Aug 28th 13 Raptors On A Blustery Day

It seemed more like an October day,then an end of August day. It was windy and overcast. Walter,Ann,Carol,Beryl,Lee,Dave and Colin(Niloc) joined me today,on a day when several birds literally blew by very quickly. I did manage a decent silhouette shot of an Osprey and a Redtailed Hawk that landed atop a tree and rested for 10minutes or so before carrying on.

Todays totals were:

4-Osprey

1-Bald Eagle(adult..2:25pm)

3-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-Coopers Hawk

2-Redtailed Hawks

2-American Kestrels

13-Total Raptors

Sunday and Monday both have a chance to be great days for raptors. Watch for those Northwest winds,keeping in mind it is still August. We have had great turnouts which really makes the watch even more enjoyable.

Aug 27 16 Raptors,3 more Osprey

Today was a typical August count,16 is a respectable number. Our total included 3 Osprey..2 that Ann spotted,one later circled above us.

Today We Saw:

3-Osprey

4-Northern Harriers

4-Sharpshinned Hawks

2-Redtailed Hawks

3-American Kestrels

16-Total Raptors

Thanks to Dave we saw 2 Great Crested Flycatchers and a Red-necked Grebe.

Aug 26 Best Day In August Ever...71 Raptors 5 Bald Eagles

Walter and I met at about 715am shortly before it began to rain. It finally stopped for about the 3rd time around 10am. Shortly after,the sky cleared and the birds started to come. Again northwest winds brought out many watchers who all enjoyed some of the days record 71raptors. Gunner,Beryl,Lee,Dave,Peter and Murray all joined Walter and I . Everyone really enjoyed the day. We saw 5 Bald Eagles,which were definetly the highlight of the day. 2 came through together,both juveniles. At 1:10pm an adult Bald Eagle flew by close enough to view it naked eye,later at 2:35pm another adult Bald Eagle went over the park.

Not the best shot but its all I could do. We added 7 Osprey to our seasons tally. Remarkably we saw 11 out of 11 species that could normally be expected to be seen this time of year. We saw:
10-Turkey Vultures
7-Osprey
5-Bald Eagles(Juveniles at 12:40pm and 2 at 1:25pm,Adults at 1:10pm and 2:35pm)
3-Northern Harriers
11-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk(plus the local)
12-Broadwinged Hawks
8-Redtailed Hawks
12-American Kestrels
1-Merlin
1-Peregrine Falcon
71-Total
This total has been updated to reflect 8 Turkey Vultures Carol saw, after I left. Too many records fell today for me to keep track of. In my month end summary I will make note of them all. The seasons total is now 150. We are off to a great start. Thanks to everyone for their spotting help and commraderie.

Family Raptor Day At Cranberry Marsh Sept 3 2009

Central Lake Ontario Conservation and our raptor watching friends at Cranberry Marsh are taking part in their first Family Raptor Day and I wanted to post this message to show our support of the good folks out at Cranberry Marsh. There will be displays,a great handout filled with raptor information,prizes, a raffle and much more. Of course volunteers will be offering identification tips. All of the information can be found at http://www.cloca.com/2009/Family%20Raptor%20Viewing%20Day/index.htm . There are 3 presentation times 9-11am,1-3pm and 6-8pm. If you attend,tell em BIGFRANK sent ya. I am hoping to get at least one vehicle load of Rosetta raptor watchers to go and show our support. It looks like it will be fun and informative. Please let any family and friends know,especially if they live in the area.

Aug 24 and 25 Some Nice Birds

Over the past couple of days,things have slowed down,but there have been some great birds. On the 24th,7 raptors were seen,including 3 Osprey. Today,Walter and I saw 3 different Peregrines,2 were males..different ones for sure because one had a feather missing from its tail. Today at 12:30pm we had our first Bald Eagle of the season,a juvenile which flew east to west. At 12:51pm the same bird flew past going west to east. Birds seen over the 2 days were:
3-Osprey
1-Bald Eagle
3-Northern Harriers
1-Sharpshinned Hawk
1-Redtailed Hawk
3-Peregrine Falcons

This brings the season total to 79. The next 2 days have potential to be good days for August,again I remind folks August is slow,so a good day in August is something around 20 BOPS. Watch for a north component in the wind.
I invite everyone who wants to follow things even closer to join us on the Rosetta McClain Gardens Discussion Board. There we discuss everything thats being seen. With fall migration underway,the board will be more active again. Please join in and let us know what you are seeing,animals,bugs or birds. The link is to the right side of this page.

August 23 And So It Really Begins 42 Raptors

Today was the first day in August with a good North wind and not alot of heat,so this brought both birders and birds. Walter,Carol,Ann,Colin,Peter,Frank,Alice and I enjoyed a terrific day. Highlights included a nice look at an early Broadwinged Hawk,an American Kestrel that landed in a Pine Tree while alarm calling,before carrying on and an Osprey being harrassed by 2 Sharpshinned Hawks. There were more Monarch Butterflys the we have seen this season so far,hundreds/thousands maybe of Dragonflies filling the air and well over 100 Chimney Swifts. The Swifts were moving west to east which seemed strange,if anyone knows if they migrate different then most birds please let me know.

Todays Totals

1-Turkey Vulture

7-Osprey

2-Northern Harriers

4-Sharpshinned Hawk

1-Coppers Hawk

3-Broadwinged Hawks

16-Redtailed Hawks

6-American Kestrels

2-Peregrine Falcons

42-Total Raptors

This brings the season total to 67

Keep your eyes on the weather reports and watch for those North element winds.