Sept 13 South Winds..Slow Day 54...YTD 1128

Today was exactly what I expected. Winds shifted to the south and the skies were painfully blue. Spotting in a purely blue sky,it is tough to see the raptors and rough on the eyes. The morning was abit busier then the afternoon,as after a big day like yesterday,a decent "upflight"(birds that stopped overnite nearby)can be expected. Again Sharpshinned Hawks were the most commonly seen raptor followed closely by American Kestrels. A few Osprey were seen very well in the morning also. A Merlin attacked a Sharp-shinned Hawk again today. Terry,Jaques,myself and later Tim saw :

1 Turkey Vulture
3 Osprey(ytd over 50)
1 Northern Harrier
26 Sharpshinned Hawk
20 American Kestrel
3 Merlin

Friday should be a better day for counting,with Saturdays forecast still looking great for a big movement of raptors again. Get to your favorite raptor watching site on Saturday if the predicted northwest winds hold true.

Sept 12 Raptorous Day 445...YTD 1075

Today,almost perfect conditions existed most of the day for a large movement of raptors. All southern Ontario raptor watches reported fantastic results. While Rosetta doesnt get the huge counts of other sites,we are blessed with some fantastic views that are as good as any U will get anywhere. The days count was predominantly Sharp-shinned Hawks. 63 Broadwinged Hawks(at least 50 were very close or reasonably close views) offered some terrific views,allowing me to point out various field marks to a few attending birders who are newish. The resident Coopers Hawk is very territorial and took runs at several Sharp-shinned Hawks. Low Sharpies blasted through the park through the trees,while others were along the lakeshore. By days end myself,carol,2 Eleanors,Ron,Susan and Leon enjoyed 445 raptors consisting of:

8 Osprey

1 Turkey Vulture

6 Northern Harrier

345 Sharp-shinned Hawk

3 Coopers Hawk

63 Broadwinged Hawk

7 Redtailed Hawk

11 American Kestrel

1 Merlin

Saturday still looks great for another big day.

Sept 11 TFN Visit Day Count 156..YTD 630

Today about a dozen members of the Toronto Field Naturalists joined Carol and I for some raptor watching. The weather was less than optimal at the beginning of the day,which unfortunatly meant things started very slow. With perseverence,an Osprey flew past very close offering a fantastic view. We did share a number of sightings of Sharp-shinned Hawks and Markus saw an American Crow attack a Broadwinged Hawk. A Merlin attacked a Sharpshinned Hawk too. As the last remaining TFN member left at 2pm,we had seen only 55 raptors. From 2pm-2:08pm (not a typo)Carol and I saw 31 Sharpshins,18 of which were in a messy kettle with one Coopers Hawk. Soon a few straggling TFN members arrived surprised to find us still on site and counting up a storm. Sharp-shinned Hawks were flying fast and furious,a few Broadwinged hawks(one attacked by the local Coopers Hawk),a few more Osprey,a few Kestrels and another Merlin attacking another Sharpie. In both cases the explosive speed of the Merlin was seen and marvelled at! At 4:30pm when things were finally packed in,156 raptors were seen.

1 Turkey Vulture

6 Osprey

1 Northern Harrier

126 Sharp-shinned Hawk

2 Coopers Hawk

4 Broadwinged Hawk

7 Redtailed hawk

5 American Kestrel

4 Merlin

Tomorrow and Saturday look very good if weather forecasts hold.

Sept 10 86 Raptors Today..YTD 474

Today,Carol and I strained alot to find many of the Sharpies. Keith dropped in for a short visit,but did see a few Sharpies. We had one group of 8 and later a group of 7 Sharp-shinned Hawks. The 86 raptors broke down this way
2 Osprey
2 Northern Harriers
78 Sharpshinned Hawks
1 Coopers Hawk
3 Redtailed Hawks

This was the best day of the season so far,with many more to come. Right now Saturday could be really good,but of course that forecast is subject to change.