Wind (current)

Snowy Owl Invasion

This winter is an irruptive year for Snowy Owls. They are being seen all over southern Ontario and northeastern US border states. Every 3 or 4 years there is a die-off of their main prey,Lemmings. As a result more Snowy Owls than normal move south. This results in alot more human contact than usual,because so many people,most of us included wish to see and photograph them. I know the regular followers of this site follow good birding etiquette,but we have all heard the stories.Wherever you go this winter,to see a Snowy Owl,I hope you will enjoy sightings of Snowy Owls(or other species)but respect them,their space and the land owners.
Ive pinched alot of the following from our buddy Rob,of Rob and Angie,as I believe Rob said things very well. To see his posting on the same topic see his blog at http://robandtheanimals.blogspot.com/
Many of these Snowy Owls will arrive near starvation as many fly non-stop to where you find them,so allowing them the room and time to hunt is very important. Disturbing a bird that is hunting may do them out of a meal with terrible unintended results. Already several Snowy Owls have arrived at local bird and wildlife rehabilitation centres suffering from starvation. Sadly,some havent made it.
A 2nd issue is car strikes,while going after prey,so please be careful when out looking for owls. If you or someone you know comes into contact with an injured owl or otherwise distressed raptor,it is of utmost importance to get in touch with and transfer the animal to a licensed wildlife rehabiliator as soon as possible. This is in the very best interests of any wildlife you find and can mean the difference between life and death.
Please do not attempt rehabilitation of wildlife on your own. Communication with experienced, licensed rehabilitators is key to providing the best care for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Licensed rehabilitators have been specially trained for triage, convalescence and paliative care of wild animals.
Most provinces of Canada allow their citizens to hold onto wildlife for a maximum of 24 hours at which time the wildlife must be released or transferred to an authorized wildlife rehabilitator. It is illegal to maintain wildlife beyond this 24 hour limit without special permitting from the Ministry of Natural Resources. These regulations have been set in place to protect our native wildlife from typically well-meaning, but inexperienced people. Animals, especially those injured, sick or orphaned, require special care and medical needs that most people are unable, unwilling or too niave to provide properly.
If the bird you have found is showing signs of sickness or injury such as difficulty breathing, bleeding, stumbling, fractures or other trauma, the animal will require immediate medical attention. If you have trouble finding a local rehabilitator, consider contacting your local veterinarian. Many veterinarians can do simple, cheap procedures such as wing wrapping, pain relief and fluid therapy until a rehabilitator can be contacted.
BIGFRANK's note Try these places if the bird is in trouble:
Toronto Wildlife Centre
The Owl Foundation
The Canadian Peregrine Foundation 416-481-1233
(or me directly by email or phone(those with it) who will contact CPF staff) I hesitate to provide numbers,as these may periodically change,a quick search of the internet should provide U with what you need. Someone at these numbers should be able to help or direct you to help. For birders who are out frequently keeping the numbers handy may be worthwhile.
Lastly,the reason both Rob and I posted about the Snowy Owls...
Last Monday he and I got together and went in search of a Snowy Owl reported near where I live now in Schomberg,Ontario. It is only about 10km from me. We almost didnt bother going as the last report the owl was so far into a field even with a scope it was difficult to see. Being so close though we couldnt resist. We arrived and scoured the field with our binoculars,seeing nothing in the fields,but we both observed an interesting shape atop some white pipes a great distance away. We both agreed further investigation was merritted. From our vantage point we could see there was access down a secondary road which seemed should get us reasonably close to the Snowy Owls location. Indeed it did. We stopped short of where the owl was and got our cameras out. We each enjoyed the sighting and snapped a few photos. These are heavily cropped photos,so getting ridiculously close wasnt necessary. The bird eventually flew into a field,presumably after prey. It was a beautiful adult male Snowy Owl. Adult males are much whiter than more heavily marked females or juvenile birds.Enjoy,we sure did.
Beautiful Adult Male Snowy Owl

Special Report:Brunch Was Great...Thanks Lee!

On a cold Scarborough day, a group of the Raptor Watch faithful met up at Tucker’s Marketplace for brunch. Little did we know a few birds would follow!
The food was delicious and plentiful and we didn’t get thrown out even though we tested our waitress’ patience by switching seats whenever someone left so we could talk more.
I think this will become an annual event. It’s a nice, big location and there is a great variety of food, some of it even healthy! In the wise words of Ann, “the diet starts tomorrow”!!

