Well so far August has been a little slower than expected. I thought the winds today might have brought a few more birds our way but the predicted 25 kph NW winds didn't come until later in the afternoon. The afternoon showers were not in the Weather Network's forecast that I read before leaving the house. Should we expect a big count day real soon?...I certainly hope so! Our short flurry of raptors all came before 12:00 PM. Later in the day at 5:50 PM, Lee had an adult Bald Eagle circling down low above a street close to the park. As the eagle soared on a thermal, it stayed in view long enough for Lee to park her car and grab her binoculars to get a better view. Thanks for the update Lee.
Today:
Bald Eagle - 1 (adult 5:50 PM)
Northern Harrier - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 1
Total - 6
To Date:
Turkery Vulture - 2
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 7
Broad-winged Hawk - 7
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 5
Merlin - 1
Total - 35
Other bird sightings today included; 2 Trumpeter Swans that flew by fairly close, Double-crested Cormorants by the thousands feeding out on the lake, 300+ Chimney Swifts and many Barn Swallows flying westward overhead. The 2 local Red-tails and the Cooper's Hawk put on wonderful flying displays this afternoon as they hunted for lunch.
I'd like to thank Betty, Pat and Nancy, and Terry 2 for coming down today and hanging in there for so long waiting for the birds to show.
I won't be present at the park on Friday or Saturday so if you see anything, including Frank, please let me know as soon as you can.
Walter
August 22nd - A Better Day Today
Today was a better for hawk watching then what we've had lately with our first northwest winds and cooler temperatures. Most of the gang showed up early today in hopes of seeing lots of raptors but unfortunately that didn't quite materialize. Our first bird of the day, a Northern Harrier, flew by at 8:45 AM this morning. The rest of the birds came through slowly over the course of the morning up until roughly 12:30 PM when things came to an end. In all we had 13 raptors for the day, the best one being an adult Broad-winged Hawk which Colin informed us was surprisingly early. He seemed to think that it might even be the earliest one that he's ever seen. That would be great news for our Hawk Watch because Colin has been watching hawks at various sites since 1975!
Here are a few fantastic photos from today:
Broad-winged Hawk (juvenile)
Cooper's Hawk (local)
Red-tailed Hawk (local)
Betty gave us all a laugh with her wonderful 'birding' socks.
The Rosetta gang during a lull in the action.
Today:
Northern Harrier - 3
Osprey - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 13
To Date:
Turkery Vulture - 2
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 7
Broad-winged Hawk - 6
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 4
Total - 29
Today I didn't keep a count for the songbirds seen or heard at the park but of note were 3 Common Loons flying out over the lake and sereval Hummingbirds darting around. A Viceroy butterfly was seen by many as it hung around under the apple tree and on the butterfly bush. Dragonflies were out in great numbers again today mostly consisting of Black Saddlebags and Green Darners. A Great Black Wasp was seen again today just beyond the fence. This is another insect that has recently found it's way up in to Ontario from the US, hurray for global warming!!!
Today's hawk watching group was: Carol, Terry 2, Colin, Betty, Berle, Pat & Nancy, Meghan, Peter, Ann, Murray, Gunnar, and myself.
With tomorrow morning's (Tuesday) predicted west wind, we might see a few birds that moved south today.
Walter
Here are a few fantastic photos from today:
Broad-winged Hawk (juvenile)
Cooper's Hawk (local)
Red-tailed Hawk (local)
Betty gave us all a laugh with her wonderful 'birding' socks.
The Rosetta gang during a lull in the action.
Today:
Northern Harrier - 3
Osprey - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 13
To Date:
Turkery Vulture - 2
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 7
Broad-winged Hawk - 6
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 4
Total - 29
Today I didn't keep a count for the songbirds seen or heard at the park but of note were 3 Common Loons flying out over the lake and sereval Hummingbirds darting around. A Viceroy butterfly was seen by many as it hung around under the apple tree and on the butterfly bush. Dragonflies were out in great numbers again today mostly consisting of Black Saddlebags and Green Darners. A Great Black Wasp was seen again today just beyond the fence. This is another insect that has recently found it's way up in to Ontario from the US, hurray for global warming!!!
