very slow, with little indication of what was to come. We were 
beginning to wonder where the hawks were, & afraid we might have to count the numerous 
ladybugs covering the tower (that alone had to be some sort of record!!). Then suddenly 
before noon the winds shifted quickly to the North and hello Golden Eagles!! 

Oh yeah, there were other birds, but we didn't pay much attention to them once the Eagles
started pouring through. Non raptor highlights: 21 Black-bellied plover, 1 sora, 2000+ 
Ruddy duck, Pine siskins, American Pipits, American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, 6 Wood duck,
5000+ American crows, large numbers of blackbirds & starlings.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

HBMO Passerine Banding October 21, 2000 - Sat, 21 Oct 2000

Banders & Birders,

The morning started out slowly as the wind was from the southwest. 
Around 1000 the wind shifted to the northwest, which resulted in an
excellent hawk flight (and a record number of Golden Eagles), but no
passerine movement.  Also, several hundred ladybird beetles descended on
our station!  Nets were open from 0600-1300 for a total of 68.25 net
hours.  Temperature was 13-18 (C).  A total of 13 birds of 7 species was
banded.

Thanks to Bob Hall-Brooks for helping today, and for tolerating the
"plague" of beetles!  Also, thanks to Jason Sodergren and Dave Stimac for
helping briefly in the morning.

Birds banded today:

Blue Jay - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Hermit Thrush - 4
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1 (somewhat late)
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1 (rather late)
White-throated Sparrow - 1

For directions and information on our site, go to the HBMO website at: 
http://www.hbmo.org

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) is an organization devoted to
monitoring migration at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Essex Co.,
Ontario, administered by the Essex Region Conservation Authority.  In
addition to a hawk-watch/passerine count that has been in operation since
1974, HBMO operates three banding stations, two for raptors (since 1987)
and one for passerines and hummingbirds (since 1997).  The Holiday Beach
Conservation Area
has recently been designated an Important Bird Area by Conservation
International. Lat: 42-07'52"  Long: 083-02'32"

Allen Chartier
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI 48141
Website: http://www.amazilia.net
Email: amazilia@juno.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 20, 2000 - Fri, 20 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 20, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             327          12407          13951
Osprey                       3              6             71
Bald Eagle                   0             14             52
Northern Harrier             7             63            244
Sharp-shinned Hawk         110           5450           9408
Coopers Hawk                18            177            297
Northern Goshawk             0              7              7
Red-shouldered Hawk          4             75             88
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk             15            352            702
Rough-legged Hawk            0              6              6
Golden Eagle                 6             14             14
American Kestrel             2           1031           2187
Merlin                       0             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     492          19671          44391
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Pettit

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Wayne Telasco, Sylvia Telasco, Fred Urie,
                  Jim McCoy

Weather:
Light wind less than 7 mph.
Direction SSW to SSE.
Sunny, 10% clouds (haze at horizon) to clear (no hazy)
Temperature: 13.5-20.2 degrees C

Saturday Winds are forcasted for NORTH 30 kmh

Observations:
Very slow beginning with birds increasing during the 9-11 am EST time block.
Early Ospreys in day and seeming late in season.
Vultures at north horizon at apparent tree-top level. (Saw kettle (40)of TVs at Disputed 
Road and Canard River at 4:50 PM local time over what I beleive is called Boy Scouts woods.
Golden Eagles north of tower in good range and good views of under parts and upper parts. 
Six immature birds in two groups of three. One was a sub-adult having no pronounced 
under-wing patches but with upper-wing pale area visible at long range and with 20X scope.
The flight actually ended at 1:00 PM EST with very few birds sighted thereafter.

Other migrants:
Am. Robin 5
Bluejay 100
Song Sparrow  1
Sora  1
Am. Pipits 70
Am. Crow  1,150
G. Yellowlegs  7
Eastern Meadowlark  1
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach Warblers - Thu, 19 Oct 2000

Birders,
Yesterday, Oct. 18, at Holiday Beach, a Blackpoll Warbler was eating some type of white berry other than poison ivy. Other species were Black-throated Green, C. Yellowthroat 2, Am. Redstart, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped 8, Blue-headed Vireo, Woodcock, and Am. Pipit 81. Jim McCoy found a late Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Good birding,

