Oct 4 Some Great Views 77 Raptors..YTD...2365

Saturday,the winds were better then predicted,but it appears many of the vultures went too far north for us to view. We did see one group of 29,followed closely by an immature Bald Eagle at 2:15pm. An Osprey,which has been around the bluffs area for a few days gave all gathered quite a thrill as it came in from over the lake,and flew no more then 20ft directly above our heads. As Ann tried to get shots(that likely would have been of its eyes it was so close) she said "Im stuck!". We all took this to mean her camera was somehow jammed or maybe for her big lens the bird was too close. "Im still stuck" she said. Only later did we learn,that she was caught on the fence by the arm and couldnt get her jacket free so as to move and track the bird.

We had our first Northern Goshawk of the season,which went by very close and fast. It was a beauty. A juvenile.

2 more Red-shouldered Hawks were seen as well,one quite well at first,the other at a distance. We were lucky to see all 3 falcon species today again too. Also of note,Sharlene and Billy(park staff) reported that a Coopers Hawk caught a pigeon near the parking lot. Theyve been trying to discourage feeding of the flying rats in the gardens,maybe this will help.

Our total of 77 raptors was made up of:

29-Turkey Vultures

2-Osprey(bringing us to 99...my goal is 100 for the first season)

2-Bald Eagles

26-Sharpshinned Hawks

3-Coopers Hawks

1-Northern Goshawk

2-Red-shouldered Hawks

2-Redtailed Hawks

8-American Kestrels

1-Merlin

1-Peregrine Falcon

Monday looks like it could be a good day for a decent movement of raptors,with a Northeast wind and Tuesday will either be a hit or miss. With east winds expected,this time of year they could bring a big Peregrine Falcon count. Last season we saw 18 in one day on such a day.

Oct 3 All In The Upflight 316 Raptors...YTD..2288

Today,most of our total was in the "upflight". By 11am we'd seen almost all of the 199 Turkey Vultures seen today. Ann called excitedly early in the day saying she was following a group of vultures down Kingston Rd. Walter went up to the gates of the gardens and watched in the distance,able to see most of them. The remainder of the day brought mainly Sharpies and Kestrels. Late in the day 4 Crows attacked a juvenile Redtailed Hawk. A good group of watchers enjoyed the day,despite some cold weather. Thanks to Mary,Peter,Ann,Lee,Carol,Berle,Walter,Mark,Andrew,Bruce and Gunner for adding to the day.The 316 raptors was made up of:

199-Turkey Vultures

3-Osprey

4-Northern Harriers

66-Sharpshinned Hawks

5-Coopers Hawks

2-Redtailed Hawks

33-American Kestrels

2-Merlins

3-Peregrine Falcons

Oct 2 Vulturama 283 Raptors..YTD...1972

Today a steady stream of watchers including Walter,Gunner,Mark,Terry,Lee,Chris,Berle,Carol and Peter enjoyed a steady stream of birds! Early in the day Sharpies dominated the count. Upon Mark's midday arrival the seasons first Red-shouldered Hawk went through. It was low and very close. I could see the field marks without binoculars,it was a beautiful bird,and one of the best views Ive ever had of one. Close views of Osprey and the seasons first adult male Northern Harrier were other highlights. Sometime after 1pm(pre2pm) Gunner called out that he saw a Turkey Vulture,then excitedly called out "hey guys there is a whole kettle!" There was 45 birds in that group..so the Vulturama began. Following close behind that group was another of 55 and then 6 stragglers. The next hour saw 72 Turkey Vultures. Despite a few short periods of rain,and ever changing fall sky,our final total of 283 raptors consisted of:

191-Turkey Vultures

4-Osprey

3-Northern Harriers

68-Sharpshinned Hawks

4-Coopers Hawks

1-Red-shouldered Hawk

9-American Kestrels

1-Merlin

2-Peregrine Falcons

Tomorrow looks like another great day for raptor movement. I suspect it will again be a large afternoon movement. Dress warm if you join us,U can always take off clothes...if U dont wear enough,and are cold its very uncomfortable and no fun.

