The first week of November has been terrible for raptor migration. Its been beautiful weather,but not condusive to birds of prey flying. A few of the gang has started winter birding while we wait for some better raptor days ahead. Walter and a few folks went to Rosetta Nov7 and Walter sent me the following report.
Finally Something!!!
Today started out with the local Red-Tailed Hawk unsuccessfully hunting pigeons up on top of the apartment building on Glen Everest. When I arrived at the Hawk Watch spot, I turned to the East and noticed him sitting in the big poplar tree in the corner of the park. After a 20 minute rest, he then swooped down at a Downy Woodpecker, unsuccessfully again! He returned to the tree and was starring down at a Black Squirrel as I returned to our Hawk Watch area. While I was talking to a lady about the raptors, the local RT flew out of the tree and came just over the fence in front of us and went for a Black Squirrel and just missed him as well, he then circled around the fruit trees and came right through barely clearing the fence less then 15 feet away. The lady was in disbelief...I said to her "that's the reason we're here, it's unbelievable what we see." Upon his return from an unsuccessful hunt to the West sometime later, the RT came screaming out of the sky "talons first" at the same Black Squirrel, and sure enough, missed again! He then turned and flew right in between myself and the "bird sucking" tree and then back over to the poplar tree again. Lee and I saw 2 Red-tails fly over the park low and we also watched the local and another Red-tail fly along the Bluffs heading westward. Another nice sighting for Lee and I was a Pileated Woodpecker which only paused for a short rest before flying across the park and out the other side. Anyway, not a busy day but interesting at times, here is today's report:
NH - 1
SS - 3
RT - 4
My thanks to Lee, Ann, Tim, and Peter for coming down and giving me reason to stay at the park longer today.....always a great time.
Today started out with the local Red-Tailed Hawk unsuccessfully hunting pigeons up on top of the apartment building on Glen Everest. When I arrived at the Hawk Watch spot, I turned to the East and noticed him sitting in the big poplar tree in the corner of the park. After a 20 minute rest, he then swooped down at a Downy Woodpecker, unsuccessfully again! He returned to the tree and was starring down at a Black Squirrel as I returned to our Hawk Watch area. While I was talking to a lady about the raptors, the local RT flew out of the tree and came just over the fence in front of us and went for a Black Squirrel and just missed him as well, he then circled around the fruit trees and came right through barely clearing the fence less then 15 feet away. The lady was in disbelief...I said to her "that's the reason we're here, it's unbelievable what we see." Upon his return from an unsuccessful hunt to the West sometime later, the RT came screaming out of the sky "talons first" at the same Black Squirrel, and sure enough, missed again! He then turned and flew right in between myself and the "bird sucking" tree and then back over to the poplar tree again. Lee and I saw 2 Red-tails fly over the park low and we also watched the local and another Red-tail fly along the Bluffs heading westward. Another nice sighting for Lee and I was a Pileated Woodpecker which only paused for a short rest before flying across the park and out the other side. Anyway, not a busy day but interesting at times, here is today's report:
NH - 1
SS - 3
RT - 4
My thanks to Lee, Ann, Tim, and Peter for coming down and giving me reason to stay at the park longer today.....always a great time.
Including todays 8 birds our November total is 18. 10 birds were seen Nov1. This brings our season total to 3868. The next day that holds any promise may be Wednesday(strong west winds),and Thursday there was a Northeast wind predicted,so I will try both of them and see what comes. Its believed that there are still a good number of Redtails to come yet,from northern Quebec and northern Ontario. With luck winds will blow them down to Rosetta for us to see.
