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HBMO Hawk Watch Fall 2021

Season Summary

Species Count
16
Total Count
82,095

Species Composition

Species composition changes over time depending on weather, seasons, and many other factors. This chart displays the composition over a time period you select.

Click on pie pieces to see more detail. If there are more than seven species, click on "Other" to see a breakdown of the rest.

Display

Many sites have a protocol that is designed to maximize finding particular species. If you select "Focus Species," only these species will be shown.

Date Selector

The control box below the pie chart lets you select a date period for the chart.

You can push the buttons "1d," "1w," or "1m" to zoom the graph to 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month.

The graph shows the overall volume seen on each day. You can drag the sliders on each side of this graph to adjust the start and end dates.

Species Composition
August 15th to December 31st

Drag the Sliders Below to Change the Dates Shown

Hourly Data

The time shown in the top row is the start of the one hour period.

Select Day

Choose a date to load the hourly table for that day. Only days that have data are shown.

Daily Counts

These charts show which species are most numerous at different parts of the season. Hover your mouse over a chart to see the number for a given day. The right column shows season totals and the left side shows the maximum for a single day. Each graph is scaled so that the single-day maximum is the highest point on the chart.

Sort By
  • Focus Species: Show the highest priority species at the top of the list.
  • Taxonomic Order: Sort the species by their scientific classification.
  • Alphabetic Order: Sort the species by their common name.
  • Abundance: Sort the species with the largest number counted at the top.

Daily Counts

Black Vulture
1
Turkey Vulture
66780
Osprey
13
Golden Eagle
63
Northern Harrier
517
Sharp-shinned Hawk
7085
Cooper's Hawk
255
American Goshawk
6
Show More Species

HBMO Hawk Watch Fall 2021

HBMO is headquartered at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area (HBCA) in the Big Creek Marsh watershed. This internationally recognized Important Bird Area, IBA, is owned and operated by Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). It is strategically located at the extreme southwestern tip of southern Ontario. As raptors migrate south for the winter, they can ease their otherwise energy costly flight by avoiding long stretches of flight over open water like the Great Lakes. The Detroit River crossing is a short cut on the land mass between lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario which helps to funnel migrating raptors over HBCA, making it an excellent place to observe migrating raptors. Migrants can be observed flying right overhead, slightly North of Big Creek Marsh, or following Lake Erie’s shoreline in a westerly direction.

Directions

The Holiday Beach Migration Observatory is located within Holiday Beach Conservation Area, along the Lake Erie shoreline in Amherstburg, Ontario at 6952 County Road 50, 1.1 miles south of the junction Highway 20 (old 18) and Essex Road 50, Town of Amherstburg. The HBMO headquarters building is located at the southeastern corner of the day-use area.

Holiday Beach Migration Observatory

The Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO), founded in 1986, promotes the study and protection of migrating birds. Activities focus primarily on fall migration of raptors and other species. Holiday Beach Conservation Area was formerly a Provincial Park, but is now administered by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). It is strategically located at the extreme SW tip of ON. The park is on the E end of a large freshwater estuary known as Big Creek. This site is on the N shore of Lake Erie near the Detroit River. In 1988, HBMO persuaded Detroit Edison to donate a 12m (40 ft) Hawk Tower which is now at the site. Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) is a non-profit organization with Canadian Registered Charity number 849770854RR0001. HBMO is primarily dedicated to the study and long-term monitoring of migratory bird populations during the spring and fall seasons that pass through portions of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. HBMO is headquartered at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area, which is operated by Essex Region Conservation Authority and is within the Big Creek Marsh watershed that is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area. HBMO strives to contribute to the greater understanding of migration and conservation of birds, wildlife, and insects and their habitats through research and education programs.

About the Data

All data displayed on this site are preliminary and have not yet undergone quality control. Written permission is required to use the data.