Fred Urie
Windsor
fred_urie@hotmail.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 19, 2000 - Thu, 19 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 19, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             720          12080          13624
Osprey                       1              3             68
Bald Eagle                   1             14             52
Northern Harrier             0             56            237
Sharp-shinned Hawk          63           5340           9298
Coopers Hawk                12            159            279
Northern Goshawk             4              7              7
Red-shouldered Hawk          9             71             84
Broad-winged Hawk            0              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk             62            337            687
Rough-legged Hawk            2              6              6
Golden Eagle                 3              8              8
American Kestrel             1           1029           2185
Merlin                       2             20             63
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     880          19179          43899
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Ray Seng

Observers:        Jack Boxer

Weather:
The day started with some fog and very hazy visibility, but continued under cloudless sunny
skies, warm temperatures ranging from 9 to 16 degrees Celsius.
Winds were light from the NNE to start, but changed to the South East around midday.

Observations:
A great variety of raptors were observed today totalling 880 birds. Of this total, Turkey
Vultures were predominant (720) but interspersed with an Osprey, a Bald Eagle, 3 Golden 
Eagles, 2 Rough-legged Hawks, 9 Red-shouldered Hawks, 62 Red-Tailed Hawks, 4 Northern 
Goshawks, 12 Cooper's Hawks and the omnipresent Sharp-shinned Hawks (63).One American 
Kestrel and 2 Merlins rounded out the variety for the day.

==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 18, 2000 - Wed, 18 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 18, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             791          11360          12904
Osprey                       0              2             67
Bald Eagle                   0             13             51
Northern Harrier             5             56            237
Sharp-shinned Hawk         176           5277           9235
Coopers Hawk                 3            147            267
Northern Goshawk             0              3              3
Red-shouldered Hawk         19             62             75
Broad-winged Hawk            1              8          17241
Red-tailed Hawk             27            275            625
Rough-legged Hawk            2              4              4
Golden Eagle                 0              5              5
American Kestrel             4           1028           2184
Merlin                       0             18             61
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               4             22             27
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                    1032          18299          43019
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 09:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 4 hours

Site Coordinator: Betty Learmouth

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Jim McCoy, Carl Latta, Mercer Patriarche,
                  Fred Urie

Weather:
Fog delayed opening the site.  Skies eventually cleared with a steady flight until 
southwest winds slowed the migration.  Warm temperatures.

Observations:
A steady migration with a few Red-shouldered Hawks seen as well as two Rough-legged Hawks.

Non-raptor sightings included more that 1,031 Ruddy Ducks, a Sora Rail calling from the 
marsh near the tower, 5 Tree Swallows, 408 Blue Jays, 1,620 Common Crows, 3 Dark-eyed 
Junco, 85 American Goldfinch, 3 Monarchs and 2 Mourning Cloaks.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 17, 2000 - Wed, 18 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 17, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             109          10569          12113
Osprey                       1              2             67
Bald Eagle                   1             13             51
Northern Harrier             2             51            232
Sharp-shinned Hawk         107           5101           9059
Coopers Hawk                41            144            264
Northern Goshawk             0              3              3
Red-shouldered Hawk         13             43             56
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk             54            248            598
Rough-legged Hawk            2              2              2
Golden Eagle                 2              5              5
American Kestrel            14           1024           2180
Merlin                       3             18             61
Peregrine Falcon             0             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             18             23
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     349          17267          41987
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Wes Kinnin

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Jim McCoy, Fred Urie, Tony Kemp, Carl Kemp,
                  Ken Morris, Sue Morris, J. Ball, Anne Anthony

Weather:
  100% Cloud most of the day,very foggy, From 10c to 17.5c, Sunny by late afternoon
 Winds low most of the day.


Observations:
 Very slow the first two hours, much better by 11am, Highlight was two GE.for two people on
the Tower who had not a GE before.

