Five Minute Flurry...4 Raptors

We expected better today,but were able to enjoy a 5minute flurry at 10:45am when 4 raptors went through rapid fire. After a few drops of rain and alot of very dark cloud cleared out we had 4 raptors pass,that must have all came from the same general area. I looked up at just the right time and saw an Osprey. As Walter,Betty,Carol,Beryl and myself watched that a 2nd large bird came into view..a juvenile Bald Eagle. Soon a 3rd bird was seen before the other 2 made it out of sight...later from a photo we could ID it as a moulting Northern Harrier. Because of the very gray sky,there was no perspective,and we thought at first it was a larger bird higher up. Almost immediately we saw another juvenile Bald Eagle. While not award winning we did get photos of them.

Bald Eagle 1

Osprey

Bald Eagle 2..Notice the similar way the wings are held in the Osprey and young Bald Eagle photos. Its abit odd to see this posture from a Bald Eagle.

Todays Total....4 raptors

1-Osprey

2-Bald Eagles

1-Northern Harrier

Walter and I enjoyed an interesting morning too. We had many feeding Chimney Swifts flying around the park . A cloud of bugs hung over a large Poplar tree,which they really seemed to like. Additionally Walter and I saw what we believed was a Yellowlegs fly by,a Common Loon,a single Common Nighthawk and a surprise was a Whimbrel that popped up close to us from below the bluff and called as it flew to the east. This is the first time during fall migration that we have seen a Whimbrel pass the park. Also observed was what we believe were 2 female Indigo Buntings. We are now hopeful that Thursday could bring a good number of early raptors. Keep an eye on the winds.

Aug 20/21 A Few More Raptors

Its been pretty slow the last few days,but seasonally so. In the last few days we were able to see the following:
Osprey....................2
Redtailed Hawk.....2
American Kestrel..1
Merlin.....................1
Peregrine Falcon...1

Monday looks very promising for the best day of the season.(30 birds or so maybe) Walter and I will be up with the sun and over to the park. Prime time is usually between 10am and 2pm. If the Northeast and North winds do come,I suspect we should see some good birds.

12 Raptors..A Few Herons and A Storm

Thursday was a mixed bag,in the morning it was beautiful,Walter,Beryl,Carol,Pat,Nancy,Terry and I saw a few early raptors again. The skies darkened and a downpour happened about 130pm,stopping the raptors from migrating. A few low Turkey Vultures and Redtails gave us a taste of things to come. Before the deluge,which sent Walter running at full speed,which even shocked him,we saw:

Turkey Vutlures..........5

Bald Eagle...................1

Sharpshinned Hawk...2

Redtailed Hawk..........3

Peregrine Falcon........1

Season Total .............38

We also saw 3 Great Blue Herons and one Great Egret migrating. Peter was down at the park in the evening and saw 10 Common Nighthawks flying over the park in migration. Nice going Pete,generally we dont see many in daylight during raptor watch,so that was a good sighting!

Redtailed Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Angry Looking Sky

Watch Next Week For North Element Winds

Aug 17th we had 2 migrants,an Osprey early in the day and one American Kestrel.

As of right now(7pm Wed) there are 3 north element winds predicted,2 for next week. By north element I mean North,Northeast,Northwest winds,which are the best migration days very often. Next week being closer to September are more likely to bring a few more raptors. Keep an eye on the winds.

We had a report of an Eagle going by Rosetta on the 18th,which I have to verify,very likely an immature Bald Eagle. Enjoy Ann Brokelman's photos of yesterdays American Kestrel.

Aug 16th 3 Peregrines Plus Shots From Weekend Road Trips

Today,Walter,Carol,Pat,Nancy,Betty and I gathered to try our luck for more early migrating birds of prey. We were rewarded with a few Peregrine Falcons. The first circled over the lake before continuing onward. The next flew through the middle of the park,transferring food from its talons to its beak as it flew. A juvenile,Sharpshinned Hawk took a run at a Squirrel,not far from where Walter and I were watching from. It dove right infront of us and narrowly missed the squirrel. That is very ambitious for a Sharpie,but being young it just doesnt know that. A Northern Harrier flew along the shoreline below us later. A few American Kestrels flew by today also.

The final tally for Monday was 9:

American Kestrel..........3

Peregrine Falcon..........3

Sharpshinned Hawk....1

Northern Harrier.........1

Turkey Vulture............1

This brings our season total at the midpoint of August to an average August count of 24. Things should pick up abit over the next 2 weeks,leading up to September and the big days we so look forward to.

Over the weekend,Ann and I bopped around the edges of Toronto and viewed and photographed some co-operative raptors.

This young female American Kestrel sat nicely for us.

We drove along a small country highway and spotted this juvenile Turkey Vulture at the roadside. It was the first juvenile Turkey Vulture Ive taken a shot of.

