Well if one wasn't amazing enough, how about two? I was searching through more photos of Monarch butterfly tags that Brenda Dziedzic had posted to her Facebook page (Brenda's Butterfly Habitat) and I found another one of our tags from Rosetta. This one was UBA 842. The Monarch was tagged on September 9th, 2015, it was a male and it's overall condition was rated '3' (good). At that time Terry had not received his measuring equipment so no weight or wing size was noted. The tag was recovered in Mexico on February 23, 2016 by Adelina Fajardo at Cerro Pelon near the town of Macheros. We thank Brenda, Carol Pasternak, and the other ladies for their efforts in retrieving these and all the other tags and of course, we thank the people of Mexico who work so hard to find the tags on the forest floor. At present we still don't fully understand why the tags are being sold-off. Once Brenda and Carol arrive back from Mexico we will see what they can tell us.
Walter
Special Post - Tag Recovered!
One of our 'tagged' Monarch butterflies has been found in Mexico!!!
An extremely excited Terry informed many of us via email late Sunday night that he had noticed one of his butterfly tags in an online photo. The Monarch butterfly tag was in a photo that Carol Pasternak (The Monarch Butterfly Crusader) had posted to her Facebook page earlier in the day. Carol, along with Brenda Dziedzic (Brenda's Butterfly Habitat) and several of their butterfly-loving friends are currently in Mexico up in the mountain region (Cerro Pelon) where the Monarchs spend their winters. The area is officially designated as The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Local workers in the Reserve comb the forest floor through thousands and thousands of dead Monarchs in search of ones that have identification tags attached to them. In turn the workers are paid money for recovered tags that they report. Apparently, and we're not sure why just yet but tourists there buy the butterfly tags off of their tour guides - hopefully we'll get some sort of clarification on just what the heck this is all about soon! Anyway, the tag that Terry noticed in the photo was one of his that he had purchased online, it was UBA 905, a tag that Betty (Terry's helper) had applied to a Monarch butterfly back in the fall at Rosetta. Terry searched through his tagging records and found the following information: the butterfly was tagged on September 18, 2015, it was a female, it weighed .57g, it's wing measurement was 60mm, and it's overall condition was rated 4 (5 being pristine), the day was sunny with a temperature of 27 degrees Celcius! Great stuff!
Here is a slightly edited version of the photo containing the tags...
An extremely excited Terry informed many of us via email late Sunday night that he had noticed one of his butterfly tags in an online photo. The Monarch butterfly tag was in a photo that Carol Pasternak (The Monarch Butterfly Crusader) had posted to her Facebook page earlier in the day. Carol, along with Brenda Dziedzic (Brenda's Butterfly Habitat) and several of their butterfly-loving friends are currently in Mexico up in the mountain region (Cerro Pelon) where the Monarchs spend their winters. The area is officially designated as The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Local workers in the Reserve comb the forest floor through thousands and thousands of dead Monarchs in search of ones that have identification tags attached to them. In turn the workers are paid money for recovered tags that they report. Apparently, and we're not sure why just yet but tourists there buy the butterfly tags off of their tour guides - hopefully we'll get some sort of clarification on just what the heck this is all about soon! Anyway, the tag that Terry noticed in the photo was one of his that he had purchased online, it was UBA 905, a tag that Betty (Terry's helper) had applied to a Monarch butterfly back in the fall at Rosetta. Terry searched through his tagging records and found the following information: the butterfly was tagged on September 18, 2015, it was a female, it weighed .57g, it's wing measurement was 60mm, and it's overall condition was rated 4 (5 being pristine), the day was sunny with a temperature of 27 degrees Celcius! Great stuff!
Here is a slightly edited version of the photo containing the tags...
(click photo to enlarge)
Here is a map showing a 'direct-line' path from Rosetta to the wintering grounds in Mexico...
(click photo to enlarge)
The direct-line distance from Rosetta down to the wintering grounds is slightly more than 3300 kms! We know butterflies get blown around a lot in the wind and also veer off-course for other reasons so it's extremely likely that this lady travelled much much further on her journey south. It's just amazing how they can do it!
I'll post further details as I get them.
Congratulations to Terry and to Betty for a job well done! How exciting!
Walter
Feb 15th - A New Raptor ID App!
Hey folks! Thought that you might be interested in this new raptor identification app from Jerry Liguori and HawkWatch International and The Cornell Lab or Ornithology. It's available for your android and apple devices.
Walter
Walter
Dec 15th - It's Over! Thankyou All!
LOL - The 'extended' part of our hawk watching sure didn't prove to be very fruitful at all. Oh well, we tried. I was at the park today for roughly two hours and it sure was quiet all around - no birds and no people!