SPECIAL INVITATION:Brunch Dec 11th

As has become tradition,all the Rosetta Raptor Watchers are invited to gather and enjoy some time together. Lee has asked me to post this message.

Hi everyone! I thought I’d organize an end of the season brunch where we can talk in comfort and without the constant interruption of calling out birds! It will be on this coming Sunday, December 11 at 11 am at Tucker’s Marketplace in Scarborough. It’s located at 880 Warden Avenue, just north of Eglinton on the west side.

If you can come, please post on the blog under the “comment” section of this entry or send me an email. If you don’t have my email address just let Frank know and he will tell me, because I don’t want to put my email address on the blog.

I just need to know how many people are coming so I can make the reservation.
Lee

Special Update:Peregrine Falcon ID'd

Back in October,Ann got some really good photos of a passing Peregrine Falcon. So good,you could read its band numbers. It had a black over red 79 over H band with a purple US Fish and Wildlife band on it. As the falcon was of this years young,records werent published online yet. Recently I saw a post on a falcon forum with information about a Peregrine with band numbers close to the one in Ann's photos. I inquired with the posters who are with Ohio DNR(similar to our Ministry of Natural Resources). They informed us that the Peregrine in question was from east Cleveland Ohio,from a nest at the Lakeshore Powerplant and that the staff there had named her Centeniel.They have been informed and are very pleased to know she was alive and well. Ann graciously allowed me to post the photos on the Ohio board and in a report on the Canadian Peregrine Foundation website. See the report and a couple of photos http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/w/2011/12/sightings/record-raptor-count-and-idd-peregrine/
From time to time this winter I will update the site,with great photos or interesting stories our watchers or readers submit. Please feel free to contribute observations or photos about hawks or owls or issues affecting either. It is an irruptive year for Snowy Owls so lets hope we can all get out and see some!

Special Post - The Final Numbers

Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch 2011
16 new records and 1 tied record - the result of everyone's involvement. Thank you all once again. Enjoy!

Turkey Vulture:
1866 - Best Year ever!
1726 (October) - Best Month ever!
774 (October 1st) - Best Day ever!

Osprey:
125 - 2nd best Year ever!

Bald Eagle:
67 - 2nd best Year ever!

Northern Harrier:
212 - 4th best Year ever!

Sharp-shinned Hawk:
1781 - 5th best Year ever!

Cooper's Hawk:
96 - 2nd best Year ever!
14 (October 1st) - Best Day ever!

Northern Goshawk:
20 - 3rd best Year ever!

Red-shouldered Hawk:
29 - Tied best Year ever!

Broad-winged Hawk:
757 - Best Year ever!
731 (September) - Best Month ever!
605 (September 16th) - Best Day ever!

Red-tailed Hawk:
858 - Best Year ever!
327 (November 4th) - Best Day ever!

Rough-legged Hawk:
9 - Tied 3rd best Year ever!

Golden Eagle:
5 - Tied 3rd best Year ever!

American Kestrel:
624 - 3rd best Year ever!
233 (October 1st) - Best Day ever!

Merlin:
130 - Best Year ever!
72 (October) - Best Month ever!
17 (October 17th) - Best Day ever!

Peregrine Falcon:
47 - 5th best Year ever!

All Birds:
6626 - Best Year ever!
3506 (October) - Best Month ever!
1305 (October 1st) - Best Day ever!

I found these closing comments on Ontbirds.com in the November 30th report from Bob Pettit of the Holiday Beach Hawk Watch:
"Reports are that Red-tails are hanging out north of Toronto and
elsewhere just 'waiting'."
and "I estimate 2,000-3,000 more Red-tails and 30 Golden Eagles (need the adults) could pass in December."
You might want to consider heading back down to the park if you have some time over the next couple of weeks on good northwest wind days...they might still be coming!

As this will be my last post I'd just like to say thanks again Frank for allowing me to conduct this year's Watch and also to run your blog site, it's been an absolute thrill for me from start to finish. I now hand the blog back over to you.

See you all again soon,
Walter

Special Post – They Came!

The Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch has now finished for another year. What a tremendous time it has been with lots of new people met and lots of new records set!