Today's hawk watching group was: Carol, Terry 2, Colin, Betty, Berle, Pat & Nancy, Meghan, Peter, Ann, Murray, Gunnar, and myself.
With tomorrow morning's (Tuesday) predicted west wind, we might see a few birds that moved south today.
Walter
August 21st - An Update
Just wanted to let you know that I've been busy these past 2 days dealing with a family matter and have not been to the park. If anyone was there and saw any 'migrants' please let me know as soon as you can, thanks. Tomorrow (Monday) is shaping up to be our first good day with winds from the north-west at 20-25 kph, if it holds. Let's hope the birds read the forecast! See you there.
Walter
Walter
August 19th - Dog Days!
Well, the last couple of days have been amazingly quiet in the park. There have been no raptors moving and in the early morning there have been very few songbirds flying. The high heat, high humidity, and low to no winds have really put the kibosh on things lately. If the weather forecast stays the same, Sunday might bring us our first decent day. Let's keep our finger's crossed!
Speaking of quiet, our 2 minutes of exposure on TV has produced no new hawk watchers. Maybe over the weekend someone might stop by, time will tell. This is probably a good thing as, as many of you will agree, our little piece of land that they've so kindly allowed us to use at the park really can't hold more than the 20 or so regulars that we have now anyway. It was very nice of CTV News to do a story on us all the same.
Here's a few photos from Pat's camera for your viewing enjoyment.
Sadly, Carol in all her beauty was a day late for CTV News.
Our local Cooper's Hawk on the hunt for a meal.
Walter
Speaking of quiet, our 2 minutes of exposure on TV has produced no new hawk watchers. Maybe over the weekend someone might stop by, time will tell. This is probably a good thing as, as many of you will agree, our little piece of land that they've so kindly allowed us to use at the park really can't hold more than the 20 or so regulars that we have now anyway. It was very nice of CTV News to do a story on us all the same.
Here's a few photos from Pat's camera for your viewing enjoyment.
Sadly, Carol in all her beauty was a day late for CTV News.
Our local Cooper's Hawk on the hunt for a meal.
Walter
August 17th - Our Raptor Watch Made The 6 O'Clock News!
No bird movement to report today but we did however make the news. I was interviewed by Andrew Lawson of CTV News for a story about the Watch that was aired on the 6:00 and 11:30 news. They did an excellent job of piecing everything together and thankfully our local Red-tailed Hawk put on a show for Andrew to film. Betty made a cameo appearance. Hope you all saw it. Due to the heat and humidity today, I was snoozing late the afternoon and almost missed the clip. I guess all we can do now is sit back and wait for the crowds to show up!
Today only 23 species of birds were observed and 6 species of butterflies. Of note, the Monarchs appear to be slowly building up in numbers along the bluffs and getting ready to make the big trip south to Mexico.
I would like to thank Andrew for coming down today and doing the story on our Raptor Watch, Betty for hanging around and helping me out while I was being interviewed, and Berle for the nice long chat we had while nothing was happening.
The weather forecast for the next couple of days does not look too promising for raptor movement, if the forecast holds, next Tuesday might be a good day. I'll be at the park again early tomorrow and over the next few days just in case the birds try to prove me wrong.
Walter
Today only 23 species of birds were observed and 6 species of butterflies. Of note, the Monarchs appear to be slowly building up in numbers along the bluffs and getting ready to make the big trip south to Mexico.
I would like to thank Andrew for coming down today and doing the story on our Raptor Watch, Betty for hanging around and helping me out while I was being interviewed, and Berle for the nice long chat we had while nothing was happening.
The weather forecast for the next couple of days does not look too promising for raptor movement, if the forecast holds, next Tuesday might be a good day. I'll be at the park again early tomorrow and over the next few days just in case the birds try to prove me wrong.
Walter
August 16th - Only 2 Migrants Today
Unfortunately I had to cut today's Watch at the park off early due to prior commitments. So if anyone was there and saw any raptor movement, please let me know, thanks.
The only birds seen today at the park were the local Cooper's Hawk, Turkey Vultures, and a Northern Harrier that flew from the west.