Thankyou to everyone who came out this fall to help search, identify, and photograph the birds, bugs, animals, and flowers. What a wonderful time we had together!
Thankyou to everyone who came out this fall to help search, identify, and photograph the birds, bugs, animals, and flowers. What a wonderful time we had together!
Dec 9th - Hope Is Fading Fast!
LOL, if it hasn't completely gone already! Given the wind forecast for the rest of the week, we might be done! Anyway, I'll be down at the park today.....for a short stay if nothing else. Might have a rarity or something show-up!
Walter
Walter
2015 Christmas Luncheon
Just want to say thankyou to everyone for another fabulous Lucheon this year. Lots of great food and lots of great laughs had by all! It's always nice to see everyone dressed-up and minus their hawk-watching gear!
Don't forget the Christmas Luncheon is this weekend...
Once again this year Lee has been kind enough to set up a place, date and time for our annual season-ending Christmas Luncheon.
PLACE: East Side Mario's
12 Lebovic Avenue (Eglinton Ave E & Warden Ave)
In the Eglinton Town Centre
DATE: Sunday December 6th
TIME: 1:00 PM
Please let either Lee know via the Friends of Rosetta McClain Gardens Facebook page or myself know in the comment section at the bottom of this post or via my email if you will be attending.
Confirmed:
Lee
Dave C
Christina & Brian
Angie & Rob
Walter
Mark
Anne
Berle
Gunnar & Vivian
Helena
Hugh
Charlie
Phil & the kids
Patty
Dave S
Arvo
Hope to see you there!
Walter/Lee
_______________________________________
Don't forget the Christmas Luncheon is this weekend...
Once again this year Lee has been kind enough to set up a place, date and time for our annual season-ending Christmas Luncheon.
PLACE: East Side Mario's
12 Lebovic Avenue (Eglinton Ave E & Warden Ave)
In the Eglinton Town Centre
DATE: Sunday December 6th
TIME: 1:00 PM
Please let either Lee know via the Friends of Rosetta McClain Gardens Facebook page or myself know in the comment section at the bottom of this post or via my email if you will be attending.
Confirmed:
Lee
Dave C
Christina & Brian
Angie & Rob
Walter
Mark
Anne
Berle
Gunnar & Vivian
Helena
Hugh
Charlie
Phil & the kids
Patty
Dave S
Arvo
Hope to see you there!
Walter/Lee
Dec 2nd - Pileated, Great Horned, and Red-tails
Today we returned to the park for some more hawk watching but unfortunately today was not the day for that. Instead for excitement we heard towards the north end of the park the call of a Pileated Woodpecker, a species we did not have on our fall survey of the park and always a thrill to hear. Also, we watched in amazement as roughly 9 or 10 crows gathered to scold the heck out of a Great Horned Owl which sat in a tree down near the bottom of the bluffs. The owl eventually moved further along the bluffs towards Bluffer's Park out of sight. It eventually flew back and landed in a tree directly below the hawk watch and the crows all came back as well. We also had 2 Red-tails fly overhead at 2:30pm. Not entirely positive as to whether they were migrants or the locals. Oh well, great to see them all the same! Another nice sighting today was a lone Golden-crowned Kinglet which Pat found up in the pear tree.
Weather Prediction:
Dec 3rd - a mix of sun of clouds, NW 20-25km/h and gusting to 39km/h (theweathernetwork.com)
I'll be late getting to the park in the morning, so if you go, please keep track of what you see. Thanks!
See you there,
Walter
Weather Prediction:
Dec 3rd - a mix of sun of clouds, NW 20-25km/h and gusting to 39km/h (theweathernetwork.com)
I'll be late getting to the park in the morning, so if you go, please keep track of what you see. Thanks!
See you there,
Walter
A Hawk Watch Extention of Sorts...
I've noticed that at least one Ontario hawk watch is going to continue into the first two weeks of December because the belief is there are still many hawks yet to migrate through. It sounds good to me! So if you're interested, I'll be down at the park until December 15th searching the sky! Yes, the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch continues - because hawk watching is so much fun!!! This will not be part of our 'official' count but will be recorded on the blog.
See you at the park,
Walter
See you at the park,
Walter
Dec 1st - 'Statistics' Section Updated
The 'Statistics' section down the right-hand column has now been fully updated to include the 2015 Raptor Watch numbers. Just click 'No thanks...' at the bottom of the Dropbox pop-up window to view each.
Walter
Walter
Nov 30th - Our 3rd Best Count Ever!
The following is a review of what happened during our time at the hawk watch...
Turkey Vulture (2719) - Our 2nd best year ever for this species. October was our second best month ever for 'TVs' with a count of 2515 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 1134 birds.
