Hawk Surveys
The Wildbird General Store Hawk Surveys & Novice Birder Tours
What: The Wildbird General Store is hosting surveys of the hawks and other birds of Beaverhill Lake, led by naturalist Jim Lange.
When:
Spring 2010: Check back when the snow starts to melt!
Spring 2009: Every Sunday through the migration period, starting April 12 to beginning of June. Surveys begin at 10 am, and last approx. 2.5-4 hrs. Participants are free to stay for as long as they want, and shorter routes will be available for younger birders to learn how to identify birds.
Where: Survey route starts at the Beaverhill Nature Centre in Tofield (1 hour southeast of Edmonton on Highway 14). Turn left off highway, then right and follow road to Service Station. Look for the big Martin pole next to Nature Centre. Pre-arranged carpooling to Tofield available: Meet at The Wildbird General Store (4712-99St.) at 9:00 am.
* There is no cost for these trips, and participants are involved at their own risk. For more information contact the Store (780)439-7333). Results posted weekly.
Survey Date: June 7, 2009 FINAL SURVEY FOR THIS YEAR
#Paricipants: 4
Duration: 10:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Weather: AM: cloudy, +7C ,winds SE 15km/h
PM: heavy cloud cover, approaching showers, +12C, winds gusting 30+km/h
Sightings: 53 species
*Note: for the first time in the 2 years of the survey, except for March 29/2009, no Canada Geese were seen!
Northern Harrier: 4
Red-tail Hawk: 8
Swainson’s Hawk: 2
Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 1
Mallard: 9
Blue-wing Teal: 3
Gadwall: 5
American Wigeon: 6
Redhead: 3
Lesser Scaup: 4
Common Goldeneye: 2
Bufflehead: 1
Marbled Godwit: 4
Willet: 4
Killdeer: 2
Spotted Sandpiper: 2
Baird’s Sandpiper: 2
Golden Plover: 1
Black-bellied Plover: 1
Wilson’s Phalarope: 2
Avocet: 16 with many birds sitting on nests at the Quarry
Raven: 4
Crow: 15
Black-billed Magpie: 7
Northern Flicker: 1
Ring-billed Gull: 3
California Gull: 2
Black Terns: 11
Robin: 2
Mountain Bluebird: 4
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2
Red-wing Blackbird: 40
Common Grackle: 4
Brown-headed Cowbird: 4
Brewer’s Blackbird: 4
Starling: 5
Purple Martin: 7
Barn Swallow: 5
Tree Swallow: 35
Cliff Swallow: 20
Eastern Kingbird: 2
Least Flycatcher: 2
American Goldfinch: 1
Cedar Waxwing: 2
Yellow Warbler: 2
Vesper Sparrow: 4
Song Sparrow: 1
Savannah Sparrow: 15
House Wren: 1
Rock Pigeon: 1
House Sparrow: 4
Mule Deer: 4
Survey Date: May 31, 2009
#Participants: 8
Duration: 10:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Weather: AM: sunny, +8C, winds NW20km/h.