I did however manage to see 2 birds this afternoon flying overhead from the backyard and heading straight towards Rosetta - In the past on the few occassions that I've had to do it, Frank and I had proven that the birds I saw from the yard pass by Rosetta's north end over Kingston Road within 1 to 2 minutes. I live just east of the park along Kingston Road. The highlight was an adult Bald Eagle which flew over quite high up but naked eye I could easily tell what it was, in the binoculars it really looked good! It was a new 'yard' bird for me as well.
Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Bald Eagle - 1 (adult, 2:51 PM)
Total: 2
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Osprey - 2
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 4
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 16
31 species of birds were counted early morning at Rosetta today including an American Pipit, a 'lifer' for me. It popped up in a shrub close to the top of the bluffs right in front of me about 15 feet away. It sat for minute pumping it's tail up and down before moving on. Only 4 species of common butterflies were noted.
I thank Terry Whittam for keeping an eye on the sky during his visit to the park today.
Tomorrow's predicted southwest winds are not conducive to good bird movement, especially this early in the migration. I'll be at the park early again tomorrow. See you then!
Walter
The only birds seen today at the park were the local Cooper's Hawk, Turkey Vultures, and a Northern Harrier that flew from the west.
I did however manage to see 2 birds this afternoon flying overhead from the backyard and heading straight towards Rosetta - In the past on the few occassions that I've had to do it, Frank and I had proven that the birds I saw from the yard pass by Rosetta's north end over Kingston Road within 1 to 2 minutes. I live just east of the park along Kingston Road. The highlight was an adult Bald Eagle which flew over quite high up but naked eye I could easily tell what it was, in the binoculars it really looked good! It was a new 'yard' bird for me as well.
Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Bald Eagle - 1 (adult, 2:51 PM)
Total: 2
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Osprey - 2
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 4
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 16
31 species of birds were counted early morning at Rosetta today including an American Pipit, a 'lifer' for me. It popped up in a shrub close to the top of the bluffs right in front of me about 15 feet away. It sat for minute pumping it's tail up and down before moving on. Only 4 species of common butterflies were noted.
I thank Terry Whittam for keeping an eye on the sky during his visit to the park today.
Tomorrow's predicted southwest winds are not conducive to good bird movement, especially this early in the migration. I'll be at the park early again tomorrow. See you then!
Walter
August 15th - Finally, A Few More Birds!
As expected, the morning started off slow today but picked up after the first bird, an American Kestrel, was spotted at around 10:14 AM. That was quickly followed by a pair of streaming Turkey Vultures that were way up high. A little while later a juvenile Northern Harrier flew through over the centre of the park. Also, a few Sharpies (Sharp-shinned Hawks) circled their way along giving great views. As the heat of the day was starting to peak, the thunder clouds rolled in and brought an end to the Watch. Also observed today were the local Cooper's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Today:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 8
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Osprey - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 14
Overall bird species counted today was 35 including a beautiful Canada Warbler and a Greater Yellowlegs that flew in from the north. Thankfully it did a flight call and I was able to ID it, otherwise it would've been just another unidentified shorebird.
On hand today were Daniel, Berle, Terry 2, and Ann.
Tomorrow (Tuesday's) weather forecast is looking similar to today's so I'll be at the park early again. Hope to see at the Watch.
Walter
Today:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 8
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2
Osprey - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 14
Overall bird species counted today was 35 including a beautiful Canada Warbler and a Greater Yellowlegs that flew in from the north. Thankfully it did a flight call and I was able to ID it, otherwise it would've been just another unidentified shorebird.
On hand today were Daniel, Berle, Terry 2, and Ann.
Tomorrow (Tuesday's) weather forecast is looking similar to today's so I'll be at the park early again. Hope to see at the Watch.
Walter
August 14th - A Few More Photos
Things have been quiet bird-wise the last 2 days with light to no winds so here are a few photos that Ann and I have taken at the Gardens.
2 pretty purple flowers
Monarch
Cabbage White
Walking Stick
Giant Swallowtail
Tomorrow's (Monday) weather with moderate winds from the north might bring a few birds through. I'll be at the park from about 7:00 AM onward. Hope to see you there.
Walter
2 pretty purple flowers
Monarch
Cabbage White
Walking Stick
Giant Swallowtail
Tomorrow's (Monday) weather with moderate winds from the north might bring a few birds through. I'll be at the park from about 7:00 AM onward. Hope to see you there.
