Today Walter,Phil and I were able to spot a few raptors. Early in the morning Walter saw an Osprey go by. In the early afternoon we heard the local Redtailed Hawk scream an alarm call, so we began scanning for another raptor in the sky. Soon we spotted a Northern Harrier and an American Kestrel.
A rather ragged looking Redtailed Hawk(local) and 2 Turkey Vultures(migrants) also went past.
Keep an eye on Saturday and Sunday, as possible good early movement days. A good day this time of year would be 25+ birds, I dont want to set expectations too high.
The elite of butterflying(?) have been around Rosetta lately. The sighting of a Spice-bush Swallowtail and a rare for Toronto area Skipper have been spotted recently causing a buzz in the entomology world.(Im sorry I had to!)
Special Edit: Walter posted to the comment section, but I believe this is worthy of being seen in the body of the report. The rare Skipper is called a Sachem Skipper.
Here is Walters comment:
"rare for Toronto" is right! In over 140 years of record keeping there's been only 1 report of a 'Sachem' in the GTA study area, a 50 km circle which is centered on the ROM downtown. A few other sightings in the GTA and elsewhere in the province over the past few days clearly show that this little butterfly has advanced northward like never before. This is due to all the hot weather we've experienced in North America this year. If only the birds reacted the same."
Brilliant find..sharp eye Walter. I can say I saw this butterfly, only because Walter picked it out as something different and got a clear photo of it, with later 100% positive ID. Awesome find Walter!!
2 comments:
"rare for Toronto" is right! In over 140 years of record keeping there's been only 1 report of a 'Sachem' in the GTA study area, a 50 km circle which is centered on the ROM downtown. A few other sightings in the GTA and elsewhere in the province over the past few days clearly show that this little butterfly has advanced northward like never before. This is due to all the hot weather we've experienced in North America this year. If only the birds reacted the same.
Thanks Walter I couldnt come up with the proper spelling.
Post a Comment