High Count High Birds

Today was much better then we expected with a weak north wind predicted. The winds were abit stronger and birds flew! Most were very high. We were treated to kettling Turkey Vultures and Redtailed Hawks. Some Redtails were streaming(flying through one at a time along the same line..as if on a clothes line). While our count of 383 birds was good,many birds flew by unseen to the north of us.(based on reports from elsewhere in the city). Pre 11am we saw many very high Sharpshinned Hawks. Redtailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures started to go past in numbers at noon until 3pmish. Thanks to Walter for his able assistance,some high birds were a real challange and test of IDing skills. 2 Golden Eagles were seen today,one at 1:25pm and the other at 2:10pm. Our total of 7 Red-shouldered Hawks was a good number for our watch. Thanks to Carol,Lee,Bill,Bruce and Sue for their spotting and keeping us going.
Todays final total of 383 raptors was made up of :
206-Turkey Vultures
2-Northern Harriers
56-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
2-Northern Goshawks
7-Redshouldered Hawks
103- Redtailed Hawks
2-Golden Eagles
1-American Kestrel
2-Merlins(plus the local which landed in a tree just above the watchers)

The next few days look quite promising,though most birds will likely be degrees of high. Again if you join us dress very warmly,bring a lunch and a drink. Bathrooms are open till at least 3pm right now.

BIG DAY at Frozetta McClain Raptor Watch...555

Roughlegged Hawk

Today was great from start to finish,aside from being very ccccold. By 11am we had seen over 170 Sharpshinned Hawks,with 147 being seen from 10am-11am. We had an actual kettle of Sharpshinned Hawks as at least 12 were circling in the sky together. They were coming past high,low,north,south and overtop of us. Thanks to all our spotters today and I was very glad to have Walter back today. Berle spotted a few very high birds,which I think even surprised herself. Turkey Vultures were seen in concentrations today,most passed north of us out of our sight. We did see 101. We saw 3 Bald Eagles today. One full adult,a juvenile and what I believe was a 2nd year bird. We had our first Golden Eagle today and our first Roughlegged Hawk of the season. The 3 eagles at 4:35pm was terrific,A Golden Eagle and a juvenile Bald Eagle went past on the lake side. At the same time Walter was hollering for me to look,I was hollering about an adult Bald Eagle going through the opposite direction to what Walter and Betty were looking. It was a great day. Thanks to Walter,Berle,Carol,Bill,Betty,Lee,Bruce and Sue for all their help.

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle


Our excellent total of 555 raptors consisted of:

101-Turkey Vultures

3-Bald Eagles(2nd year at 1:18pm,Adult and Juvenile at 4:35pm)

13-Northern Harriers

383-Sharpshinned Hawks

7-Coopers Hawks

4-Redshouldered Hawks

28-Redtailed Hawks

1-Roughlegged Hawk

1-Golden Eagle(juvenile 4:35pm)

12-American Kestrels

2-Merlin

At 1:10pm the local American Crows attacked a Common Raven. It was great for those present to see such a contrast in the size and the obvious differences in how they looked. The next several days look excellent for raptor movement. Be aware that with the NE winds birds are often much higher up. Dress very warmly...throw extra clothes in your car or backpack..you wont be sorry!

This is an excellent shot showing all the field marks to look for on a Redtailed Hawk. The "belly-band"(white area at top of chest),the "commas"(the brown marks near the end of the lead edge of the wings) and its rusty tail(of an adult).

Little Wind,Few Birds...22 Raptors

With very little wind,we didnt have much to see. That said,Lee and I really enjoyed watching 2 Coopers Hawks chasing each other,at one point both sped passed us at close range. Lee captured a few very nice photos.

American Kestrel Courtesy Ann Brokelman

Lee,Sue,Bruce,Harry and myself saw at least a few raptors.

The final tally was made up of:

2-Northern Harriers

12-Sharpshinned Hawks

3-Coopers Hawks

1-Northern Goshawk

3-American Kestrels

1-Peregrine Falcon

The coming week may be very good,watch for north element winds.

