Bird enthusiasts flock to Hawkwatch
Hundreds of people spread their wings and flocked to the 28th annual Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch on Friday afternoon.
Held at Beamer Conservation Area in Grimsby, there were lessons on migration, activities for kids, vendors and chances for visitors to get up close with various creatures.
Matthew Morgan, a wildlife trainer and educator with the Canadian Raptor Conservancy, said the popular gathering is a great event at a site that’s rich in many types of fowl.
“This is just the right time and place to see a lot of them — it’s really awesome,” said Morgan after a presentation with live birds, his golden eagle Sasquatch drawing plenty of attention and curiosity.
As birds of prey are highly elusive and rare to see in the open wild, Morgan said he enjoys fielding questions and letting people get an intimate glimpse of the birds he had with him.
“They’re tricky to find because they like to keep to themselves,” he said.
“This allows people to get a closer look and gain a better appreciation of them.”
In Niagara there is a large population of owls, hawks and falcons — partially attributed to it being surrounded by water.
“Niagara, specifically, is a very good area for birds of prey,” Morgan said.
Mike Street, lead organizer of the Hawkwatch said there are an estimated 15,000 birds of prey in Niagara, comprising 15 species.
Street also said most birds that arrive in Niagara once warm weather arrives have migrated from such places as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
The Good Friday event was established in 1990 in an effort to promote the enjoyment of hawk watching, 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.