I would like to thank everyone for all of their efforts in making this the most successful RMG Raptor Watch ever. We had many days where spotting and identifying birds were really quite difficult but we did an excellent job all working together. The countless new people that we welcomed was impressive and most of them were quick to join in and start searching for birds right away. The endless camaraderie between old friends and new was extremely entertaining. Thanks to all those who were kind enough to bring food and drink to the Watch to share with others, it was very much appreciated by all. To those who brought cameras, scopes, and other viewing aids as well as those with exceptional eyesight, I can’t thank you enough as so many birds would have gone unseen or unidentified without your help. I'd also like to say a huge thank you to the park workers for their kind assistance and consideration which allows us to conduct the hawk watch at Rosetta McClain Gardens each year.

This year’s Watch was a little different in ways to the 3 previous years that I’ve attended. For example, it’s was much warmer temperature-wise throughout the fall and the lack of north winds was unusual. On numerous days the wind seemed to be from the south or southwest. To my surprise, it didn’t stop the birds from putting on some of the best aerial acrobatics we’ve ever witnessed. The local Red-tailed Hawks kept their presence known with several fly-bys almost daily. The close fly-bys along the bluffs of some of the other species like Broad-winged and Red-shouldered Hawks was spectacular. For me the best thing that I observed this year was the kettling of so many raptors. From Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks over the park to the large columns of distant Broad-winged Hawks to the north, the views were impressive to say the least! My best moment came on October 1st when for about five minutes straight I did nothing but write down birds that everyone else were calling out. Definitely our busiest time, I barely had time to turn and look up at the passing birds. When it finally slowed down again I turned only to see a whole new set of faces looking back at me…..I think we had roughly 30 hawk watchers on hand that day.

I take away so many fantastic memories of our time together enjoying these majestic creatures. Again, thank you everyone for such a wonderful time this fall season!

Walter

November 30th - Our Final Day!

I must apologize for not being able to attend our final day at the Watch. I'll bet the mid-day snow storm probably made viewing a little difficult. After the snow our last bird of the season was observed flying over the park, it was a Sharpie everybody!

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Total - 1

Final Count:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 212
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1781
Cooper's Hawk - 96
Northern Goshawk - 20
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 858
Rough-legged Hawk - 9
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 47
Total - 6626

At the park today were: BIGFRANK, Pat, Nancy, Terry 2, Gunnar, and Cori.

Walter

November 28th - Another 5 More!

With only a couple of days left for the Watch it was great for everyone at the park to see a few more birds fly over.

Today:
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Rough-legged Hawk - 1
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 212
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1780
Cooper's Hawk - 96
Northern Goshawk - 20
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 858
Rough-legged Hawk - 9
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 47
Total - 6625

Rough-Legged Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

The best non-raptor of the day was a Great Blue Heron. On the lake were hundreds upon hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks and Red-breasted Mergansers.

Hawk watchers today included: BIGFRANK, Pat, Nancy, Berle, Theresa, Peter, Terry 2, and Phil.

Walter

November 25th - 2 Accipiters

A Cooper's Hawk and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were all that was countable today. The local Red-tailed Hawk did a really nice slow flyby along the bluffs and the local Cooper's Hawk flew around to the north chasing the Pigeons as usual.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Total - 2

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 212
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1780
Cooper's Hawk - 95
Northern Goshawk - 20
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 855
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 47
Total - 6620

A small flock of ducks flew over the centre of the park today and my best guess would be that they were Scaup.

At the park today were: Pat, Nancy, Berle, Peter, Phil, Carol, and Allison.

Walter

November 23rd - Year Total Pushed To 6600+

A nice steady flow of hawks was observed over the park today, albeit somewhat slow. In all 32 birds came our way in the bright blue sky providing excellent views of many of the more northern Red-tails. They can have much darker markings on the underside of their bodies and wings. With today's sightings we've now pushed the 'Year' total to over 6600 raptors!

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 10
Northern Goshawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 19
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 32

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 212
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1779
Cooper's Hawk - 94
Northern Goshawk - 20
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 855
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 47
Total - 6618

Red-tailed Hawk

Many insects flying about the Watch today including a very late small dragonfly.

Hawk watchers today included: Carol, Ron, Berle, Cori, Theresa, Pat, Nancy, Phil, Ann, and Terry 2. Thankyou all for your help in spotting the birds up in the blue.

