- HikeType Passport to Nature
- PaceTypes ,Leisurely - 3km/hr or less,Medium - 3 to 4 km/hr
- TerrainTypes ,Easy - Mostly flat and usually good footing,Moderate - Some hills and/or some poor footing
- PaidOuting No
Registration Required:
Click here to register for this hike (15 spots remaining)
Hosting Club: Iroquoia
Category: Passport to Nature
Location (Google Maps): Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
Hike Leader(s): Shayne Ward Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)
Pace: Leisurely - 3km/hr or less, Medium - 3 to 4 km/hr
Terrain: Easy - Mostly flat and usually good footing, Moderate - Some hills and/or some poor footing
Distance: 5-7KM
Description
Every spring, thousands of hawks, eagles, and vultures travel north along the Niagara Escarpment, and Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby is one of the best places to watch them go by. Join the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club and Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch for a special morning of hiking and hawk watching!
We’ll follow the white blazes of the main Bruce Trail through the escarpment forest to the Beamer hawk tower, where volunteers have been counting spring migrants for more than 50 years. Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch will share how and why raptors follow this route, how the count works, and how to identify birds high overhead. Then we’ll spend some time scanning the skies for Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles, and other early-season migrants before looping back to the parking lot.
This is a great outing for birders of all experience levels — bring your binoculars if you have them, or just come curious! No binoculars?! IBTC has loaners for this hike provided by NOCS Provisions!
This hike is part of the Passport to Nature, you will receive a sticker for your Passport: Collect 4 stickers and get a badge, collect 9 different colour stickers and receive a BTC store gift card.
🌈 This is a queer-led, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive hike, welcoming LGBTQ+ hikers, allies, birders, photographers, and anyone interested in connecting with nature and community. This is a short, relaxed hike (approx. 6km) designed to get us moving and birding!
What to Bring
- Water and light snacks
- Weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear
- Binoculars or camera if you have them (optional but fun! And a cell phone counts!)
🚗 🚌 This outing is accessible by car.
Parking and admission to the conservation area is free. Parking is off Quarry Road, Grismby, Ontario.
Transit?
The park can be accessed by VIA Rail or GO Train to Grimsby and a 40-ish minute walk and is not easily accessible via public transit.
Not a Bruce Trail member yet?! Sign up here: https://brucetrail.org/become-a-member/