 505 Bluejays-Robins 20- C.Waxwings 20- Crows 320- Bonaparte's 15 
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 16, 2000 - Mon, 16 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 16, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             132          10460          12004
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   0             12             50
Northern Harrier             8             49            230
Sharp-shinned Hawk          96           4994           8952
Coopers Hawk                33            103            223
Northern Goshawk             0              3              3
Red-shouldered Hawk          8             30             43
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk             91            194            544
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel            35           1010           2166
Merlin                       1             15             58
Peregrine Falcon             4             18             32
Unknown Raptor               0             18             23
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     408          16918          41638
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Nancy E. Tar

Observers:        Doris Applebaum, Debbie Aylward, Jim Crozier, Mike Forton,
                  Fred Urie, Mike Fitzpatrick

Weather:
Fog on lake. Low winds all day ranging from dead calm to less than 7 miles per hour.  100%
cloud cover all day.  Temp from 13.5C to 21.5C.  Very hazy all day. Humidity 95% early to 
82% at end of day. Air pressure, fairly steady at 30.21.  Flight, hawks coming in low 
early, and ending the day at max bino power, birds were going into the clouds and 
disappearing. 

Observations:
ML @ 10:15 EST
PG @ 10:18, 13:03, 13:40, 14:27 all EST

 

Killdeer          -  84
Goldfinch         - 110
Blue Jays         - 818
Cedar waxwing     -  63
Yellowleg sp.     -   8
Sora, residents   -   2
Carolina Wren     -   1
Monarch butterfly -   2
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 15, 2000 - Mon, 16 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 15, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0          10328          11872
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   0             12             50
Northern Harrier             0             41            222
Sharp-shinned Hawk          13           4898           8856
Coopers Hawk                 1             70            190
Northern Goshawk             1              3              3
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             22             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk              0            103            453
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel             0            975           2131
Merlin                       1             14             57
Peregrine Falcon             0             14             28
Unknown Raptor               0             18             23
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                      16          16510          41230
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 06:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Hall-Brooks

Observers:        Jim McCoy, Gary Balkwill

Weather:
Rain, rain, and more rain was the order of the day. Winds were non-existent to light from
the Southwest predominantly. Visibility was hazy and the skies were 100% cloud covered.
Temperatures ranged from 11 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Observations:
Only 16 raptors were brave enough to puncture the rain today. The highlight was an early
immature Northern Goshawk who flew over the Tower. A classic adult Cooper's Hawk flew the
shore side of the Tower at tower height. A male Merlin perched along the shore before 
proceeding. Uncountable were several Sharp-shinned Hawks harassing the Northern Flickers 
and an eastbound Osprey who never re-appeared.

Three Sora rails kept the visitors occupied during the raptor drought in the morning. One 
to the west of the Tower and two in the marshy patch to the north were seen clearly and
frequently. Over 1500 Ruddy Duck were censused in the marsh. Marsh Wrens were heard and 
later seen in the marsh cattails. Four Pied-billed Grebe were seen near the loosestrife 
island in the marsh. One Common Loon flew by, only 420 Blue Jays, 290 American Goldfinch, 
22 American Pipits, 34 American Robins, 15 American Crows were seen in migration. Nearer 
the Tower base several flocks of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, along with 
Swamp and Song Sparrows and the occasional Yellow-rumped Warbler were seen.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 14, 2000 - Sat, 14 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 14, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture               0          10328          11872
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   0             12             50
Northern Harrier             1             41            222
Sharp-shinned Hawk         184           4885           8843
Coopers Hawk                 1             69            189
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             22             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk              0            103            453
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel            14            975           2131
Merlin                       1             13             56
Peregrine Falcon             1             14             28
Unknown Raptor               0             18             23
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     202          16494          41214
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Steve Greidanus

Observers:        Bob Pettit, Jim Crozier

Weather:
Warm day with mostly clear blue skies, some cloudy periods, light SSW winds all day
becoming stronger toward the end of the day. Tempuratures were quite comfortable all day
with a high of 21 degrees celsius.

Observations:
Steady flow of Sharpies accounted for most of the raptors, along with a few kestrels.
Mid-day highlight was immature peregrine falcon soaring past tower so fast it blue our
hats off! It then headed out over the marsh & repeatedly swooped at the bonaparte's gulls
out over the water. Nice show! Also brought to the tower by Bob Pettit to show his class
from Monroe was a female merlin, to everyone's delight, including mine, I adopted & then
released the bird which flew to a perch for everyone to admire. 
Turkey Vultures were definitely present, not migrating for the most part as a group of 100
birds started west of the tower, past the tower going east (wrong way!!) & basically
enjoyed the breeze off the lake hanging out & not going anywhere in particular.

