Bird watchers in the Niagara Peninsula have been been monitoring the spring arrival of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures returning from their winter migration south since 1975.
Counting and Recording Hawk Sightings
Each year from March 1st until the middle of May, hawk watchers gather at Beamers Point Conservation Area to identify every bird of prey passing overhead. With binoculars in hand and long-lensed cameras ready to snap away, hawk watchers have faithfully counted and recorded each bird that has flown overhead on tote boards that record the daily numbers for each species of hawks.
The daily totals are tallied up to create weekly, monthly and annual totals.The diligent work of the hawkwatchers has thus provided a detailed accounting of the birds flying overhead for the last 35 years. A comparison of the totals can give an indication of the health of the returning hawk population.
Formation of Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
In 1990 the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch was formally organized with three main goals: educate people about hawks and hawk migration; conduct systematic counts of hawks migrating over the Niagara Peninsula and work for the preservation of raptors in Ontario
Niagara Escarpment Updrafts Help Hawks Conserve Energy
Beamers Point, just south of the Town of Grimsby, along the Niagara Escarpment, 40 minutes south of Toronto, Ontario is ideal for watching the returning hawks. Each spring returning hawks try to reach their destinations as fast as possible. To do this returning hawks look for rising air. Winds blowing off Lake Ontario collide against the limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment creating strong updrafts. Hawks take advantage of these updrafts to glide long distances while conserving energy.
Catching a Thermal
Returning hawks also soar high in the sky riding columns of rising hot air given off by the warming grounds that absorb and give off heat from the spring sun. The hawkwatchers call this "catching a thermal".
The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch web page describes the phenomenon as follows : "Circling inside this thermal, the birds will rise until they are mere specks, and at the top of the thermal they glide on for long distances without moving a feather."
As described by the Niagara Peninsual Hawkwatchers, the Niagara Peninsula acts as a gateway for spring migrating hawks seeking the warm thermals given off by the warming earth. Since the cold waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie do not produce thermals the hawks returning to Ontario seek out the land around these two bodies of water. This creates a funneling effect that channels a large number of returning raptors over and through the Niagara Peninsula.
Further along near Hamilton, the west end of Lake Ontario, the hawks fly northward many seeking still seeking a route aside the escarpment while others fan out out elsewhere
Open House For Public Interested in Hawks
As part of their educational mission, the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch holds an open house each Good Friday educate the public about the migration taking place right over their heads.
Comparing Hawk Counts over the Years
Checking and comparing the annual hawk count compiled by the Niagara Hawkwatch is quite instructive. For example the bald eagle, long viewed as a sentinel for the health of the North American environment, has made a modest comeback. In 1975 when the numbers were first charted only one bald eagle was counted. This grew to 17 by 1989 and 40 by 1994. The highest number of bald eagles recorded occurred in 2006 when 86 were counted. Indications are that the environment is getting healthier for bald eagles, but we still need to improve for their numbers to soar.
Frank Giorno - Frank Giorno is a seasoned veteran writer specializing in environmental, energy, health, culture,heritage, literary, filmmaking, outdoors ...
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