PM: heavy cloud cover, +14C, winds gusting NW40-50km/h
Sightings: 43 species
Redtail Hawk: 3
Swainson’s Hawk: 1
Canada Geese: 12
Mallards: 17
American Wigeon: 9
Shoveler: 3
Blue-wing Teal: 7
Common Goldeneye: 1
Bufflehead: 1
Lesser Scaup: 9
Willet: 3
Avocet: 6
Spotted Sandpiper: 1
Black-bellied Plover: 200+ – possibly Golden-Plovers
Marbled Godwit: 6
Killdeer: 3
Peeps: approx. 25 unidentified due to distance & weather conditions
Ring-billed Gulls: 2
Black Terns: 5
Ravens: 1
Crow: 10
Black-billed Magpie: 9
Common Grackle: 2
Brewer’s Blackbird: 15
Red-wing Blackbird: 28 at Nature Center- some elsewhere
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2
Starling: 10
Northern Flicker: 3
Least Flycatcher: 1
American Goldfinch: 2
Mountain Bluebird: 3
Robin: 3
Purple Martins: 3
Cliff Swallow: numerous
Tree Swallow: many
Barn Swallow: 5
Yellow Warbler: 3
Clay-coloured Sparrow: 3
Vesper Sparrow: 5
Savannah Sparrow: abundant
Song Sparrow: 2
House Sparrow: 1
May 27,2009
SPECIAL COUNT at Quarry -Ed Mah-Lim -shorebirds only
Black-bellied Plover: 400
Golden Plover: 50
Killdeer: 3
Avocet:15
Willet: 2
Spotted Sandpiper: 2
Marbled Godwit: 2
Ruddy Turnstone: 2
Red Knot: 10
Sanderling: 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 8
Least Sandpiper: 3
White-rump Sandpiper: 1
Baird’s Sandpiper: 6
Stilt Sandpiper: 4
Red-neck Phalarope: 4
Survey Date: May 24,2009
#Participants: 18
Duration: 10:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Weather: AM: sunny, +10C, winds NE10-15km/h
PM: increasing cloud, +20C, winds gusting NW25-30km/h
Sightings: 58 species
Northern Harrier: 1
Redtail Hawk: 6
Swainson’s Hawk: 2
Accipiter sp. either Cooper’s or Goshawk * unable to make positive ID
Canada Geese: 25
Mallard: 13
Northern Shoveler: 4
Gadwall: 7
American Wigeon: 6
Blue-wing Teal: 3
Common Goldeneye: 2
Bufflehead: 2
Lesser Scaup: 2
Eared Grebe: 2
Sora: 1 at Nature Centre Marsh
Avocet: 8
Willet: 7 + nesting
Marbled Godwit: 3
Baird’s Sandpiper: 4
Least Sandpiper: 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper: numerous
Black-bellied & Golden Plovers: mixed group of approx.100 birds
White-rump Sandpiper: 2
Red Knot: 4
Wilson’s Phalarope: 4
Red-neck Phalarope: 2
Long-billed Dowitcher: 1
Killdeer: 4
Black Tern: 6
Gull sp.: 1
Purple Martin: 18
Barn Swallow: 6
Tree Swallow: approx.40
Cliff Swallow: 20
Northern Flicker: 1
Ravens: 4
Crow: 15
Black-billed Magpie: 5
Red-wing Blackbird: 70
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 5
Common Grackle: 5
Brewer’s Blackbird: 9
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1
Robin: 1
Mountain Bluebird: 2 pair
Meadowlark: 3
Least Flycatcher: 1
Yellow Warbler: 2
Ruby-crown Kinglet: 1
Common Yellowthroat: 1 at Nature Centre Marsh
House Wren: 1
Black-cap Chickadee: 1
Savannah Sparrow: abundant
Vesper Sparrow: 9
Clay-coloured Sparrow: 2
LeConte’s Sparrow: 1
House Sparrow: 3
Survey Date: May 17,2009
#Participants: 14
Duration: 10:15AM – 3:15PM
Weather: AM: cloudy,+12,quickly clearing by noon, winds SE15km/h
PM: heavy cloud, winds gusting NW35-40km/h by survey end
Sightings: 58 species
Northern Harrier: 1
Red-tail Hawk: 11 + nest
Swainson’s Hawk: 3
Kestrel: 1
Merlin: 1 male (Boreal or Taiga race)
Canada Geese: 20
Mallard: 14
American Wigeon: 4
Gadwall: 9
Blue-wing Teal: 5
Northern Shoveler: 10
Redhead: 4
Canvasback: 1
Common Goldeneye: 2
Bufflehead: pair
Lesser Scaup: 2
Lesser Yellowlegs: 7
Willet: 7 + nesting
Avocet: 12 + nesting
Spotted Sandpiper: 1
Solitary Sandpiper: 2
Marbled Godwit: 4
Wilson’s Snipe: 2
Dowitcher sp.: 12
Wilson’s Phalarope: 3