Non raptor highlights: 500+ Ruddy Duck, 2500 Blue Jays, 400+ American Goldfinch, 3 Am.
Robins, Tree swallow, Bonaparte's Gulls, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chimney swift
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 13, 2000 - Fri, 13 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 13, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture              16          10328          11872
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   0             12             50
Northern Harrier             0             40            221
Sharp-shinned Hawk         158           4701           8659
Coopers Hawk                 2             68            188
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             22             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk              0            103            453
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel             3            961           2117
Merlin                       0             12             55
Peregrine Falcon             0             13             27
Unknown Raptor               1             18             23
Other Raptor                 0              1              1

Total:                     180          16292          41012
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Pettit

Observers:        Jim Crozier

Weather:
Wind constant from SSW to S. Speed less than 7 mph. Cloud cover 100% to 80%. Sunny through
high cirrus and altocirrus clouds. Temperature 11.5-16.8 C. Hazy sometimes not able to see
Michigan shore to southwest. Radio tower due north hazy.

Observations:
Vultures: Bust.
Sharp-shins: Fair day for the conditions. Good day to learn the fine points of sharpy ID.
Start was slow and peaked at 10-11 EST with over 70 birds. Many adults seen today. Last
hour a bust with one bird. You couldn't pay me to do this job! (At least not today.)
Cooper's: Bust.
Kestrel: Bust.
Too much SW wind. Nuf said.

Ruddy Duck 500
Canvasback 2
Redhead 4
American Widgeon 20
American Crow 55 (A start.)
Bluejay 1,540

Monarch 4
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 12, 2000 - Thu, 12 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 12, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             237          10312          11856
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   1             12             50
Northern Harrier             0             40            221
Sharp-shinned Hawk         292           4543           8501
Coopers Hawk                 2             66            186
Northern Goshawk             1              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             22             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk              4            103            453
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel            30            958           2114
Merlin                       0             12             55
Peregrine Falcon             0             13             27
Unknown Raptor               0             17             22
Other Raptor                 1              1              1

Total:                     568          16112          40832
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Ray Seng

Observers:        Jack Boxer

Weather:
Light to moderate South West to South winds with clear visibility, cloudless sunny day with
temperatures between 5 and 17 degrees Celsius.

Observations:
While Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels continue to dominate the
current migration, the highlights of the day were a light-morph Immature Swainson's Hawk
seen at 8:28 a.m. and an immature Northern Goshawk seen at 12:31 p.m.

We were glad of the company (for most of today) of Carol and Tony Kemp from Owen Sound
(Ontario), Carl Latta and Patriarche Mercer. The Kemp's 15 years of raptor experience 
assisted greatly in the identification of the Swainson's Hawk.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 11, 2000 - Thu, 12 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 11, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            1065          10075          11619
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   1             11             49
Northern Harrier             7             40            221
Sharp-shinned Hawk         937           4251           8209
Coopers Hawk                 4             64            184
Northern Goshawk             0              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          6             22             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk              6             99            449
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 2              3              3
American Kestrel           116            928           2084
Merlin                       3             12             55
Peregrine Falcon             0             13             27
Unknown Raptor               8             17             22
Other Raptor                 0              0              0

Total:                    2155          15544          40264
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 6 hours

Site Coordinator: Betty Learmouth

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Betty Clark, Judy Torzy, Fred Urie, Jim McCoy

Weather:
Winds light from the west, swinging to soutwest at 10:17 a.m.EST under cloudless skies,
becoming warm in the afternoon.

Observations:
A steady migration all day, slowing in the early afternoon.  The Turkey Vultures were north
of us and distant.  The Golden Eagles were high, viewed through telescopes.  

The following were the highlights of the birds seen around Big Creek Marsh and passing over
the marsh in migration:  4 Great Blue Herons, 647 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Yellowlegs sp,. 153 
Bonapartes Gulls, 3 Chimney Swifts, 6 Horned Larks, 2,321 Blue Jays, 2 Red-breasted 
Nuthatches, 6 American Robins, 2 American Pipits, 13,836 Starlings (in huge flocks looking
like swirling smoke at a distance), 16 Pine Siskin, and 1,098 American Goldfinch.  Many
thanks to our spotters who compiled these sightings.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 10, 2000 - Wed, 11 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 10, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            2079           9010          10554
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   3             10             48
Northern Harrier             4             33            214
Sharp-shinned Hawk         798           3314           7272
Coopers Hawk                 9             60            180
Northern Goshawk             0              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             16             29
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk             37             93            443
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 1              1              1
American Kestrel           300            812           1968
Merlin                       0              9             52
Peregrine Falcon             0             13             27
Unknown Raptor               0              9             14
Other Raptor                 0              0              0