Another Big Day...Too Many Choices...295 Raptors

Striatus Comin At Us

Today Lee and Ann made it tough for me...to decide which great photos to use. As U will see I am indecisive! The day started abit slow,and I wondered if indeed a good day would materialize. By 10am EST I had my answer,when the winds picked up and Turkey Vultures started to appear. With the holiday weekend,helpers were in short supply,I was glad to have Ann,Lee,Ron and Berle to help with spotting and ID. I was missing my right hand man,Walter,who had a great day of his own(more later). We had a good mix of very close birds and more distant ones,many gave watchers a real thrill. As I left my post briefly to answer the call of nature,I heard local Crows going goofy,alarm calling. I stopped and got in a spot where I could see what they were doing. They were harrassing a hawk,that was coming right over to where I was. It was a lovely Red-shouldered Hawk which circled just over me. Lee got some terrific shots of it.

Many Turkey Vultures came by low.

One of Lee's

Note the different colours of the adult and juvenile's heads.

Adult of Ann's

Juvenile of Ann's

Northern Harrier Ann

Redtailed Hawk

Walter had quite a day,right in his own backyard. He had stayed home to do some work on the garage,but ended up watching a flight of raptors over his home,which is only about 2blocks east of our location at the park and a short block north. Im wondering how many times he smacked his fingers with the hammer,while watching Turkey Vultures? I include this to show what happens when raptors decide to tack(fly sideways into the prevailing wind..they sort of shear forward) into the winds. The birds he saw didnt make it to Rosetta.

Walter saw 138 raptors including:

127-Turkey Vultures

6-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-Coopers Hawk

3-Redtailed Hawks

1-American Kestrel

Not a bad days work! errr raptor watching from the yard?

Over at Rosetta we saw 295 Raptors:

77-Turkey Vultures

1-Bald Eagle(11:10am Juvenile)

4-Northern Harriers

124-Sharpshinned Hawks

2-Coopers Hawks

1-Redshouldered Hawk(first of season)

1-Broadwinged Hawk

50-Redtailed Hawks

31-American Kestrels

2-Merlins

1-Peregrine Falcon

In all a fantastic day. Tomorrow will be much slower I suspect. Tuesday may be good?

Great Day..315 Raptors

American Kestrel

Northern Harrier

Today was a terrific day,starting off with a good flight of Sharpshinned Hawks and a few Kestrels. 2 enjoyable sightings early in the watch day,were a Sharpshinned Hawk diving and coming to the ground after something and it hid right in some flowers. Earlier Ann and I particularily enjoyed watching a Coopers Hawk chasing a Blue Jay,the Coopers making several attempts at the Jay. The Coopers flew and perched and flew and perched chasing the Jay through the trees with amazing agility. Around 11:40 Don spotted the first kettle of Turkey Vultures of the day. We had at least 3 very nice kettles of Turkey Vultures,the best was over 70. Thanks to Don's spotting of the first kettle,we kept our eyes peeled and saw others. The vultures were distant to the north of us. Mixed in were a few Sharpies and a few Redtailed Hawks. Several Sharpshinned Hawks,American Kestrels and a few Northern Harriers came nice and close. Late in the day 3 Peregrine Falcons went by. Special thanks for all their help to Walter and Don. Thanks to Ann Brokelman for the great photos today of the Northern Harrier and American Kestrel(I just couldnt chose so you get more pics then normal today). Thanks to everyone including Berle,Bruce,Sue,Carol,Lee,Anne,Gord,Peter,Tu and special guest at his first Raptor Watch Vin Sen(age 9 months)for their spotting and commraderie and in the case of Vin Sen for being so cute.