Osprey (94) - Our 7th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 11th when we observed 10 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 4th - breaking our previous record by 2 days.
Bald Eagle (70) - Our 4th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 30th when we observed 26 birds - only 2 birds shy of a new record. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 28th - breaking our previous record by 4 days.
Northern Harrier (205) - Our 7th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 30th when we observed 21 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 28th - tying our previous record.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (2733) - Our 3rd best count ever for this species - only 65 birds away from being our 2nd highest count! September was our 3rd best month ever for 'sharpies' missing a new high count by only 49 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 14th when we observed 253 birds.
Cooper's Hawk (55) - Our 11th best count ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 6 birds.
Northern Goshawk (6) - Our 10th best count ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season was 1 on 6 separate dates.
Red-shouldered Hawk (41) - Our 3rd best year ever for this species. October was our 3rd best month ever for 'shoulders' with a count of 39 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 25th when we observed 14 birds.
Broad-winged Hawk (90) - Our 9th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 11th when we observed 69 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 14th - breaking our previous record by 16 days!
Red-tailed Hawk (551) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 130 birds.
Rough-legged Hawk (4) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on November 8th when we observed 2 birds.
Golden Eagle (6) - Our 8th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 25th when we observed 4 birds.
American Kestrel (302) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 6th when we observed 51 birds.
Merlin (114) - Our 3rd best year ever for this species. September was our 2nd best month ever for Merlin with a count of 66 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 24th and again on October 22nd when we observed 9 birds on each day.
Peregrine Falcon (60) - Our 6th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 16th when we observed 9 birds.
Total Raptors (7052) - Our 3rd best year ever at Rosetta. October was our 3rd best month ever for migrating raptors with a count of 3956 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 1445 birds.
Plus...
Species Survey - Birds (131) - Highlights included the following new species for our 'Park List' - Northern Pintail, American Golden Plover, and Tufted Titmouse. Our list of birds seen at Rosetta now sits at 210 species! Other great sightings included a lone Hooded Merganser, an adult and a juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo, and a Great Horned Owl was a thrill for those gathered at the park to watch the solar eclipse that occurred on September 27th.
Species Survey - Mammals (10) - Nothing overly exciting was observed this year again.
Species Survey - Butterflies (22) - It's was another great season for butterflies. Although no new species were observed, we did have a lone Spicebush Swallowtail on September 4th - a species not regularly seen in the Gardens. Our sightings of Giant Swallowtails (a recent 'Ontario' breeder) plummeted from an amazing 19 sightings last year to only 3 seen this year, all on the same day and all at the same time.
Monarch Butterfly Count (4386) - Not quite as high a count as last year but I suspect the near-complete lack of northwest wind had a big part to play in the overall low count this fall. On September 20th we observed an estimated 1500+ Monarchs flying westward. Terry and Betty, with the help of many others, managed to capture, weigh, measure, tag, and release an amazing 306 Monarchs this season.
Walter
Turkey Vulture (2719) - Our 2nd best year ever for this species. October was our second best month ever for 'TVs' with a count of 2515 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 1134 birds.
Osprey (94) - Our 7th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 11th when we observed 10 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 4th - breaking our previous record by 2 days.
Bald Eagle (70) - Our 4th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 30th when we observed 26 birds - only 2 birds shy of a new record. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 28th - breaking our previous record by 4 days.
Northern Harrier (205) - Our 7th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 30th when we observed 21 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 28th - tying our previous record.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (2733) - Our 3rd best count ever for this species - only 65 birds away from being our 2nd highest count! September was our 3rd best month ever for 'sharpies' missing a new high count by only 49 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 14th when we observed 253 birds.
Cooper's Hawk (55) - Our 11th best count ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 6 birds.
Northern Goshawk (6) - Our 10th best count ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season was 1 on 6 separate dates.
Red-shouldered Hawk (41) - Our 3rd best year ever for this species. October was our 3rd best month ever for 'shoulders' with a count of 39 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 25th when we observed 14 birds.
Broad-winged Hawk (90) - Our 9th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 11th when we observed 69 birds. Our latest date for this species occurred on November 14th - breaking our previous record by 16 days!
Red-tailed Hawk (551) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 130 birds.
Rough-legged Hawk (4) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on November 8th when we observed 2 birds.
Golden Eagle (6) - Our 8th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 25th when we observed 4 birds.
American Kestrel (302) - Our 10th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 6th when we observed 51 birds.
Merlin (114) - Our 3rd best year ever for this species. September was our 2nd best month ever for Merlin with a count of 66 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on September 24th and again on October 22nd when we observed 9 birds on each day.
Peregrine Falcon (60) - Our 6th best year ever for this species. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 16th when we observed 9 birds.