Lastly this beautiful young Osprey at its nest,hoping an adult will come and feed it to save it the effort of hunting. We should start to observe a few migrating Osprey soon,as they leave early.

We can hardly wait for things to really get started up.

The Sky Is Falling Aug12/13

On Thursday evening,several of the raptor watch gang,gathered just before dark to see if we could see any of the Perseids meteors,which according to "tall Peter's" internet search,are the remnants of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Lee,Carol,Peter,Walter,Pat,Nancy,Betty and I saw a few meteors before 11pm and enjoyed a much welcomed breezy evening. At 1130pm the lights went out in the park and either things picked up abit or the decreased light allowed us to see more. With less light over Lake Ontario,we were able to see some spectacular views of meteors streaking through the sky. By 1am when Walter and I finally left we had seen 23 meteors. We also saw one satellite and what we thought was a planet. It was a fun evening,with something different to share with friends.
The mystery planet?

Stay tuned for raptor reports! Next week with some decent west winds we may see a few raptors. The last several days there have been none to report. A local Coopers Hawk has been seen.

Aug. 7th A Few More Raptors

Today was another reasonable day,after almost a solid month of crazy heat and humidity. Walter and I were joined by Carol,Betty,Ann,Pat and Nancy who all enjoyed some birds and chatting. Early in the morning I saw a female Merlin. The first sign a raptor was in the area,was a flurry of Starlings and pigeons taking to the air. Immediately I began a scan of the sky and didnt take long to see the Merlin in chase. It bumped one of the pigeons,eventually breaking off its hunt,perching for long enough to make a clear ID,before carrying on in search of breakfast. Later we saw an American Kestrel hunting the bluff,which Ann caught flying past.

She had something in her talons.

Todays total was 7 including

3-Turkey Vultures

1-Redtailed Hawk

2-American Kestrels

1-Merlin

These birds were different ones from yesterday,as the Kestrels have either been different sexes or in different molts. The hunting Kestrel was local and not recorded.

There were thousands of Double Crested Cormorants seen out fishing today. A very large stream of them flowed from the Leslie Spit(Tommy Thompson Park) area to beyond the Scarborough Bluffs. Hundreds(at leasts) of Barn and Northern Roughwinged Swallows were again seen migrating past,as well as a few Hummingbirds and many Cedar Waxwings. We saw 2 more Great Blue Herons go by headed west,bringing the 2 day total to 14. Ann captured this rather unique view of the Great Blues flying past us today.

The next several days will be hit and miss,as early August so often is.

Raptor Watch 2010 Has Begun

The 2010 Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch has begun! Early August bring the first of the migrating birds of prey for us to count at Rosetta McClain Gardens.


Today Walter,Carol,Pat,Nancy and I saw the first few migrants of 2010. Early August is usually fairly slow,with things picking up in mid to late August and really firing up in week 2 of September. We had our first migrating raptor at 938am,a juvenile Broadwinged Hawk. By 2pm we had seen 8 raptors. The Broadwinged Hawk,an Osprey,a Coopers Hawk,2 American Kestrels and 3 Turkey Vultures.
Additionally we saw many Barn and Northern Roughwinged Swallows,a few Purple Martins,Chimney Swifts,many Cedar Waxwings,a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds,many Baltimore Oriole and a BlueGray Gnatcatcher. Stay tuned.

We invite everyone to join us starting in September,when we will be present daily from 7am-2pm at at least. Look for us near the fence at the edge of the Bluffs. Bring binoculars or scopes,water and lunch! A chair may be advisable. There is a chance to see 15 species of raptors seen in southern Ontario. Anyone wishing to attend before September is welcome,but just a reminder its quite slow and if weather isnt condusive to migration we may not be present.

Year End 4515 Raptors

Another season has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who helped count,spot and contributed photos for the blog. Special thanks to Walter,without whom things would just not be the same. Thanks to Ann,Lee,Walter and Tu for photos this year. Their generous sharing of images adds a great deal to this site. Thanks to Betty for so many hot chocolates to keep Walter and I going during some frosty days in October and November. Thanks again to the staff of Rosetta McClain Gardens Don,Richard,Charlene,Ron,Billy,Frank,Ryan and Gary for their help with storage of materials,passing them out,directing park goers to us and cold drinks in hot weather and warm ones in the cold weather. All you all do,help things run much smoother and help the watch to grow. To the all of the regular irregulars,an ever expanding gang,thanks for your help,support and commraderie. Your participation adds greatly to the enjoyment for all of us and for new folks. Its great that everyone is a good ammbassador for not just our watch,but the birding community as a whole and dare I say positive representation of our city to park visitors from far and near.

A very crisp clear day,we were able to see the city of Niagara Falls and the mist from same very clearly.