Today we saw:
200-Turkey Vultures
1-Bald Eagle(juvenile 12:43pm)
3-Northern Harriers
62-Sharpshinned Hawks
4-Coopers Hawks
1-Northern Goshawk
14-Redtailed Hawks
19-American Kestrels
4-Merlins
7-Peregrine Falcons

In the early morning Walter and I saw thousands of migrating small birds. Among them were some Yellow-rumped Warblers,White-breasted Nuthatches,thousands of Red-winged Blackbirds with Brown Cowbirds,Kinglets and American Robins. We are keeping our eyes peeled for Eastern Bluebirds as they are due any time now. We are hopeful of a good migration on Sunday. Monday doesnt look very good if predicted rains and south winds come. Tuesday looks excellent for a big day as things stand right now. Dress super warm. Bathrooms are available at least until the end of October until 3pm...most nights until 7pm. I will post further if they are available later in the year.

108 Raptors...Adult Bald Eagle Flys Low

Today the number of birds was abit of a surprise. The winds were better then predicted. Berle,Bill,2 Bruces,Betty,Carol,Tu,Lee,Ann,Sue,Terry,Walter and I had a great time,watching many Sharp-shinned Hawks,a low Broadwinged Hawk,a surprising 8 Merlins(most very close),with the highlight being a very low close adult Bald Eagle at 11:25am(EST). Tu was able to capture some great shots today.

Bald Eagle and Sharpshinned Hawk Photos:Courtesy Tu Dong

Sharpshinned Hawk

Bald Eagle In Flight

Todays total of 108 raptors consisted of:

1-Bald Eagle

6-Northern Harriers

85-Sharpshinned Hawks

2-Coopers Hawks

1-Broadwinged Hawk

5-American Kestrels

8-Merlins

Saturday,Sunday and Monday all look like there is a chance for a pretty good flight of birds. Friday it looks like there is alot of rain in the forecast. I will go over and stay until it looks like the rain isnt going to stop. My advice for infrequent visitors or folks coming from a distance is to wait for the weekend.

Quality Not Quantity..29 Raptors

Today the winds certainly came,if we can only get the raptors to check the weather channel! The large flight we hoped for didnt happen. On the plus side we had a good variety of species..nine and had some fantastic views of the birds. 3 Osprey all flew past very close to us. All of the Peregrine Falcons went by very close,allowing us to see the markings on it very well. A Merlin went through only a few feet above us,enabling us to see the markings on its face very clearly. Several American Kestrels did the same. The first bird of the day was an adult Coopers Hawk which both Walter and I photographed as it perched on the fence nearby,before dropping to the ground.

Courtesy Walter

My Shot of The Same

We had many folks join Walter and I today with high hopes,including,Carol,Brad,Lee,Bill,Mary,Betty,Ross and Peter.

Our total today was:

1-Turkey Vulture

3-Osprey

1-Northern Harrier

4-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-Coopers Hawk

1-Northern Goshawk

9-American Kestrels

2-Merlins

7-Peregrine Falcons

Oct 6 35 Raptors ..mostly upflight

Today most of the birds were seen between 8am and 10am(19 of 35). Walter,Ann,Richard,Bill,Berle,Carol,Betty and Lee saw some of the birds at least. We had a Merlin land briefly that had been harassed by crows. We had 2 Merlins go through together earlier in the day. The most exciting thing was watching a group of migrating Blue Jays dive very quickly for tree cover. The cause...a wee Sharpshinned Hawk. We are hoping for a big day tomorrow.
Todays total was:
1-Northern Harrier
26-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
1-American Kestrel
5-Merlins

Oct 5 Good Winds Good Birds..111 Raptos..YTD>2000

Frank,Betty,Lee and Walter during a brief lull.

Todays weather was very promising. As I left the house,winds from the northwest were promised and started quite early. Walter,myself,Carol,Berle,Ann,Lee,Bill,Mike,Betty and Mary enjoyed a terrific day. Between 930am and 10am Walter and I saw 4 Peregrine Falcons fly past. I managed a decent photo of one of them.

Close-up Peregrine Falcon(Frank)

Soon I spotted an Osprey. It circled,with one of the Peregrine Falcons joining it. That was a treat.

