13 Raptors YTD 5537 + Piliated Woodpecker

Decided to give today a try,after another stretch of poor weather for birds of prey.I had a few raptors,then at 12:50pm a flurry of 10 went by,including 9 Redtailed Hawks and a single Northern Harrier. I thought maybe the skies were about to rain raptors but it was not to be. Final total was 2 Sharpies,10Redtails and a Harrier. My count is now 5537 for the season. A Sharpshinned Hawk landed in a tree in the park briefly,before carrying on its way. The best sighting of the day was a Piliated Woodpecker,that flew through the middle of the park,and landed in a tree in a yard at the end of the park. I suspect it may be around for a few days now,but of course thats purely speculative. It was my first sighting of a Piliated this year. Tomorrow should bring some more raptors by the park. The winds are to be favorable to SOME movement. I will be present early,but dont expect much raptor action until at least 11am or later. Bathrooms are still open until at least Tuesday,Nov 21.

Nov 12 97 Raptors including 2 Golden Eagles

Finally today a good north element wind,after a day of rain,brought raptors past Rosetta McClain again in higher numbers. Try as I mite,I couldnt drag 3 more birds over the park no matter how much looking I did. From 10am onward things were reasonably steady for this time of year until about 230pm. A flurry of Redtails came about 215pm,as 14 kettled together,followed closely by 2 others. A very low Red-shouldered Hawk gave Carol and I terrific views(it was her first sighting of one ever) and another later provided a great contrast in size with an adult Golden Eagle,which it circled with briefly. A dark morph Rough-legged Hawk,became Carols first RL sighting ever,and we both enjoyed it. Earlier a light morph Roughie circled co-operatively as we ID'd it. We may have seen why Loons are called Loons,as a Common Loon actually seemed to take a few runs at the Rough-legged Hawk as it circled! Todays 4 Rough=legged Hawks brought my year total to 8,which is the highest Ive counted at Rosetta McClain Gardens in a season(3 years). Year to date I surpassed the 5500 mark,now at 5518 raptors identified. Todays total included:
Northern Harrier.....................1
Sharpshinned Hawk................2
Redshouldered Hawk..............2
Redtailed Hawk....................84
Roughlegged Hawk..................4
Golden Eagle...........................2(adults,one at 12:45pm,the other 2:20pm)
American Kestrel.....................2
Thanks to Keith and Carol for their company on a terrific day! It was great to see that High Park and Cranberry Marsh both had amazing days as well. High Park got close to 400 raptors and Cranberry Marsh had over 700!

Nov 10 A Typical November Count:28,YTD:5421

Today after several days of very poor winds,we finally had another wind with a north element in it. It wasnt very strong,so the bulk of todays movement passed out of my range to the north,but some good birds were seen over Rosetta McClain Gardens. A male Northern Harrier was seen nicely,as well as a very large female. A juvenile Goshawk passed through the park low. A flurry of Redtailed Hawks,brought the bulk of the days count with Leon and I counting 12 Redtailed Hawks and a Harrier in one stream,around lunch time. Depending on if it rains,Sunday could provide a decent movement of raptors.(the pictured Harrier was taken Nov4)

Nov 2 A 3 Eagle Day Total:27 YTD 5345

After a slow end to October,November started slow too,with only 5 raptors on the first. Today was somewhat better and a more normal November count of 27. Today I shared an adult Bald Eagle with buddy Terry at 940am. We had a very nice view of this bird. Sundry Harriers,Redtails,Coopers,Sharpies.Peregrine and Kestrels later,Leon and I saw 2 juvenile Golden Eagles. One was at 12:40pm the other at 1:53pm. Always a special thrill,both of these birds circled higher and higher out over the lake,eventually going onward to the southwest. We watched each for at least 10minutes or more. A very high but nice male Nothern Harrier went past. The final total consisted of a Bald Eagle,5 Harriers,6 Sharpies,2 Coopers Hawks,a Northern Goshaw (#20 of this years watch,a new record),7 Redtailed Hawks,2 Golden Eagles,2 Kestrels and a Peregrine Falcon.

