12 Raptors..A Few Herons and A Storm

Thursday was a mixed bag,in the morning it was beautiful,Walter,Beryl,Carol,Pat,Nancy,Terry and I saw a few early raptors again. The skies darkened and a downpour happened about 130pm,stopping the raptors from migrating. A few low Turkey Vultures and Redtails gave us a taste of things to come. Before the deluge,which sent Walter running at full speed,which even shocked him,we saw:

Turkey Vutlures..........5

Bald Eagle...................1

Sharpshinned Hawk...2

Redtailed Hawk..........3

Peregrine Falcon........1

Season Total .............38

We also saw 3 Great Blue Herons and one Great Egret migrating. Peter was down at the park in the evening and saw 10 Common Nighthawks flying over the park in migration. Nice going Pete,generally we dont see many in daylight during raptor watch,so that was a good sighting!

Redtailed Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Angry Looking Sky

Watch Next Week For North Element Winds

Aug 17th we had 2 migrants,an Osprey early in the day and one American Kestrel.

As of right now(7pm Wed) there are 3 north element winds predicted,2 for next week. By north element I mean North,Northeast,Northwest winds,which are the best migration days very often. Next week being closer to September are more likely to bring a few more raptors. Keep an eye on the winds.

We had a report of an Eagle going by Rosetta on the 18th,which I have to verify,very likely an immature Bald Eagle. Enjoy Ann Brokelman's photos of yesterdays American Kestrel.

Aug 16th 3 Peregrines Plus Shots From Weekend Road Trips

Today,Walter,Carol,Pat,Nancy,Betty and I gathered to try our luck for more early migrating birds of prey. We were rewarded with a few Peregrine Falcons. The first circled over the lake before continuing onward. The next flew through the middle of the park,transferring food from its talons to its beak as it flew. A juvenile,Sharpshinned Hawk took a run at a Squirrel,not far from where Walter and I were watching from. It dove right infront of us and narrowly missed the squirrel. That is very ambitious for a Sharpie,but being young it just doesnt know that. A Northern Harrier flew along the shoreline below us later. A few American Kestrels flew by today also.

The final tally for Monday was 9:

American Kestrel..........3

Peregrine Falcon..........3

Sharpshinned Hawk....1

Northern Harrier.........1

Turkey Vulture............1

This brings our season total at the midpoint of August to an average August count of 24. Things should pick up abit over the next 2 weeks,leading up to September and the big days we so look forward to.

Over the weekend,Ann and I bopped around the edges of Toronto and viewed and photographed some co-operative raptors.

This young female American Kestrel sat nicely for us.

We drove along a small country highway and spotted this juvenile Turkey Vulture at the roadside. It was the first juvenile Turkey Vulture Ive taken a shot of.

Lastly this beautiful young Osprey at its nest,hoping an adult will come and feed it to save it the effort of hunting. We should start to observe a few migrating Osprey soon,as they leave early.

We can hardly wait for things to really get started up.