Killdeer: 5
Golden Plover: 6
Black-bellied Plover: 60+
Sora: 2
Ring-billed Gull: 10
Franklin Gull: 1
Raven: 3
Crow: 10
Black-billed Magpie: 9
Purple Martin: 12
Tree Swallow: 21
Barn Swallow: 6
Cliff Swallow: 10
Robin: 1
Mountain Bluebird: 2 pair
Brown-headed Cowbird: 7
Red-wing Blackbird: 65
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2
Brewer’s Blackbird: 12
Common Grackle: 12
Starlings: 4
American Pipit: 1
Horned Larks & Lapland Longspurs: mixed flock of approx. 600
Black-cap Chickadee: 1
Clay-coloured Sparrow: 1
Song Sparrow: 1
Savannah Sparrow: abundant
Vesper Sparrow: 9
White-crown Sparrow: 1
House Sparrow: 4
Survey Date: May 10, 2009
#Participants: 12
Duration: 10:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Weather: AM: sunny, +5C, winds light, PM: +19C, some cumulus clouds, brief shower, winds 20km/h
Sightings: 52 species
Northern Harrier: 1
Cooper’s Hawk: 1
Redtail Hawk: 15
Swainson’s Hawk: 4
American Kestrel: 1pair. mating,( near Amisk Cr. bridge), corner of #626
Canada Geese: 32
Tundra Swan: 1
Mallard: 19
Shoveler: 15
Gadwall: 4
Blue-wing Teal: 3
Green-wing Teal: 1
Common Goldeneye: 2
Bufflehead: 1 pair
Red-neck Grebe: 2
Sandhill Cranes: group of 22 seen, another group heard
Lesser Yellowlegs: 8
Solitary Sandpiper: 2
Spotted Sandpiper: 2
Pectoral Sandpiper: 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 8
Dowitcher sp. : 6
Marbled Godwit: 3
Willet: 3
Semipalmated Plover: 2
American Avocet: 17
Killdeer: 2
Black-bellied Plover: 2
Golden Plover: 1
California Gull: 1
Ring-billed Gull: several hundred in field next to the Quarry
Franklin Gull: 50+ at same location as above
Raven: 1
Crows: 12
Black-billed Magpie: 8
Starlings: 10
Brown-headed Cowbird: 1
Brewer’s Blackbird: 12
Red-winged Blackbird: 40
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 4
Common Grackle: 5
American Robin: 3
Mountain Bluebird: 3
Northern Flicker: 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 1
Tree Swallow: 30
Purple Martin: 8
Song Sparrow: 1
Vesper Sparrow: 4
Savannah Sparrow: abundant
Rock Pigeon: 2
House Sparrow: 4
Survey Date: May 03,2009
#Participants: 14
Duration: 10:30 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Weather: sunny, +10 to +20C, winds SE 30km/h & gusting
Sightings: 45 species
Northern Harrier: 2
Redtail Hawk: 5+nests
Kestrel: 1
Canada Geese: 43
Snow Geese: 8
Mallards: 22
Northern Shoveler: 46
American Wigeon: 4
Green-wing Teal: 30
Blue-wing Teal: 1
Pintail: 2
Common Goldeneye: 1
Bufflehead: 4
Lesser Scaup: 1
Great Blue Heron: 1 on nest
Sandhill Cranes: many thousand flying just east of Tofield in AM, too many to estimate numbers!
Marbled Godwit: 2
Willet: 1
Greater Yellowlegs: 2
American Avocet: 8
Pectoral Sandpipers: group of 12 (ID based on habitat as we were looking into the light)
Killdeer: 3
Common Snipe: 3
Coot: 2
Ravens: 8
Crows: 15
Black-billed Magpie: 14
Starling: 33
Northern Flicker: 3
Ring-billed Gull: 5
Franklin Gull: 2
Robin: 3
Mountain Bluebird: 2
Common Grackle: 6
Red-wing Blackbird: 25
Brewer’s Blackbird: 1
Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1
Black-cap Chickadee: 2
Purple Martin: 3
Tree Swallow: 8
Vesper Sparrow: 1
Savannah Sparrow: 5
Lapland Longspurs: 25
Snow Buntings: 10
House Sparrow: 3
Mule Deer: 5 (Coyote Auto Salvage) Rge.Rd. 185 & Twp. Rd. 504
Whitetail Deer: 3
* Prairie Crocus starting to bloom at above location.
Survey Date : April 26, 2009 – # 5
#Participants : 4
Duration: 10:15 AM – 1:10 PM
Weather : AM: overcast , O C, winds light SW , PM:intermittent snow squalls , +3C, winds 25km/h
Sightings : 40 species.