End of October Totals

October closed with several terribly slow days. Rain one day,very very high winds another meant few if any migrants. That said,it was a terrific October otherwise,with great views of record numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks,Redtailed Hawks and Golden Eagles. Brilliant views of a few Northern Goshawks and a strange albino Redtailed Hawk seen on Oct 25th. That Albino Red-tail was seen on the 29th at another hawk watch at Holiday Beach Raptor Watch,on Lake Erie,nearish the Detroit River. Kind of cool to know where some of the birds we see end up. October also saw record numbers of Turkey Vultures pass Rosetta McClain Gardens,while not an astounding total by any means,none-the-less it was more then ever b4.Octobers and this years totals so far are:
Turkey Vulture...........222.............435(new record..old 372)
Osprey..........................9...............92(new record..old 64)
Bald Eagle.....................7...............45(new record..old 25)
Northern Harrier.........144.............463(new record..old 129)
Sharpshinned Hawk....859................2526(new record..old 1618)
Coopers Hawk.............63................120(new record..old 94)
Northern Goshawk........13.................18
Redshouldered Hawk.....21.................21(new record..old 8)
Broadwinged Hawk.......................225(new record..old 22)
Redtailed Hawk............488...........572(new record..old 336)
Roughlegged Hawk...........3................3
Golden Eagle.....................6...............7(new record..old 6)
American Kestrel.............40............670(new record..old 294)
Merlin..............................18..............58(new record..old 25)
Peregrine Falcon...............15.............57(new record..old 40)
Total.............................1918..........5313(new record..old 3042)
Thanks to all my raptor watching friends too numerous to mention,for making the watch both sucessful and fun. Things will slow down in November but I look forward to some good days.

Slow Start..Great Finish 284 Raptors:13 of 15 Species YTD 5297

In the end today,as hoped for,it was another great day of raptor watching. High birds and blue skies were sometimes a challange,but many birds were still in nice and close,and there were a few surprises. The day started slower than I expected,there wasnt a significant upflight,as between 8 and 11am I saw only 18birds. Things began to pick up around then,becoming a terrific day. Things had seemed to slow down for awhile,and I was abit out of gas,so I was going to pack things in at 3pm. Luckily I didnt,and as I was beginning to leave,I spotted 1,then 2,now 3 Redtails. I stopped to see if there were more...oh oh there is a few Turkey Vultures! Now I cant leave. From 3-5pm I saw 127 raptors,the best of which was an Osprey at 4:40pm,which barely cleared the park office I was by now sitting in front of on a bench. In the last part of the day,adding the Osprey and a late Kestrel,again today I saw 13 of 15 usual species,today missing Broadwinged Hawk and Northern Goshawk. I saw a single dark-phased Rough-legged Hawk again today at 1:30pm. Many late in the afternoon Turkey Vultures,made surpassing my best previous season total by 61,with the total now at 434 possible. Todays total included:
Turkey Vulture......................93(new high season 434)
Osprey...................................1
Bald Eagle..............................1
Northern Harrier.....................2
Sharpshinned Hawk..............19
Coopers Hawk.......................4
Red-shouldered Hawk............3
Redtailed Hawk..................156
Roughlegged Hawk.................1
Golden Eagle...........................1
American Kestrel.....................1
Merlin......................................1
Peregrine Falcon......................1
This brings the season total to 5297.
Thousands of Robins and Redwinged Blackbirds flew past in the early morning. At least a dozen Common Loons were seen. Many ducks were seen barely skimming the very calm lake. A few Tree Sparrows were seen.

Oct 25 Great Count Great Views Day Count 432...YTD 5013

Todays weather held true,with good northwest winds all day. I arrived at 830am and by 10am,Id seen 70 raptors,a terrific upflight. Today was filled with highlights,both birds and numbers. Gunner,Carol,Lyn and myself enjoyed an amazing day of raptors,with great views of many birds. We saw 13 of the 15 species seen in southern Ontario,the missing 2 somewhat difficult to see this time of year Osprey and Broadwinged Hawk. Several of the Red-shouldered Hawks again provided fantastic views,Redtails were everywhere,a low Merlin blasted through,several Goshawks gave fantastic views and a dark morph Roughlegged Hawk were all very special sightings. The oddest/rarest sighting of the day was in a stream of Redtailed Hawks,which were hugging the bluffs,moving along aside the lake. We all saw what was either an albino Redtailed Hawk or a Kriders Redtailed Hawk? Its head and body were all white,the feathers on top of the wings seemed to be all white to one observer. Either is a first for me. (need to confer more with all to make a better determination..my impression is albino) This was at 1:15pm. Our final tally for the day was 432 Raptors consisting of:
Turkey Vulture....................34
Bald Eagle.............................1(juvenile)
Northern Harrier....................2
Sharpshinned Hawk.............157(ytd record 2505)
Coopers Hawk......................13
Northern Goshawk..................4
Redshouldered Hawk.............11
Redtailed Hawk....................204(one day record..ytd record 410)
Roughlegged Hawk..................1
Golden Ealge............................1(ytd record 6)
American Kestrel......................1
Merlin.......................................1
Peregrine Falcon.......................1
Just an incredible day,thanks to everyone for their help and enthusiasm. This takes the year to date total to 5013. Never dreamt Id count that many at a little park 10minutes from my home!