Walter

November 21st & 22nd - No Birds!

I was at the Watch today between 11:30AM - 1:00PM and saw nothing. Peter was there for about 45 minutes before I arrived and he had nothing to report either. Pat & Nancy joined me for about an hour before the cold damp air got to them. Ann arrived just in time to offer me a drive home - so kind of her. Tomorrow's weather prediction is for more NNE and ENE winds so we'll try again.

Walter

November 20th - 10 More Birds Today

A few close birds and a few distant birds today on north-west winds. Temps sure dropped as the afternoon sun set. Only 10 days to go folks!

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Total - 10

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 211
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1769
Cooper's Hawk - 94
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 836
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6586

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Turkey Vulture


Cooper's Hawk

Nothing to report from the non-raptor world today.

More birders than birds today with: Mike 3, Pat, Nancy, Cori, Ann, Phil, Berle, Tim, Gunnar, Mike 2, and Paul on hand.

Walter

November 18th - A Golden Day!

Big highlight of the day was the appearance of an adult Golden Eagle in the blue sky right in front of us. I don't recall ever seeing an adult before and if I did, it was never as good as this! Just gorgeous!!!

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Golden Eagle - 1 (adult 12:40)
Total - 7

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1865
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 210
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1767
Cooper's Hawk - 93
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 831
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6576

Red-tailed Hawk

Cooper's Hawk


Golden Eagle






Watchers today included: Mike 3, Ann, Berle, Pat, Nancy, Allison, Theresa, Gunnar, Cori, Phil, and Carol.

Walter

November 17th - Another New Record!!!

Wind was good, sky was good, cloud cover was good, bird migration was not so good! Having said that we did however manage to break another old count record. 828 Red-tailed Hawks has been the record since 2006, with the 5 Red-tails counted today our new 'Year' record sits at 830!

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Total - 9

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1865
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 209
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1765
Cooper's Hawk - 91
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 830
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 4
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6569

Today's non-raptor highlight was a small flock of White-winged Crossbills that stopped off for a snack before continuing their journey westward.

Friends on hand today included: Ann, Theresa, Berle, Cori, Terry 2, and Ron.

Walter

Special Post - My Raptor Mentor

I had to post this article,which appeared on Nov 12th in The London Free Press about Hawk Cliff and a man near and dear to me,my "raptor mentor" Colin Horstead.
While other watchers at High Park helped me along,during my initial forray into raptor watching,Colin "took me under his wing" as it were. He saw how keen I was and nutured it. He would take me aside and tell me what to look for and why a bird was what it was. The only reward he asked for was that I pass it on. He often jokes,"Ive taught you everything you know(dramatic pause)but not everything I know.",in his good natured manor. He took me out winters and we did road trips,so my crash course in raptor identification could continue even in off season. He took me to Beamer Memorial Park Hawk Watch(Niagara Pennisula Raptor Watch) several times each spring early on so Id keep learning. He took me to Hawk Cliff,by which time I was fairly skilled at identification and spotting. I owe Colin a great deal. Not only did he help me to be very proficient at raptor ID,but he became and remains a very valued and even cherish friend. Because of him I not only started the watch at Rosetta,but have met so many wonderful friends. Ive tried to honour the committment to Colin to "pay it forward",since then by teaching all I am able to the many new raptor watchers at Rosetta. Id like to think what he taught me is being passed on in a way he'd be proud of or at least satisfied with.