Oct 1 Good Start To New Month Day Count 145

Today,Walter,Ron,Peter,Ann,Carol,Keith and myself had a great day. 3 Osprey pushed our season total to 90..Im hoping to see 100 for the first time. We saw 10 of the 15 raptors normally seen in southern Ontario today,including all 3 falcon species and Bald Eagle. Close views of Northern Harriers were enjoyed. A small kettle of 11 Turkey Vultures has us dreaming of more when their migration hits prime time. Todays final total was:

22-Turkey Vultures

3-Osprey

1-Bald Eagle(343pm)

5-Northern Harriers

60-Sharpshinned Hawks

4-Coopers Hawks

3-Redtailed Hawks

41-American Kestrels

2-Merlins

4-Peregrine Falcons

Depending on the rain tomorrow(if any) there could be another good movement of birds. An upflight will probably take place(a number of early birds,that stayed the night nearby).

Sept30... 22 Raptors To End The Month

Over the course of the day Peter,Carol,Lee,Chris,Ann and Berle observed a number of good birds,totaling 22
3-Osprey
5-Northern Harriers
2-Sharpshinned Hawks
8-American Kestrels
4-Peregrine Falcons

Thanks to Carol and Peter for covering for me today. Thanks to Ann for passing their report on to me. The next month will bring the true start of migrating Turkey Vultures and Redtailed Hawks. Red-shouldered Hawks will migrate in October.

Sept29th Good Views 21 Birds

Walter manned the watch today..many thanks to him for that. The following is his report.

I was at Rosetta from 8 until 5 today and although a slow day, not all was lost. With much help from Berle, Lee (2 visits), and Peter (they spotted most big birds today!), the following was seen:

Total Birds - 21

OS - 5
BE - 2 (12:45 PM - Juvenile) (4:06 PM - Juvenile)
NH - 1
SS - 10
AK - 1
PG - 2

Notes: Both Eagles flew by close to the bluffs and didn't circle until they got down around the end of Birchmount or so . Both Peregrines were out over the water but not too high up and with today's poor lighting conditions, made it good for viewing of the field markings.

Walter

Good Friends Good Winds Good Birds Day Count 172

Today we finally had all day north winds. While they didnt seem near as strong as predicted,all gathered (too numerous to mention..dont wanna slight anyone)enjoyed many good sightings. 5 Bald Eagles were a highlight,including a juvenile,which flew below us along the bluffs at 506pm. Earlier at 3:45pm,a full adult flew by offering a good view. Of the 50 American Kestrels seen,many offered nice views. 2 had a little go with each other. Ann caught that interaction nicely. By days end,the final tally was 172 consisting of:

25-Turkey Vultures

5-Osprey

5-Bald Eagles

6-Northern Harriers

68-Sharpshinned Hawks

4-Coopers Hawks

4-Redtailed Hawks

50-American Kestrels

2-Merlins

3-Peregrine Falcons

This brings the season total to 1501. The next week's weather looks very iffy,with predictions for alot of rain.Lets hope "they" are wrong. Thanks again to everyone who came out and enjoyed the day with us.

Rain Rain Go Away Day Total 9

Well...Saturdays good conditions disappeared. Happily almost everyone read the weather right and stayed home today. A flurry of 2 Coopers Hawk,a Kestrel and an Osprey arrived at 10:01am,almost clashing. Luckily the good company helped pass a poor day. Ann got a couple of silhouettes today. I thought with little to report Id show 2. A Peregrine Falcon and an American Kestrel.