Terrific Day Of Viewing Day Count 232...YTD 4582

Today was a terrific day for raptor watching. Gunner,Colin,Carol and myself enjoyed some wonderful sightings of 12 of the regularily seen raptors. A juvenile Northern Goshawk gave us great views. 3 of the 4 Red-shouldered Hawks seen today also flew by allowing us clear views of their field marks. Several male Northern Harriers were seen very well. A Merlin did magic trick...it flew in plain view giving us a chance to observe it well,banked and headed towards some thinning trees,giving us the illusion of watching it through the tree branches,as we followed it through the branches...or so we thought. Coming out of the trees 3 of us thought we were still watching the Merlin zoom out,when we realized the Merlin had changed into a Northern Flicker. It clearly had spooked the Flicker and contiuned on out of sight...the Flicker emerging in its place. Eat your heart out Kris Angel! As the day was winding down,at 3:55pm Colin and mine's (oh wouldnt my highschool english teacher love me) patience was rewarded with an immature Golden Eagle,the 5th of the season seen at Rosetta McClain Gardens. Todays totals included
Turkey Vulture........................3
Bald Eagle...............................1
Northern Harrier.....................20(ytd 450)
Sharpshinned Hawk...............127
Coopers Hawk..........................6(ytd 101)
Northern Goshawk.....................1
Redshouldered Hawk..................4
Redtailed Hawk.........................62
Golden Eagle..............................1
American Kestrel........................4(ytd 668)
Merlin........................................2
Peregrine Falcon.........................1
Year to Date,4582 raptors have been counted. Also seen today were thousands of migrating Red-winged Blackbirds and Robins. At least 15 Common Loons flew over the park,and we observed at least 40 on the lake among many Mergansers,Cormorants and Gulls all involved in a feeding frenzy.

Oct23 Weather Cleared:Some Good Birds:Day Count 38 YTD 4338

Today,I made the mistake of watching the weather forecast. At 930am it said rain would start up again at 11am so I didnt see the point of rushing over to the park for one clear hour. I went about my day,and started watching the radar on the noon news. With no rain in sight,I walked over to the park arriving about 12:30pm. I learned a few folks had been at the park earlier,so todays count is subject to change if they were able to ID any birds whilst there. On my watch from 12:30pm-3pm,I had some great birds,including 2 first of season Red-shouldered Hawks,which were below eye-level and along the bluffs quite closely,providing the best views Ive ever had at Rosetta McClain Gardens of this specie. Shortly after,the first Rough-legged Hawk passed over the park,at a good level for ID,though somewhat high. With luck the next few days will bring more of each species. Very shortly before 1:15pm,a new raptor watching buddy Brian showed up. He joked(or maybe not? ) that I was under pressure to produce a Golden Eagle for him today,as he'd received a $65 speeding ticket on his way to the park. He says "Ok BIGFRANK where is my Golden Eagle?" and without exaggeration at that very moment I turned,looked towards the lake and saw....a juvenile Golden Eagle on our side of a ridge of trees which goes down the side of the bluffs.The view was brilliant,and Brian was very excited. We could clearly see all of the field markings and enjoyed a close view,while watching the eagle gain serious altitude,eventually going very high and somewhat out over the lake. I told Brian he could go home now . We also saw several Northern Harriers with one great view of a male. It seems there is a young Goshawk sticking around near the park,lately puting in an appearance each day. Todays total of 38 raptors included:
Northern Harrier..................10
Sharpshinned Hawk...............8
Coopers Hawk......................1
Northern Goshawk................2
RedShouldered Hawk............2
Redtailed Hawk.....................8
Roughlegged Hawk................1
Golden Eagle..........................1
American Kestrel....................5
Thanks to Carol for her observations,and I await speaking to Gunner for any further additions to the count.