From The London Free Press
These hawks are no ‘dicky birds’
THE WORLD OUTDOORS

By PAUL NICHOLSON, Special to QMI Agency

Dave Brown's modest reference to the skilled and loyal corps of volunteer hawkwatchers at Hawk Cliff on Lake Erie east of Port Stanley is "the usual suspects."They scour the sky rain or shine, seven days a week, logging every raptor sighting from late August to November. Brown, who is based in Mitchell, co-ordinates schedules and publishes the detailed daily findings on the organization's website (search "Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch.") The Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch is one of about six Ontario hawkwatch sites west of Toronto and is one of about 200 sites in North America that are linked to the Hawk Migration Association of North America. The common goals are to conserve, study and appreciate raptors such as hawks and eagles.
The information gathering is a form of "citizen science" and takes advantage of observers such as Tom Bolohan, Ches Caister and Ronnie Goodhand to create a continentwide understanding of the status of raptor populations.An example of a population shift would be the recovery of bald eagles and peregrine falcons in Ontario after DDT was banned in the 1970s. As an umbrella organization, the Hawk Migration Association establishes standard methodologies for counts and is a focal point for research. Scientists also liaise directly with the Hawk Cliff crew, which has local data going back to 1974.
Jim Dunn was relied on to lead the daily count from late August, when this fall's migration started. From early September to early November, Colin Horstead was the lead counter. For the past five years, Horstead has been a lead counter with the Hawkwatch. He is a Torontonian, but he checks into the Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley for two months each fall.Asked about the roots of his interest in hawks, Horstead recently explained "Way, way back I was fishing on the Pickerel River. This would have been in the mid-1950s. There were ospreys around, but I didn't know what they were so I got my first bird book and found out." He has never looked back. "I got into the migration after I retired in 1992."
Perhaps because of those first osprey sightings, he does still focus on birds of prey. "I like the raptors. I just like to specialize. It's the type of person I am. I call everything else a 'dicky bird,' but I'm just joking." He confesses an admiration for those birders who are good at non-raptors. Mary Carnahan is one of the hawkwatchers who is relied on to report sightings of non-raptor species.
The balance of the migration that wraps up November 30 will be charted by Brown and the London-area watchers.Regarding this year's fall migration, Brown remarked "It's been an excellent season for birds, but a rotten season for weather." Said Horstead, "This year's been tough because of threatening rain," but tough or not, Horstead will return: "I'll be back next year. It's a passion." This sentiment reflects the remarkable commitment of all "the usual suspects."
Hawk Cliff sightings The golden eagles were again particularly good last Saturday. Some were soaring very high and others, including juveniles and adults, were lower and offered excellent views. More than 600 red-tailed hawks were also spotted, along with counts of red-shouldered and rough-legged hawks, turkey vultures, and other raptors. Great V's of honking tundra swans flew over periodically. They looked spectacular in the sun against the deep blue sky. Other sightings in the woods and thickets included yellow-rumped warblers, fox sparrows, pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers, a Northern shrike, cedar waxwings, Eastern bluebirds, rusty blackbirds and a purple finch.

November 16th - 4 More!

A very similar day to yesterday weather-wise and bird-wise. The wind was from the west once it kicked-up about mid-day.

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Total - 4

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1864
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 209
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1763
Cooper's Hawk - 90
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 825
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 4
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6560

24 species of birds counted in and around the park today including: Hairy Woodpecker, Red-necked Grebe, Common Goldeneye, and White-winged Scoter.

Hawk watchers today consisted of: Tony, Berle, Cori, Ron, Phil, Peter, Terry 2, and Ann.

Walter

November 15th - 4 Afternoon Birds

With overcast skies in the morning I didn't arrive to the park 'til just after 12:00PM and as I approached our Watch site the folks gathered were ID'ing their first bird of the day, an adult Northern Harrier way out over the lake. Shortly after that our next 2 birds appeared in the sky over the Gardens. It was over an hour before our fourth and final bird flew by. An incredibly nice afternoon weather-wise for mid-November.

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Total - 4

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1864
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 208
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1762
Cooper's Hawk - 90
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 823
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 4
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6556

A large gathering of Long-tailed Ducks spent the day out on the lake off of RMG.

At the park today were: Theresa, Pat, Nancy, Ann, Carol, Phil, Paul, and Cori. Oops, and Terry 2 too!

Walter

Special Post: Toronto Parks Plan Survey

Les emailed me and suggested this. I did the survey and it doesnt take long. The Parks, Forestry and Recreation department of the City of Toronto is holding meetings for a new five-year parks plan. You can also go to www.toronto.ca/parks/parksplan to fill out a survey. As bird and nature lovers we should let them know what is important to us. Be sure to do a complete list of parks you've been to,I know for some of us that is pretty lengthy. Will it be listened to? The least we can do is have our say.

Frank

November 13th - Got Us Again!!!

With south wind all day we sat and waited but, sadly once again, nothing came our way. Well actually one bird did, our local Red-tail. Oh well we'll try again next November 13th.

