Festival of Hawks
Schools: September 21st, 2007 (registration required)
General Public: September 22nd & 23rd, 2007
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Holiday Beach Conservation Area Festival of Hawks

Special Event

Amazing Race Birding Odyssey
Featured at Festival of Hawks!

See the Hawk Festival Brochure!

2007 HBMO Almanac

Hawk ID Chart
 

 Festival of Hawks 2007  

Take part in raptor banding and songbird banding demonstrations and adoptions, guided hawk watching, Monarch tagging, dip-netting programs in the pond, butterfly catching, dragonfly and amphibian hikes, hawk identification workshops, food concession, children's nature crafts, scavenger hunt and nature sales booth.

See the Hawk Festival flyer for event schedule of workshop and hike activities.


See you at the Hawk Tower!
For great Fall migration viewing of hawks, eagles, ospreys and vultures, join the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory at weekends on the Hawk Tower. Hawk and Songbird banding demonstrations and adoptions take place at the tower most weekends in September through November.


Festival of Hawks


The Hawk Tower

Festival of Hawks

Hawk Tower
Click Here, or on the photo above to see a panoramic photo from atop of the Hawk Tower.
The Festival of Hawks is a celebration of the annual fall migration spectacle. Thousands of hawks migrate through Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Amherstburg, Essex County, Ontario.

Best Viewing Days
Occurs when there is a gentle northerly "tail-wind".

Best Viewing Times
Main migration is from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Festival Highlights
Hawk and Songbird banding demonstrations, Monarch tagging, tower viewing, workshops, dragonfly walk, nature crafts and scavenger hunt for kids...scroll down for more details.

Live Great Horned Owl and hawks can be viewed near the Festival tent. The owl is imprinted and cannot return to the wild. The hawks are falconry birds raised from eggs.

(Note: Live bird programs are dependent on weather and the birds.)


Directions

 Useful Telephone Numbers

Holiday Beach Conservation Area is in Ontario, Canada just a 40 minute drive from the Detroit/Canada bridge. To get to Holiday Beach from Windsor's bridge take Huron Church road to Howard Avenue all the way to Lake Erie. Turn west on County Road 20 to Malden Centre, then turn south on County Road 50 to the Conservation Area entrance. For rates and information on special events please phone (519) 736-3772. Essex Region Conservation Authority Office
(519) 776-5209 extension 308

Holiday Beach Conservation Area
(519) 736-3772

Windsor Weather
(519) 255-7743

Raptor Migration

  

Statistics
 Hawks by the Thousands
Southwestern Ontario has a funnelling effect on migrating raptors due to the geography of the nearby lakes. Most raptors are reluctant to cross large bodies of water. Birds gain altitude over the flat farmland to the north and east rising easily with the thermals that cross it, turning west. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lakeshore and move west until they reach the narrow crossing at the Detroit River. In a single autumn season more than 100,000 raptors soar over the Hawk Tower.

 Birds You May See
16 years of observations suggest Holiday Beach Conservation Area is the premier North American site for observing large numbers of hawks, vultures and other families of birds in migration on a predictable basis. In 1988, counters tabulated their 1,000,000th raptor. Each year close to one million non-raptor birds are also noted flying over the site. In most years more than 75,000 raptors are counted. The second week in September is the best time for large flights of Broad-winged Hawks. Golden Eagles are often seen on the north wind days in late October and early November.
 
Peak Dates and Average Numbers of Raptors
at Holiday Beach Conservation Area
Type of Raptor Yearly Average Peak Dates
Broad-winged Hawk 40,000 Sept. 12 to Sept. 20
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1,400 Sept. 12 to Oct. 9
Red-tailed Hawk 6,000 Oct. 9 to Nov. 22
Turkey Vulture 10,000 Oct. 1 to Oct. 21
Kestrel 3,000 Sept. 2 to Oct. 9
Red-shouldered Hawk 800 Oct. 10 to Nov. 20
Northern Harrier  500 Sept. 2 to Nov. 28
Cooper's Hawk 450 Sept. 15 to Oct. 28
Rough-legged Hawk 150 Oct. 28 to Nov. 28
Osprey 100 Aug. 30 to Oct. 3
Northern Goshawk 25 Oct. 1 to Nov. 20
Golden Eagle 30 Oct. 17 to Nov. 21
Bald Eagle 50 Aug. 30 to Nov. 12
Merlin 25 Sept. 13 to Oct. 17
Peregrine 15 Sept. 19 to Oct. 6
 What to Bring
Good binoculars, sun glasses, warm clothes and a field guide are basic requirements for migration watching. Expert volunteers are usually present to help identify birds with which you may be unfamiliar.


 

 The Migration Census

 History
No doubt migrant birds have thronged the skies over Holiday Beach for millenia. Casual observers have recorded large numbers of hawks at this and nearby sites since the 1960's. More systematic observations began in the 1970's when it became evident that hawks, and other birds were experiencing dramatic poulation declines due to pesticides like DDT. A national organization, the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMNA) was formed to coordinate studies and observations across the continent. Since 1974, volunteer observers have been present with increasing regularity and in increasing numbers. We are approaching our goal of continuous observation and study during all daylight hours of days when migration is taking place. The information collected is analyzed locally and in cooperation with HMNA to help learn more about bird migration and populations.
 
 Holiday Beach Migration Observatory
HBMO
The Holiday Beach Migration Oservatory (HBMO) was founded in 1986 as a way to broaden the goals of the raptor studies to include public education, site improvement, conservation and broader scientific study of the migration phenomena in this area. The 40 foot observation tower at the site was erected in 1988 as a direct result of HBMO efforts.
 Observing the Migration
Migration observation is concentrated from August to December. Most activity is observed between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm. Volunteer counters from the HBMO attempt to record the numbers of all migrant species that pass over the site while also noting the status of resident populations of species such as Bald Eagles, Egrets, Cormorants, Ducks, Gulls, Terns and Swallows. Virtually any day of the fall some migrant hawks will be seen, but the best days for observation occur when there is a northerly wind and the weather is changing from warm to cooler. Rain generally reduces migration while impending storms sometimes increase the number of birds. Most birds pass over the site from east to west island hopping across the Detroit River before turning south along the west shore of Lake Erie. The tower at the southwest corner of Holiday Beach Conservation Area is where most counting is done.
 
 Raptor Migration Census Data
Please Note: All current and historical raptor migration census data can now be found at the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) website.

Please click the link below to access the data:


HBMO Raptor Migration Census Data


 

 Related Links

Holiday Beach Conservation Area Ontario BirdingOntario Birding
linkHawk Mountain Sanctuary (Pennsylvania) Ontbirds Local Bird Sightings
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (Michigan) BirdSource: Autumn Hawk Watch
  Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA)

Thanks to our partners who have supported the Festival of Hawks:

 Holiday Beach Migration Observatory
Essex County Field Naturalists Club
Point Pelee National Park


 

 Media Contact

Danielle Stuebing
Coordinator of Marketing & Community Relations
Essex Region Conservation Authority
360 Fairview Avenue West
Essex ON   N8M 1Y6   Canada
Phone: (519) 776-5209 ext. 352
Fax: (519) 776-8688
E-mail: dbreault@erca.org
 

 Season's Pass

For great savings and to support Hillman Marsh, Holiday Beach and the John R. Park Homestead Conservation Areas, buy a "Season's Pass" for only $45.00. Contact the ERCA office for details.