Total:                    3234          13389          38109
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 9 hours

Site Coordinator: Wes Kinnin

Observers:        Jim Crozier, Fred Urie, Jim McCoy

Weather:
Winds from the West all day, Cold at start but turned mild and sunny, 2c to 14c
Very few clouds, Humidity around 60,
 

Observations:
     AK. Flying along shoreline, SS. Mostly over the Tower early but later
     spread from Tower to well North of Tower, TV's Most north of Tower,Low and
    High. GE.North of Tower, BE. Also North of Tower,

Bluejays 1360. G/Finch 118. Cedar W/Wings87. Lots of birds on the move but
  too many raptors to watch.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 09, 2000 - Mon, 9 Oct 2000

  
Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 09, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            3131           6931           8475
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   2              7             45
Northern Harrier             6             29            210
Sharp-shinned Hawk        1006           2516           6474
Coopers Hawk                 3             51            171
Northern Goshawk             0              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             12             25
Broad-winged Hawk            0              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk             19             56            406
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           150            512           1668
Merlin                       0              9             52
Peregrine Falcon             1             13             27
Unknown Raptor               2              9             14
Other Raptor                 0              0              0

Total:                    4320          10154          34874
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 8 hours

Site Coordinator: Nancy E. Tar

Observers:        Doris Applebaum, Debbie Aylward, Jim Crozier, Mike Forton,
                  Jim McCoy

Weather:
Moderate to light westerly winds all day. Cloudy starting with total coverage ending with
lighter coverage and more sun. Temp 7.6C to 17.3C. Hight of flight low to almost beyond
bino range.

Observations:
TV - 3096
BE - 2 IMM.
NH - 6
SS - 1006
CH - 5
RT - 18
AK - 150
PG - 1 @ 10:15 EST
UB - 1
UE - 1

A mixed flock of rugy and golden-crowned kinglets came through, and mixed in with them was
a Nashville warbler.

==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

HBMO Passerine Banding 10/8/2000 - Sun, 8 Oct 2000

Birders & Banders,

Another good day, with 83 birds of 13 species banded. Nets were open from 0600-1515 E.S.T. for a total of 90.19 net hours. Temperature fluctuated from 4-6 (C) all day, with a moderate to strong NNW wind all day. Small hail fell for about a minute at 1300, just after we had cleared all the nets of birds, and sleet started at 1500 till 1515 when we finished closing up.

Despite an identical total banded to yesterday, the character of today's migration was quite different. Due to the cold, birds seemed to be rushing around in flocks more. Again, I had a single net run of 22 birds in the morning, then around noon another net run of 28 birds. Luckily, Betty Learmouth happened by just as I was returning with the latter birds, and I put her to work! The highlight of the day was probably the American Woodcock, only the 2nd we've ever caught (first was in 1999). There were far fewer Yellow-rumped Warblers today, but many more kinglets, with the day's total of 29 Golden-crowned Kinglets setting a record for us. Typically we get a couple late Nashville Warblers this time of year, but the 15 we banded today was quite surprising. We're up to 83 Nashvilles for the season, more than triple last year's record number. A Black-throated Green Warbler was somewhat late, and the Swamp Sparrow was our first for the season (we usually only band one or two).

Thanks again to Betty Learmouth for helping me out with my big bunch of birds, and to Paul Desjardins and Jason Sodergren for helping out this afternoon, including helping put the nets up in the sleet (yuck!).