Walter
August 12th - The Gardens
With light winds today and no birds flying, I thought this might be a good time to show off the gardens. Don, Richard, and the rest of the crew have done an amazing job. This is only a small sample of their work.
Along this fence is where the Raptor Watch takes place.
Walter
Along this fence is where the Raptor Watch takes place.
Walter
August 10th and 11th - Our First Birds
On Wednesday afternoon after the rain had stopped I thought I'd seen the first bird of the season, an Osprey. It turns out that Berle had seen the first bird a couple of days earlier, it too was an Osprey. That was terrific news!
On Thursday morning a rather ragged looking American Kestrel flew by over the park and then just after lunch the first of 3 gorgeous Broad-winged Hawks flew by slow and fairly low giving Peter and I excellent views. A local Turkey Vulture was also seen today.
To Date:
Osprey - 2
Broad-Winged Hawk - 3
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 6
Also seen on Thursday: 29 species of birds including a Belted Kingfisher which flew right over Peter and I at treetop level. 12 species of butterflies including a Pearl Crescent. Cabbage White butterflies continue to dominate the gardens. During mid-afternoon the sky was filthy with 100s of Dragonflies. This makes hawk watching extremely difficult. And...the insect of the day was a Walking Stick that Charlene, a park worker, was kind enough to show Carol, Pat, Nancy, and myself.
Walter
On Thursday morning a rather ragged looking American Kestrel flew by over the park and then just after lunch the first of 3 gorgeous Broad-winged Hawks flew by slow and fairly low giving Peter and I excellent views. A local Turkey Vulture was also seen today.
To Date:
Osprey - 2
Broad-Winged Hawk - 3
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 6
Also seen on Thursday: 29 species of birds including a Belted Kingfisher which flew right over Peter and I at treetop level. 12 species of butterflies including a Pearl Crescent. Cabbage White butterflies continue to dominate the gardens. During mid-afternoon the sky was filthy with 100s of Dragonflies. This makes hawk watching extremely difficult. And...the insect of the day was a Walking Stick that Charlene, a park worker, was kind enough to show Carol, Pat, Nancy, and myself.
Walter
Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch 2011
Hello and welcome to the 2011 edition of the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch.
As many of you may know, our good friend BIGFRANK is busy pursuing other interests during this fall migration season and will try to join us a little later on in the Watch whenever possible. Frank, your passion and great friendship will sadly be missed by all and we look forward to seeing you back 'in the chair' again real soon...we wish you all the best!
With the guidance of Ann and Frank, I'll be doing the daily updates to the Blog (a new venture for me!) up until Frank's return. If you are new and don't know me, my name is Walter and I've been BIGFRANK's daily helper at the Raptor Watch for the last 3 years. He's taught me everything I know about hawks and hawk watching, so if I do anything wrong, blame him! - lol. I've committed myself, with the help of several others whenever they can, to doing the Watch on a daily basis and look forward to all your returning faces and also to welcoming lots of new watchers at the same time. It's always fun and exciting to share this great hobby with others. As many of you know, our Watch at Rosetta is not an 'official' Watch so just getting out and enjoying and sharing with others the migration of these spectacular birds is always our main goal. The number counting is almost secondary.
Some information about our Raptor Watch...
WHERE: Rosetta McClain Gardens, a small park situated on top of the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario, is located in Toronto (Scarborough), Ontario, Canada at the intersection of Kingston Road and Glen Everest Road. It's one stop-light east of the main intersection of Kingston Road and Birchmount Road. The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible and have bathrooms and lots of benches. NOTE - the following ARE NOT ALLOWED in the Gardens: dogs, picnics, bicycle riding or ball playing.
WHEN: From August 15th - November 30th. Almost daily we will be present watching and counting migrating raptors. Peak migration is from mid-September to mid-October. Peak time of day is most often 10am-2pm. Optimal conditions for a large movement of birds are on days with moderate to heavy northwest winds and nice white puffy clouds, though anything can happen on any given day.