Oct.21 High Birds and Reverse Migration:Day Count 188 YTD 4300

Finally after several slow and rain days,another good day of migrating raptors. While many birds were quite high,a smattering of lower birds kept the enjoyment level high. From 8am-12pm,I saw 142 raptors,with things slowing down considerably after that. The last 29 birds,were a reverse migration of birds not seen that day,so were counted. Sometime between 2pm and 3pm part of The Peel Birding Class,which I sometimes bird with,joined me. I was about ready to pack things in as they arrived but stayed to be sociable. No birds came until group leader Brete looked west and asked whats this..2 Turkey Vultures,followed by 23 others. The 26th bird,Brete urged us to look at. Immediately I recognized it as a Golden Eagle. It flew past us going west to east(reverse migrating) giving the gathered throng a fine look at it. Next a male and female Northern Harrier went "backwards" and lastly flying below us and very close to the bluff before landing in a bluff-side tree was a juvenile Northern Goshawk. We suspect the raptors wanted to land for the evening and couldnt see a good spot beyond us,so went back to find a suitable spot..they also could have seen/sensed poor weather ahead of them and turned back to wait it out. Final Tally included:
Turkey Vulture..................25
Northern Harrier...............11
Sharpshinned Hawk........130
Coopers Hawk...................7
Northern Goshawk.............2
Redtailed Hawk..................3
Golden Eagle......................1
American Kestrel................5
Merlin.................................3
Peregrine Falcon.................1
Of note,thousands and I mean 20000 or more Red-winged Blackbirds and Robins were seen migrating early in the morning. Sometimes very high,clouds and clouds of them. It was awe inspiring. Many thanks to Keith who spent the morning with me and The PBC for their contributions to an enjoyable day. Keep an eye on Tuesday through Friday,as possible big days at your favorite raptor watching site. Rather strong Northwest winds are forecast,which could bring more Golden Eagles and possibly some Rough-legged Hawks in addition to your regularily scheduled migrants. DRESS WARM no matter where U attend! A reminder that bathrooms are open till Nov 7th 9am-3pm weekdays,9am-5pm weekends.

Oct15 Milestone Day + Golden Eagle Day Count 52..YTD..4029

Though my count wasnt as high as Id hoped for today,I did reach several milestones and see good birds. The milestones first...I saw Northern Harrier number 400 today,Sharpshinned Hawk number 2000 and Raptor number 4000 today! Totals not previously counted at Rosetta McClain Gardens before.
MidOctober Totals look like this
Speceis.................................Day...................Oct1-15....................YTD..........
Turkey Vulture........................2.........................61........................274..........
Osprey...................................0..........................8..........................91...........
Bald Eagle..............................0..........................4..........................42...........
Northern Harrier.....................8........................85..........................404..........
SharpShinned Hawk.............36......................348........................2015..........
Coopers Hawk.......................3.......................27...........................84.........
Northern Goshawk.................0........................3.............................8..........
Red-shouldered Hawk.............0........................0.............................0.........
Broadwinged Hawk................0.......................10..........................225.......
Redtailed Hawk.....................1.......................46..........................131.......
Rough-legged Hawk..............0........................0.............................0.......
Golden Eagle.........................1........................1.............................2.......
American Kestrel....................0......................23..........................653.....
Merlin...................................1........................8............................48.....
Peregrine Falcon....................0......................10.............................52.....
Totals..................................52......................634.......................4029.......

The highlight of today was easily the adult Golden Eagle,which I spotted out over the lake abit at a distance. Immediately I started fumbling through my napsack for my camera hoping the eagle would get closer. I soon remembered DOH DOH!! that I had my camera around my neck. I finally got the camera focus on the Golden Eagle when it went behind the big Poplar tree atop the ridge....I have a lovely photo of the Poplar tree...oops. It then popped up and along the side of the bluffs almost right beside Keith and I. It was Keiths first Golden Eagle,and it passed within 30ft of us,at almost eye level! What a view we enjoyed for over 5minutes. After I got a blurry shot of the eagle,I gave up and just watched it with binoculars. What a beauty!! Keith was very happy,and couldnt believe how close it had passed. With luck I will get another photo opportunity like that. Im told from October 20th onward the Golden Eagles start to fly in greater numbers. Thanks to Keith for a fun morning and it was great to meet Brian and I look forward to seeing him again.

Poor Counts But Some Decent Photos..YTD 3949

The last several days have held promise,but apparently the birds arent reading or watching the right weather forecasts. A Merlin landed in the park with food one day,and today a Redtailed Hawk landed in a spot very near me for photos. There are still many birds out there to come,so I am sure eventually a few more big days will happen. Thanks to all who have attended lately,for their company and contributions. (Pictured Redtail,Merlin,Redtail)