November 30th marked the end of the watch,which finished up with 3 raptors. A Redtailed Hawk,a Sharpshinned Hawk and a Red Shouldered Hawk. I was quite surprised to have such a great turn out to wrap things up. Walter and I were joined by Peter,Brad,Skiff,,Ann,Carol,Betty(with a final round of hot chocolate),Pat,Nancy and Bill.


This season was a funny one for weather,which affected all raptor watches in Ontario. Totals at most were down considerably beacause of very poor totals of Broadwinged Hawks. Winds at the time they migrated were not right and this resulted in few being observed relative to historic levels. Fortunately for us at Rosetta McClain Raptor watch,Broadwinged Hawks are a very small percentage of the total raptors we usually see,so our final tally of 4515 was not as negatively affected. Indeed our final total this season of 4515 was considerably more then last years total of 4172 total raptors. (see chart) We recorded a record number of Peregrine Falcon sightings this year,reaching 73. Our previous best was 72,seen in 2007. Numbers of several other species of raptors were up from last season,and ranked 2nd or 3rd of the 6 years counting at Rosetta.
We recorded 18 days with over 100 raptors. That is about average for any season. Our biggest day this year was 744 on September 30th.
The only rarity that we had this season was the sighting of Common Raven on 3 occassions.
We were priviledged to enjoy fantastic views of so many raptors this year and enjoyed sharing them with everyone. I hope everyone enjoys their winter and that we can all get out and see some great birds. Over the winter,I may post some interesting sightings,video and or photos,so drop by here once in awhile to check things out. Remember only 89 days until spring Raptor Watch starts at Beamer!


Species...........................2009...........2008...........Best
Turkey Vulture.............1209............1369...........1369
Osprey..............................82...............100............100
Bald Eagle........................33................32..............46
Northern Harrier...........122................84.............488
Sharpshinned Hawk....1718.............1208...........2691
Coopers Hawk.................94..................74............127
Northern Goshawk.........21...................13..............24
Redshouldered Hawk.....21....................9...............29
Broadwinged Hawk........57.................156.............225
Redtailed Hawk............675.................621.............828
Roughlegged Hawk...........2........................9................11
Golden Eagle....................5.......................11................12
American Kestrel..........354...................406...............679
Merlin.............................49......................43................60
Peregrine Falcon............73......................37................73
Total............................4515...................4172...........5844

Nov 28th The Fox and The Harrier

Ok we saw one Northern Harrier over Lake Ontario,which Ron spotted,aside from that we saw only a local Redtailed Hawk and 2 local Coopers Hawks. The best sighting today was a hunting Red Fox. It was looking to lessen the parks squirrel population,however was unsuccessful. Walter,Ann,Lee,Ron and I watched it make its way through the park. Thanks to Lee's keen spotting,Ann got these great pictures. I really like the motion they portray.

With the last few days worth of raptors,our count site total since inception in 2004,has surpassed 24500,coming in at 24503. Early next September we will surpass 25000.
I will be present Monday to wrap up this years watch. Fortunately the winds look like they will be favorable,so we may go out seeing a few birds,though things really do appear to be all but done for this season...so far. It will be wicked cold so if you join me dress very warm!

Nov 27 Final Days Final Raptors?

After more then a week of no counts at all,as weather was totally unco-operative, Walter,Betty,Bill and I turned up to try our luck. In the end we managed to see 5 Redtailed Hawks. The best sighting today was the local juvenile Coopers Hawk,who tried to catch a squirrel. It was very comical. The squirrel was in a pear tree and the Coop landed in it. It tried hopping branch to branch to chase the squirrel but to no avail. If the hawk went to one side of the tree the squirrel ran to the other. After 3 rounds of this,the Coopers Hawk gave up and flew to a few other trees in and just outside the park before taking off out of sight. Todays total of 5 Redtailed Hawks takes the season total to 4511. I may give it a go again tomorrow afternoon as judging by he weather forecasts that will be my last day to count. A season ending post will give final totals,many thanks and a summary.

Last Saturday Walter and I went to Humber Bay Park in the westend of Toronto. Please enjoy this lovely Peregrine Falcon which Walter and I enjoyed seeing perched there. Walter shot this video. Photos by me.

http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2mo9sav&s=6

Finally A Few Raptors Nov 16

Today for the first time since Nov 10th we saw some migrating raptors. Conditions looked good but the big numbers hoped for didnt come. In the end Walter,Carol,Bill,Skiff,Pat,NancyBerle,Lee and I saw 16 raptors,putting us over 4500 for the season. We saw:
2-Sharpshined Hawks
3-Coopers Hawks
2-Redshouldered Hawks
9-Redtailed Hawks
16-Total Raptors

Keep an eye on the weather. Starting Friday there may be a few good days,but at this stage its really hit and miss. I say again there should be at least one more good flight of Redtailed Hawks left out there to come.