Northern Harrier: 10
Redtail Hawk: 10
Swainson’s Hawk: 2
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Merlin: 3
Hawk sp: 10
Canada Geese: 82 also one pair using a Great Blue Heron nest at east end of Kallal Meadows
Snow Geese: approx.1000
Tundra Swans: 206
Mallard: 33
Pintail: 1
American Wigeon: 42
Northern Shoveler: 4
Green-wing Teal: 4
Ring-neck Duck: 2
Common Goldeneye: 6
White Pelican: 12
Double-crested Cormorant: 1
Great Blue Heron: pair on nest east end of Kallal Meadows
American Avocet: 3
Lesser Yellowlegs: 1
Killdeer: 1
Common Snipe: 1
Sandhill Cranes: approx. 400 in field
gull sp: 55
Ring-billed Gull: 1
American Coot: 1
Red-winged Blackbird: 49
Common Grackle: 9 Nature Centre Marsh
Starlings: 207 + large flocks
Ravens: 1
Crows: 49
Black-billed Magpie: 31
Mountain Bluebird: 1 pr.
Robins: 33 migrating
Northern Flicker: 2
Tree Sparrow: 3
Dark-eyed Junco: 6 in flock
House Sparrow: 6
Snow Buntings: flock of approx. 250
**Note: 9 Raptor species were confirmed for the Beaverhill Lake area as well as 2 other species in which
positive ID was not made.
Survey Date: April 19,2009 – #4
#of Participants: 8
Duration: 10:30 AM -1:45PM
Weather: AM- mainly sunny, -1C , winds S10km/h, PM: cloudy patches, 12C, winds W25km/h
Sightings: 24 species
Redtail Hawk: 11
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Canada Geese: 20
White-fronted Geese: 70
Tundra Swan: 8
Mallard: 60
American Wigeon: 10
Green-winged Teal: 5
Common Goldeneye: 5
Bufflehead: 2
Great Blue Heron: 2 + several nests
White Pelican: 1
Killdeer: 1
Tree Swallow: 1
Ring-billed Gull: 1
Ravens: 2
Crows: 35
Magpie: 20
Red-winged Blackbird: 6
Common Grackle: 4
Starlings: 2
Horned Larks: 2
Robins: 2
House Sparrow: 6
Porcupine: 1
Survey Date: April 12,2009 – #3
#of Participants: 15
Duration: 10:25 AM – 1:45 PM
Weather: +4C to +10C, mainly sunny, winds NW 20 gusting to 30km/h
Sightings: 27 species
Northern Harrier: 1
Rough-legged Hawk: 2
Redtail Hawk: 10 including 2 pair working on new nest or reusing an existing one
Canada Geese: 133
Snow Geese: huge flock of many thousand birds ( too distant to estimate numbers)
Mallard: 13
American Wigeon: 4
Northern Shoveler: 3
Common Goldeneye: 10
Great Blue Heron: 1
Raven: 10
Crow: 25
Magpie: 25
Starlings: 88
Gray Partridge: pair
Northern Flicker: 1
Mountain Bluebird: pair
American Robin:1
Bohemian Waxwing: 6
Dark-eyed Junco: 7
Tree Sparrow: 3
Horned Larks: 4
Gull sp.: 8
Ring-billed Gull: 2
Rock Pigeon: 1
House Sparrow: 8
Mule Deer:8
Survey Date: April04,2009 – #2
# of Participants: 1
Duration: 10:oo AM – 12:15 PM
Weather: overcast, with light fog clearing mid-morning, -3C, winds SE 15km/h
Sightings: (10 species)
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Canada Geese: 26
Starlings: 32
Raven: 1
Crows: 37
Magpie: 18
Northern Shrike: 1
Black-capped Chickadee: 1
Horned Larks: 3
House Sparrow: 6
Other Sightings:
White-tailed Deer: 2
Survey Date: March 29, 2009 – Survey #1
# of Participants: 3
Weather: Sunny, -8° to -3°C, wind NNW 15-20 km/h
Sightings: (11 species)
Rough-legged Hawk: 1
Horned Lark: 25
Snow Bunting: 110
Common Raven: 6
American Crow: 6
Northern Shrike: 1
Magpie: 24
European Starling: 8
Black-capped Chickadee: 1
Hairy Woodpecker: 1
House Sparrow: 8
Other Sightings:
Coyote: 2
Richardson’s Groundsquirrel: 3
Mule Deer: 3
