Significant Changes for Holiday Beach Festival of Hawks

Bald Eagles, Monarch butterflies, dragonflies, Hummingbirds, and magnificent hawks can be witnessed at the migration spectacle that is the Festival of Hawks at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. This year, the festival has increased programming and hikes over a consecutive three day period. Holiday Beach Festival of Hawks is held in partnership with the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) and this year, a complementary event will be held at Point Pelee National Park on September 21, 22, and 23 from 9am until 4pm.

Volunteer counters from the HBMO record the numbers of all migrant species that pass over the site while also noting the status of resident populations of Bald Eagles, Egrets, Cormorants, Ducks, Gulls, Terns, Swallows and other species. Holiday Beach Conservation Area was dedicated an Important Bird Area (IBA) of global significance in the year 2000 because of its significant as a migration route. Southwestern Ontario funnels migrating raptors along the shore of the Great Lakes. Reluctant to cross large bodies of water, hawks gain altitude over the farmlands, rising easily with the thermals. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lakeshore moving west until they reach the narrowest cross point of the Detroit River at Holiday Beach. In a single autumn season, more than 100,000 raptors soar over the Hawk Tower.

Morning is the best time to view raptors as they rise higher in the air currents. During the Festival of Hawks, see raptors, songbirds and sometimes monarchs and hummingbirds up close in banding and release demonstrations. "You might also catch a glimpse of a rare jewel," says Bev Wannick, Conservation Educator. "Several pairs of Prothonotary warblers, a nationally endangered species, are known to nest at Holiday Beach Conservation Area." Participate in a migration scavenger hunt, kids crafts, the dragonfly hike, or adopt a Monarch butterfly during the afternoon tagging demonstrations. There will be many educational presentations throughout the day, and this year, the Festival also intends to feature a designated area with nature related informational products and services. From backyard birders to experts, there is something for everyone at the Festival of Hawks. See you on the Tower!