WHAT IS SEEN: On any given day, any or all of 15 species of birds of prey can be seen migrating along the shores of Lake Ontario. Some birds, if we're lucky, will land briefly in the trees in the Gardens, some will circle briefly above us, while most others will just fly past us as they continue their long journey southward. In past years, between 4000 and 6500 raptors have been seen, with our best day last year being 946 total raptors.
So if you have time and are able to get out and join us at the RMG Raptor Watch, you may see any of the following 15 species of raptors (birds of prey): Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, American Kestrels, Merlins, and Peregrine Falcons.
If you have them, bring any of the following items with you: a pair of binoculars, a scope, a camera, a birding book, a snack to eat, and a small folding chair if you like.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Walter
As many of you may know, our good friend BIGFRANK is busy pursuing other interests during this fall migration season and will try to join us a little later on in the Watch whenever possible. Frank, your passion and great friendship will sadly be missed by all and we look forward to seeing you back 'in the chair' again real soon...we wish you all the best!
With the guidance of Ann and Frank, I'll be doing the daily updates to the Blog (a new venture for me!) up until Frank's return. If you are new and don't know me, my name is Walter and I've been BIGFRANK's daily helper at the Raptor Watch for the last 3 years. He's taught me everything I know about hawks and hawk watching, so if I do anything wrong, blame him! - lol. I've committed myself, with the help of several others whenever they can, to doing the Watch on a daily basis and look forward to all your returning faces and also to welcoming lots of new watchers at the same time. It's always fun and exciting to share this great hobby with others. As many of you know, our Watch at Rosetta is not an 'official' Watch so just getting out and enjoying and sharing with others the migration of these spectacular birds is always our main goal. The number counting is almost secondary.
Some information about our Raptor Watch...
WHERE: Rosetta McClain Gardens, a small park situated on top of the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario, is located in Toronto (Scarborough), Ontario, Canada at the intersection of Kingston Road and Glen Everest Road. It's one stop-light east of the main intersection of Kingston Road and Birchmount Road. The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible and have bathrooms and lots of benches. NOTE - the following ARE NOT ALLOWED in the Gardens: dogs, picnics, bicycle riding or ball playing.
WHEN: From August 15th - November 30th. Almost daily we will be present watching and counting migrating raptors. Peak migration is from mid-September to mid-October. Peak time of day is most often 10am-2pm. Optimal conditions for a large movement of birds are on days with moderate to heavy northwest winds and nice white puffy clouds, though anything can happen on any given day.
WHAT IS SEEN: On any given day, any or all of 15 species of birds of prey can be seen migrating along the shores of Lake Ontario. Some birds, if we're lucky, will land briefly in the trees in the Gardens, some will circle briefly above us, while most others will just fly past us as they continue their long journey southward. In past years, between 4000 and 6500 raptors have been seen, with our best day last year being 946 total raptors.
So if you have time and are able to get out and join us at the RMG Raptor Watch, you may see any of the following 15 species of raptors (birds of prey): Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, American Kestrels, Merlins, and Peregrine Falcons.
If you have them, bring any of the following items with you: a pair of binoculars, a scope, a camera, a birding book, a snack to eat, and a small folding chair if you like.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Walter
Sportsmans Show Success and A Great Surprise
Nova Ready for Take Off 
BIGFRANK-Nova,Ann with Alexandra The Great...Horned Owl
BIGFRANK-Nova,Ann with Alexandra The Great...Horned Owl 
Ann and Alexandra
Bruce and Kyla the American Kestrel
BIGFRANK and Kyla
BIGFRANK and Oscar the Peregrine Falcon
Murray and Kyla(she is popular)
March 16th-20th,myself,Bruce and Ann were going to help out at The Toronto Sportsmans Show at the Canadian Peregrine Foundations live birds of prey booth. Bruce and I are oldtimers,while Ann is on her 3rd year I think it was. The wonderful surprise was that CPF had a few volunteers back out at the last minute,so I was asked to get a few of my birding friends to help us out. A few folks I had met on Murray's birding tours joined us and so did Murray and his wife Deb. I loved Murray's comment to me when he agreed to come help. "First I did cartwheel then I called to say YES!"They were both thrilled to hold Kyla the Kestrel and Oscar and Nova the Peregrine Falcons. The show went great as we saw thousands of folks and passed on the good word about endangered species,conservation and birds in general.
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