Osprey In Flight(Frank)

Sharpshinned Hawks were seen every hour of the count,most being barely above the treetops buzzing through the park.

Sharpshinned Hawk..Courtesy Ann Brokelman

Once again the local juvenile Redtailed Hawk put on a show. Ann got this rather unique angle.

We also had 2 nice low and close Broadwinged Hawks.Our final total today of 111 raptors brought our season total to 2088,with plenty of vultures and Redtails yet to come. Todays total consisted of

9-Turkey Vultures

1-Osprey

3-Northern Harriers

81-Sharpshinned Hawks

3-Coopers Hawks

3-Broadwinged Hawks

2-Redtailed Hawks

3-American Kestrels

6-Peregrine Falcons

I am very non-commital about the weather and thus advising people to come out in the near future. I will say watch the weather..dress warm..hope for the best!

45 Raptors ..6 More Peregrine Falcons

Welcome..Please Join Us!
Peter and Walter.

Today started off slow,but in the end we had a very enjoyable day. We had plenty of visitors including Sue and Bruce,Berle,Carol,Ann,Bill,Peter and Walter. Welcome back to Lee.We enjoyed 2 Sharpshinned Hawks playing/attacking each other. We watched a local juvenile Redtailed Hawk come very close to us and circle not far above us. Peregrine Falcons started to come along after noon hour. They are definetly on the move. Ann sent along pictures of today. Todays final count was:

1-Northern Harrier

34-Sharpshinned Hawks

4-American Kestrels

6-Peregrine Falcons

Its going to be hit and miss this coming week. Most days show west winds with some rain(though it isnt amounting to much). If you have time pop over,but there isnt an outstanding day from the looks of things. Keep your eyes peeled for a northwest wind.

25 Raptors...5 Peregrine Falcons

Today had the threat of rain most of the time,including 2 or 3 huge claps of thunder from clouds out over Lake Ontario. Walter and I hung in from shortly after 9am until 3pm. We were rewarded early with the site of a hunting Red Fox...it chased squirrels all over the gardens. Once we started to look for raptors,a Coopers Hawk went by very low and close..we debated and decided it was the local Coopers Hawk. Within minutes it returned,chasing a Redtailed Hawk(also local) and they interacted,with the Redtail turning tallons up trying to grab at the attacking Coopers Hawk. With that bit of excitement Walter and I were ready for birds. We started to see a few Sharpshinned Hawks at a time. As Gunner and Harry joined us 2 Peregrine Falcons went by about 10minutes appart. After Walter and I left,Ann spotted an Osprey.By the end of the day we had totalled:
3-Osprey
15-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk(not the local)
1-American Kestrel
5-Peregrine Falcons

Tomorrow Monday and Wednesday will bring some raptors but no large movement is expected. Thursday looks good right now for a larger movement of raptors,if the predicated weather holds.

Slow,Cold,Wet Plus End of Sept YTD numbers

Today was cold,overcast and eventually very wet. Before the rain came Walter,Gunner,Berle and myself saw 15 raptors. By noon rains began and Walter and I took refuge under a tree. Soon Leon arrived and as we chatted,Leon spotted a passing Peregrine Falcon.
Todays total was 15 raptors,which included
1-Osprey
8-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
1-American Kestrel
3-Peregrine Falcons

Saturday doesnt look very promising,Sunday some birds may fly but I dont expect much of a flight. Monday looks like the best bet for a decent flight.

The year to date totals as at the end of September are ahead of 2008.We were way up on Turkey Vultures,with that flight of them on the 30th. Our Sharpshinned Hawk total is almost equal to last season,owing to the last couple of days in the month. The Year To Date totals are
416-Turkey Vultures
74-Osprey
20-Bald Eagles
66-Northern Harriers
743-Sharpshinned Hawks
35-Coopers Hawks
6-Northern Goshawks
50-Broadwinged Hawks
84-Redtailed Hawks
258-American Kestrels
22-Merlins
29-Peregrine Falcons
1861-YTD