Total Raptors (7052) - Our 3rd best year ever at Rosetta. October was our 3rd best month ever for migrating raptors with a count of 3956 birds. Our highest day count for the season occurred on October 17th when we observed 1445 birds.
Plus...
Species Survey - Birds (131) - Highlights included the following new species for our 'Park List' - Northern Pintail, American Golden Plover, and Tufted Titmouse. Our list of birds seen at Rosetta now sits at 210 species! Other great sightings included a lone Hooded Merganser, an adult and a juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo, and a Great Horned Owl was a thrill for those gathered at the park to watch the solar eclipse that occurred on September 27th.
Species Survey - Mammals (10) - Nothing overly exciting was observed this year again.
Species Survey - Butterflies (22) - It's was another great season for butterflies. Although no new species were observed, we did have a lone Spicebush Swallowtail on September 4th - a species not regularly seen in the Gardens. Our sightings of Giant Swallowtails (a recent 'Ontario' breeder) plummeted from an amazing 19 sightings last year to only 3 seen this year, all on the same day and all at the same time.
Monarch Butterfly Count (4386) - Not quite as high a count as last year but I suspect the near-complete lack of northwest wind had a big part to play in the overall low count this fall. On September 20th we observed an estimated 1500+ Monarchs flying westward. Terry and Betty, with the help of many others, managed to capture, weigh, measure, tag, and release an amazing 306 Monarchs this season.
Walter
Nov 30th - 2 More Birds To End It!
A number of us gathered at the fence this afternoon one last time to hopefully see a few more birds fly over. It wasn't too long before a Red-tail came along and then eventually a Cooper's Hawk flew over the north end of the park. Sadly, that was it tho, another year in the books!
Stay tuned for a complete summary and closing comments.
Walter
Stay tuned for a complete summary and closing comments.
Walter
Nov 29th - A Few More
Today was reasonably slow at the park and with only 1 day left of hawk watching, I don't feel too bad about it. They're all gone!
Today might've actually been our last day given the nasty weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll watch the weather and then decide one way or another about giving it one last go if the clouds clear.
Today:
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Total - 4
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2719 (1461) (3306)
Osprey - 94 (110) (211)
Bald Eagle - 70 (57) (109)
Northern Harrier - 205 (244) (488)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2733 (2191) (3712)
Cooper's Hawk - 55 (95) (127)
Northern Goshawk - 6 (18) (24)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 41 (25) (83)
Broad-winged Hawk - 90 (216) (1418)
Red-tailed Hawk - 551 (757) (1019)
Rough-legged Hawk - 4 (10) (28)
Golden Eagle - 6 (10) (20)
American Kestrel - 302 (561) (719)
Merlin - 114 (72) (130)
Peregrine Falcon - 60 (68) (102)
Total - 7050 (5963) (11128)
seasonal averages - 2006 thru 2014
highest seasonal totals - 2006 thru 2014
Hawkwatchers:
Allison, Hugh, Joe, Ann, Betty, Pat & Nancy, Charlie, Diana, and a few others who stopped by. Thanks for company today, always an enjoyable time.
Weather Prediction:
Nov 30th - freezing drizzle switching to mainly sunny in the afternoon, E 15km/h (theweathernetwork.com)
(Maybe) I'll see you tomorrow for the big finish,
Walter
Today might've actually been our last day given the nasty weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll watch the weather and then decide one way or another about giving it one last go if the clouds clear.
Today:
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Total - 4
To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 2719 (1461) (3306)
Osprey - 94 (110) (211)
Bald Eagle - 70 (57) (109)
Northern Harrier - 205 (244) (488)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2733 (2191) (3712)
Cooper's Hawk - 55 (95) (127)
Northern Goshawk - 6 (18) (24)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 41 (25) (83)
Broad-winged Hawk - 90 (216) (1418)
Red-tailed Hawk - 551 (757) (1019)
Rough-legged Hawk - 4 (10) (28)
Golden Eagle - 6 (10) (20)
American Kestrel - 302 (561) (719)
Merlin - 114 (72) (130)
Peregrine Falcon - 60 (68) (102)
Total - 7050 (5963) (11128)
seasonal averages - 2006 thru 2014
highest seasonal totals - 2006 thru 2014
Hawkwatchers:
Allison, Hugh, Joe, Ann, Betty, Pat & Nancy, Charlie, Diana, and a few others who stopped by. Thanks for company today, always an enjoyable time.
Weather Prediction:
Nov 30th - freezing drizzle switching to mainly sunny in the afternoon, E 15km/h (theweathernetwork.com)
(Maybe) I'll see you tomorrow for the big finish,
Walter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)