They are both in the falcon family. The Peregrine is the largest falcon we see in southern Ontario on a regular basis. The American Kestrel is the smallest. One defining feature of a falcon is the "sharp" wings. They are "pointed",while hawks have rounded wings. The Kestrel has a wing span of 23inches(58cm) and a length of 10inches(26cm),while the much larger Peregrine Falcon has a wingspan of 36-44inches(91-112cm) and a length of 16-20inches(41-51cm). In both species females are larger then males. In the case of Peregrine Falcons females can be up to 2/3 larger then the male,whose name is tiercel which means one-third.

Todays count was:

2-Osprey

1-Sharpie

2-Coopers Hawks

3-American Kestrels

1-Peregrine Falcon

Conditions for Sunday remain excellent as at the time of posting 940pm Saturday.

East Winds Slow Day

There was no count the last few days,but I have included a few birds people saw while at Rosetta over the last few days. We counted today and saw only a few birds again. Total 34 Birds.
Saturday is iffy now as to whether there will be a large movement..we remain hopeful. I will be on site irreguardless of the weather tomorrow. Sunday still looks great for a big movement of raptors.

Recent count:
7-Turkey Vultures
2-Osprey
1-Northern Harrier
13-Sharpshinned Hawks
4-Coopers Hawks
5-American Kestrels
1-Merlin
1-Peregrine Falcon

This pushes this years total to over 1300 raptors. That is down significantly,owing mostly to missing a few big days of Sharpshinned Hawk counts. Because of weather conditions good and bad,fewer Sharpies have moved past the count area. Most other species aside from Harriers(as noted earlier likely a poor breeding year) are at the levels of previous seasons or even a little ahead. Large movements abit later of Redtails and Turkey Vultures will be necessary to make up the numbers.

No Birds,So You Get A Few Photos

Today no raptors were seen that could be counted at Rosetta. Peter Wood came by to show me his article on myself and the Rosetta McClain Raptor Watch. I will wait until the article is out before posting it. It is both complimentary and informative. It hits all the high points.

The photos are,my shot of 3 Peregrine Falcons in almost a perfect formation..they really put on a show. Thanks to Susan for her shot of a Turkey Vulture. Lastly a shot of a Redtailed Hawk,also mine.

The next couple of days dont look very good,thats to say the weather is too nice for much in the way of migration. Its unlikely I will attend the site on Wednesday. Friday through next Tuesday look like there are many promising days. Fridays strong east wind,Im interested to see what it brings. Depending on when predicted rains come Saturday,it could be very good. Sunday and beyond look excellent for good movements of birds.

Beautiful Day Few Raptors..26

We enjoyed a beautiful day today,but after a steady start,by 11am not much was flying. Watchers broke away to check nearby trees for migrating Warblers. We did enjoy close passes of an Osprey and a few Redtailed Hawks. One was chased by a family of American Crows. Walter and I had a good look at a Merlin,which is the medium sized falcon. Being lakeside,we are fortunate to consistantly see all 3 falcon species in one day,American Kestrel,Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. Todays total of 26 birds of prey consisted of:
1-Osprey
1-Northern Harrier
13-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
3-Redtailed Hawks
4-American Kestrels
3-Merlin

Right now Saturday is forecast as a good Northeast wind,which would move a good number of birds. The remainder of this week is hit and miss. There is a chance Friday's strong east wind will bring a number of Peregrine Falcons along beside the bluffs.

Day Count 109 High Birds Today

With northeast winds most of the day,we enjoyed a good day,with 109 raptors. A 2nd year Bald Eagle was fairly close up,while one of the Osprey went by bluffside. Much thanks to Leslie and Walter for their spotting. We had a good group of folks out today including Ann,Carol,Berle,Murray,Bryan,Mike,Les,Walter,Andrew and Don..my thanks to everyone for your contirbutions. Todays total consisted of::

Osprey-5

Bald Eagles-2

Northern Harriers-3

Sharpshinned Hawks-56

Coopers Hawk-1

Redtailed Hawk-1

American Kestrels-39

Merlin-1

Peregrine Falcon-1