Walter

Special Post - A Few Questions Answered

Q - How rare is a Golden Eagle sighting at Rosetta?
A - Out of the 37,603 raptors ever counted since 2004 only 60 of them have been Golden Eagles.

Q - Will there be another 'big' day this year?
A - 149 Red-tails were counted on the 16th of November in 2007, 171 Red-tails were counted on the 18th of November in 2008, and 100 Red-tails were counted on the 20th of November in 2006. With the warmer temperatures this Fall season it's quite possible that there are still many more Red-tails to come. They could even be later then the above dates.

Q - What's the latest dates that we've ever seen birds migrating at Rosetta?
A - The following is a list showing the latest date for each species.
October 26th - Osprey
October 29th - Broad-winged Hawk (A very late bird!)
November 18th - Rough-legged Hawk
November 21st - Turkey Vulture
November 22nd - Bald Eagle
November 23rd - Merlin
November 25th - Northern Goshawk
November 25th - Golden Eagle
November 25th - American Kestrel
November 27th - Peregrine Falcon
November 28th - Northern Harrier
November 30th - Sharp-shinned Hawk
November 30th - Cooper's Hawk
November 30th - Red-shouldered Hawk
November 30th - Red-tailed Hawk

Q - What's the deal with November 13th? A raptor day of rest?
A - Since BIGFRANK started to count birds of prey flying over Rosetta back in the Fall of 2004, on the 13th of November only 1 single bird has ever been counted...a lone Rough-legged Hawk. I'll be at the park early Sunday to try and at least double that number.

Walter

November 12th - Record Broken!!!

After standing at the Watch site for the last 3 months, day after day, bird after bird, and coffee after coffee, when it came time for the record breaking bird to fly passed and be counted...I missed it!!! My thanks to those who were at the park earlier in the day scanning the sky 'til #6546 flew by. Great job! My reward came a little while later!

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Golden Eagle - 2 (juvenile 12:41 x2)
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 10

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1864
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 207
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1761
Cooper's Hawk - 89
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 822
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 4
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 46
Total - 6552

The record breaking Red-tails

Red-tailed Hawk



At 12:41PM Mike 3 spotted a very distant bird in the gap circling. I quickly got the bins on it and thought that it might be one of the local Red-tails hunting in the park just to the east of RMG. Something about it just didn't look right though. I said "I think it might be an Eagle!" It sloooowly made it's way towards us but was also drifting out over the lake at the same time. The worst thing was that I couldn't tell the others where it was because we had nothing but blue sky, no reference points. All I could say is look in the area where I'm looking by standing beside me. That worked as everyone started to spot it. At that point I said "I think it's a Golden Eagle!" The bird then turned and started it's long journey towards us. As it got closer everyone could easily see the white patches on the wings. Amazingly it was right above us by the time it got back over land. What an absolute thrill for all those gathered and for some a 'Life' bird. This was for me the best and longest view that I've ever had of a Golden Eagle in my four years of hawk watching at Rosetta. Seconds later as we were all enjoying what we had just witnessed, I spotted another large dark bird flying over the centre of the park heading towards the west. A second Golden! Here are a couple of excellent shots of the first Eagle.

Golden Eagle





The non-raptor of the day was Great Black-backed Gull, we had 3 of them fly by. The third, a first year bird, gave us a nice up close fly by. For those who have never seen one, their wingspan is 65 inches. That's 2 inches wider than an Osprey! Also seen today was a very late Green Darner dragonfly.

Guess who?

On hand were: Phil, Josh, Ann, Carol, Mike 2, Mike 3, Pat, Nancy, Allison, Tony, and today we welcomed Joe who was visiting from Calgary. Another Calgarian and a former RMG hawk watcher and photograper Rob McKay suggested to Joe to come visit us while in Toronto. Thankyou!

Walter

November 11th - So Close!!!

What a terrific late Fall day at the park with wind blowing down from the north all day. Unfortunately birds numbers were a little short of what was hoped for. We now must start to wonder what's left out there.

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 11
Rough-legged Hawk - 1 (dark morph)
Merlin - 1
Total - 25

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1863
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 207
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1760
Cooper's Hawk - 89
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 817
Rough-legged Hawk - 8
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 45
Total - 6542

Only 4 birds to count for a new 'Year' record!!!

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Red-tailed Hawk (OMG, What did it eat?)