Birds banded today:

American Woodcock - 1 (2nd ever for the station)
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1
Hermit Thrush - 1
Winter Wren - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 29 (record)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 14
Nashville Warbler - 15
Magnolia Warbler - 1
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1 (late)
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler - 4
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (first for the season)
White-throated Sparrow - 13


For directions and information on our site, go to the HBMO website at: 
http://www.hbmo.org

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) is an organization devoted to
monitoring migration at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Essex Co.,
Ontario, administered by the Essex Region Conservation Authority.  In
addition to a hawk-watch/passerine count that has been in operation since
1974, HBMO operates three banding stations, two for raptors (since 1987)
and one for passerines and hummingbirds (since 1997).  The Holiday Beach
Conservation Area has recently been designated an Important Bird Area by 
Conservation International. Lat: 42-07'52"  Long: 083-02'32"

Allen Chartier
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI  48141
Website:  http://www.amazilia.net
Email:  amazilia@juno.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 08, 2000 - Sun, 8 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 08, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture            2424           3800           5344
Osprey                       0              1             66
Bald Eagle                   0              5             43
Northern Harrier             8             23            204
Sharp-shinned Hawk         293           1510           5468
Coopers Hawk                11             48            168
Northern Goshawk             1              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          7             12             25
Broad-winged Hawk            6              7          17240
Red-tailed Hawk             10             37            387
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            64            362           1518
Merlin                       0              9             52
Peregrine Falcon             1             12             26
Unknown Raptor               0              7             12
Other Raptor                 0              0              0

Total:                    2825           5834          30554
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 06:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 13:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 7 hours

Site Coordinator: Bob Hall-Brooks

Observers:        Jim McCoy

Weather:
Cold is the best word to describe today. Temperatures hovered between 4 and 6 degrees
Celsius. The skies were mainly cloudy with the occasional short period of sun. Winds were
moderate from the North West, visibility clear.
At 1300 Hours, rain and sleet ended the day's counting.

Observations:
Despite the cold, Turkey Vultures were moving in good numbers. Sharp-shinned Hawks were
also numerous today with appearances by Cooper's Hawks, one Immature Northern Goshawk,
several Broad-winged, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks. A small number of American
Kestrels and one high Peregrine Falcon rounded out the day.

The highlight of the day was a visit from Allen Chartier who took time out from a busy day
at the Passerine Banding station to show the Tower visitors a male American Woodcock. Blue
Jays numbered 3,140. Ducks and Canada Geese were abundant in flight today. 
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

Holiday Beach hawk counts: Oct 07, 2000 - Sat, 7 Oct 2000

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory - Daily Hawk Counts: Oct 07, 2000
==============================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Turkey Vulture             799           1376           2920
Osprey                       1              1             66
Bald Eagle                   2              5             43
Northern Harrier             2             15            196
Sharp-shinned Hawk         757           1217           5175
Coopers Hawk                20             37            157
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              5             18
Broad-winged Hawk            0              1          17234
Red-tailed Hawk             15             27            377
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           185            298           1454
Merlin                       1              9             52
Peregrine Falcon             1             11             25
Unknown Raptor               0              7             12
Other Raptor                 0              0              0

Total:                    1783           3009          27729
==============================================================================

Observation start time: 07:00:00 EST
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 EST
Total observation time: 10 hours

Site Coordinator: Mike Sefton

Observers:        Will Weber, Bob Pettit, Jason Sodergren

Weather:
Hours of observation:  7:45am EST to 4:35pm EST.  
Wind speed moderate.  
Wind from WNW to W.  
Visibility very clear.  
Cloud cover 1% to 50%, sunny.  
Temp 3 C. to 10.1 C.  
Dry.  
Air pressure 30.24.  
Flight direction west.  
Height low to moderate.


Observations:
A beautiful day with 1783 raptors.  Highlight was a Peregrine Falcon that flew low over the
water and hit a Ruddy Duck, then struggled to carry him south towards the lake shore.
According to my brand new Sibley Guide, the Ruddy weighs 1.4 pounds, and the Peregrine
weighs 1.6.  The Ruddy was still kicking as he was being hauled away.  We were also
treated to a Merlin, an Osprey, and soaring resident Bald Eagles, plus a couple of 
migrants.  A good day for Turkey Vultures, Sharpies, and Kestrels, plus a few Cooper's 
Hawks and N. Harriers.

  Highlights were one Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 4300 Blue Jays, and 8 Lesser Yellowlegs.
  Visitors to the tower came from Leamington, ON, San Diego, CA, Holly, MI and Akron, OH,
  plus a sizable contingent from the Oakland Audubon Society.  Dorothy Balkwill and her
  capable young assistants brought a Cooper's Hawk, Sharpies and Kestrels to the tower,
  some of which were adopted by the visitors before the birds were released.
==============================================================================

Jason Sodergren
jason@mugwump.taiga.com

HBMO Band