Below is some news from our friends at Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. The above photo by Mike Davis was taken at last year’s Beamer Hawkwatch. And see his amazing landscape view from the Niagara Escarpment at Beamer, in the Spring issue, available in the community now.
Grab your binoculars and a camera and come out to your Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby to celebrate the fact that spring has sprung. Join the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch team on Friday, March 29th for the Good Friday Open House and some spectacular views of the migratory birds of prey. This annual event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will feature live hawk demonstrations, talks on the hawk migration, a children’s program and nature club displays. For visitor convenience the catering service Pik Up Stix of Grimsby, will be on site.
The migration trends of birds of prey serve as a valuable biological indicator of ecosystem health. Celebrating its 39th year, the Hawkwatch has been an exciting and treasured event within the Niagara Region. Our unique ecosystem has provided a special nesting territory for these magnificent species here in Canada. This event would not be possible if it weren’t for our many volunteers from the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch who have been leading this effort since 1990.
On average 15,000 birds of prey pass over the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area each spring including Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and 13 other species travelling from South and Central America, the Caribbean and the United States to their nesting territories in Canada. Last year brought an unusual visit by a Mississippi Kite, a graceful southern species that rarely occurs in Ontario. Join us and find out what surprises 2013 will bring. More birds of prey are expected now through mid-May.
Renowned as the best vantage point in the Niagara Peninsula to observe the annual spring migration, Beamer also offers visitors hiking trails and one of the most spectacular views of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario landscape, as well as nature and wildlife habitat viewing at this Conservation Area. On most days one can see the skyline and mist from Niagara Falls and the skyline of Toronto from the overlooks on the Escarpment edge.
For directions or more information visit our website at www.npca.ca.