Red-tailed Hawk



A small flock of 5 Tundra Swans was observed flying overhead heading due south. Several flocks of White-winged Crossbills were seen flying over the park earlier in the day.

Hawk watchers today included: Ann, Berle, Peter, Tom, Theresa, Jen, Cori, Carol, Phil, Pat, Nancy, and Allison.

Walter

November 10th - Thought it might have been better!

With cold air moving in to the area after the rain last night we thought that we have a few more birds flying today than we did. The lower level clouds were coming in from the WNW most of the day but that didn't seem to interest the birds at all.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Northern Goshawk - 1
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1862
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 204
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1754
Cooper's Hawk - 88
Northern Goshawk - 19
Red-shouldered Hawk - 28
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 806
Rough-legged Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 129
Peregrine Falcon - 45
Total - 6517

One of the local Red-tails hunting along the bluffs.

A high flying Goshawk

Today's non-raptor highlights included a Hairy Woodpecker and a flock of 12 migrating Tundra Swans.

Hairy Woodpecker

Tundra Swans

Looking westward

Lots of folks on hand today including: Tony, Carol, Terry 2, Berle, Theresa, Phil, Pat, Nancy, Allison, Peter, Ann, Hugh, Bill, Lee, and Cori.

Walter

November 7th - Inching Our Way Closer!

Another not-so-great day at the Watch but we are inching our way closer to a new 'Year' record. It shouldn't be an issue with lots of time left this month.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Total - 4

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1862
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 204
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1751
Cooper's Hawk - 87
Northern Goshawk - 18
Red-shouldered Hawk - 28
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 806
Rough-legged Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 129
Peregrine Falcon - 45
Total - 6512

A few 'Year' records we should break this month.
Red-shouldered Hawk - Only 2 more birds needed!
Red-tailed Hawk - Only 23 more birds needed!
Total - Only 34 more birds needed!

Our team today consisted of: Berle, Theresa, Terry 2, Pat, Nancy, Cori, Peter, and Phil.

Walter

November 5th - Only 4 Birds!

South and south-east winds are just not condusive to good bird migration. Better days ahead!

Today:
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
Total - 4

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1862
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 204
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1750
Cooper's Hawk - 86
Northern Goshawk - 18
Red-shouldered Hawk - 28
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 804
Rough-legged Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 129
Peregrine Falcon - 45
Total - 6508

Watchers today were: Mike 2, Phil, Margaret, Theresa, Hugh, Lee, and Cori.

Walter

November 4th - Best November Day Ever!

Wow, what a spectacular afternoon! The morning started off a little slow and I wasn't 100% sure that we'd have a good day. The fact that there weren't any clouds didn't help either. The wind picked up around 11:00 AM or so and the birds started to fly. Before we knew it the birds were everywhere. The Red-tails were low at first but quickly covered the sky at all levels and all directions. What a wonderful challenge for all watchers today to try and spot birds against the blue sky and the few clouds that drifted over the park.

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 13
Bald Eagle - 4 (juvenile 12:33, 1:30, 1:55 x2)
Northern Harrier - 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Northern Goshawk - 1
Red-shouldered Hawk - 8
Red-tailed Hawk - 327 (Best 'Day' count ever!)
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 371 (Best November 'Day' count ever!)

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1862
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 204
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1750
Cooper's Hawk - 86
Northern Goshawk - 18
Red-shouldered Hawk - 28
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 800
Rough-legged Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 129
Peregrine Falcon - 45
Total - 6504

Only 42 more birds for a new 'Year' record!!!

Bald Eagle

Merlin

Northern Goshawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawks filled the sky





Lots of non-raptors flying today including: flocks of 10-20 White-winged Crossbills with some landing in the park, flocks of 20-30 Snow Buntings flying low over the park, flocks of Pine Siskins also flying low, 3 Snow Geese up high, and a Northern Shrike. Also late today was another Eastern Red Bat flying about which I had excellent views of. The hair on the back of these bats is orangy-red.

The passengers were probably waving to each other!

On hand for today's spectacle were: Mike 3, Norm, Dave, Carol, Allison, Tim, Terry 2, Yvonne, Theresa, Betty, Pat, Nancy, Ann, Berle, Lee, Hugh, and Phil. Thankyou everyone for your endless help today finding and ID'ing the birds.

Walter