Aug 24th - NW Wind Day!

It's still a little early in the season but today we may see an increase in the number of raptors flying over Rosetta.  The Weather Network is predicting light but gusting NW wind for the day.  We'll see what happens.

Walter

Another Day, Another Butterfly!

I didn't do a lot of searching today but I did manage to find another new (#26) butterfly for our Fall List - a beautiful fresh male Pipevine Swallowtail.  'Fresh' means that it was in pristine condition and likely just emerged within the last couple of days.

Pipevine Swallowtail (Walter)

Also seen today was this gorgeous creature...

Hummingbird Clearwing moth (Walter)

Migrating Dragonflies are starting to show in the sky and on the flowers as well...

See you at the park!

Walter

August 23-2017

Hi everyone,

Allison reports the following birds were seen at the park today between 11:30 and 2:00:

Osprey - 2
Merlin -3
Cooper's Hawk - 1

Unidentified falcon - 1
Unidentified buteo - 1
Unidentified accipiter - 1

The usual group of local turkey vultures also visited.  Cedar waxwings are still moving around the park.

YTD:

Cooper's Hawk - 1
Merlin - 4
Osprey - 4

Unidentified falcon - 1
Unidentified buteo - 1
Unidentified accipiter - 1


Lee

Enjoying the Eclipse

Here's our friend Leon (92 years young!) enjoying yesterday's solar eclipse with glasses he received from a friend who is an astronomer.  Leon sat and watched for 2 hours as the big event unfolded.  I don't think the sighting of a rare butterfly would've got his attention whatsoever.

Photos courtesy of me...

Shot at 2:22pm near the height of the eclipse with my camera

at full zoom and through a piece of welder's glass that

Arvo brought to the park.  A little photo editing didn't hurt!

Walter

21 Species of Butterflies Today!

With another possible sighting yesterday of the extremely rare visitor, the Fadus Sphinx moth (Aellopos fadus) that was at the park last week, it brought out some of the city's best moth and butterfly experts this morning with the hopes of finding and if lucky enough, photographing this little beauty from Central America.  Moth expert David Beadle (Peterson Field Guide to Moths), as well as butterfly experts Bob and Karen Yukich, Leon Schlichter, Barry Harrison and a few others, myself included (not that I'm an expert by any means in either field), searched the Gardens from top to bottom for several hours but unfortunately the little moth with a 58mm wingspan was nowhere to be found.  What was found however was another, or possibly the same Hummingbird Clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe) that has been visiting the flowers at Rosetta for the past week and a half.  To my knowledge, this is at least the third sighting of this far more common moth over that time period.  Far more common but incredible to see all the same as both of these moths fly like minature Hummingbirds, darting in and out of the flowers getting quick sips of nectar as they go.

Fadus Sphinx moth - 18 Aug 2017 (photos courtesy of Lynn Pady)

With all of the searching for the Fadus Sphinx moth today the group managed to compile Rosetta's best ever 'single day' count for butterflies - an amazing 21 different species were found and all but 1 were found in the main gardens that surround the fountain.

Here's what we observed...

Black Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Summer Azure
American Snout
Monarch
White Admiral
Red-spotted Purple
Viceroy
American Lady
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Mourning Cloak
Question Mark
Eastern Comma
Silver-spotted Skipper
Wild Indigo Duskywing
Fiery Skipper
Peck's Skipper
Northern Broken-Dash

A huge 'thankyou' goes out not only to the experts that were there today but also to so many of the usual 'Rosetta gang' for pointing out anything that they found insect-wise as well.  Lots of new and interesting creepy bugs around!  I managed to see another Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) today.  A wasp that's about twice the size of any of the common wasps that we usually see.  I saw and photographed one a few years back at the park.  Back then their northern range was somewhere in and about northern Pennsylvania/ southern New York state.  Thanks to global warming (No Donald Trump, it's not a hoax!!!), they've moved a little further north and are now seen in southern Ontario far more frequently.

What a day!

See you again soon,

Walter

A Few Great Bugs (updated)

Hi folks,

Thanks to all those who are keeping me informed of what butterflies and moths they're seeing at the park.  It's been fairly exciting so far and we've only just completed the first week!  Can't wait to see what we get this coming week.


Butterflies...

Black Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Clouded Sulphur
Orange Sulphur
Cabbage White
Azure sp.
Monarch
Red-spotted Purple
Viceroy
American Lady
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Mourning Cloak
Question Mark
Eastern Comma
Silver-spotted Skipper
Fiery Skipper
Peck's Skipper
Northern Broken-Dash
Dun Skipper

The Dun Skipper is new for our park list.  It's species #39!  I found it on August 8th in the main gardens by the fountain.


Moths...

Fadus Sphinx
Hummingbird Clearwing

The Fadus Sphinx moth is new for our park list and is extremely rare for the province!

Paul Reeves' moth that was identified as a rare Titan Sphinx moth has now been correctly identified as an even rarer Fadus Sphinx moth.  They are quite similar looking.  Again, congratulations Paul for such an amazing find!

This moth was possibly seen and photographed (positive identification still pending) by several people again this afternoon.  Keep an eye out for it over the next week!  It likes the Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia spp).

Good butterflying and mothing,
Walter

Another Osprey!

Thanks to Blaine who told Walter that a migrating Osprey went by the park yesterday.

YTD:

Merlin 1
Osprey 2

Lee

Monarch tagging started today - tag numbers XAJ575 to XAJ584

Hi all,

I tagged 10 monarchs today at RMG to see if there was any migration happening.

Some observations:

1) None of the 10 tagged monarchs were seen again at RMG. 

2) 9 of 10 were males, which is to be expected.

3) Some of the males were extremely heavy.....big abdomens...full.  one was .96g heaviest I have ever weighed.

4) On release, all monarchs flew towards the fence and west indicating they were on the move.

5) Non tagged monarch movement is happening but very very subtle and slow.  

6) Tag numbers use XAJ575 to XAJ584.

I'd suggest we are still a few days from any real steady migration.  

No raptors seen at the hawkwatch. Too early.

Lots of other butterflies in the gardens!  1 real nice Viceroy!

Terry

August 9 and we have an...

Osprey!  Walter was at the park between 3:20 and 4:30 and within minutes saw our first Osprey of the season. 

Today:

Osprey - 1

YTD:

Merlin - 1
Osprey - 1

Total - 2

Lee

A little early in the season but Tue Aug 8th looks like a nice NW wind!

Hi all,
Tomorrow Tuesday August 8th looks promising with a NW wind predicted for most of the day!
A trip to Rosetta may be worth it even though its very early in the season!

You never know what may fly by in terms of early raptor migrants!

Monarch migration is predicted to be very good this fall with many more monarchs being seen in Ontario!
Lets hope for a good flow of raptors and monarchs!

Let the NW winds blow strong!

Please report your sightings to:
rosettamcclaingardens@gmail.com

Thanks

See you at the park!

Terry

Postnote:  No raptors seen today.  Too early and Too hot!  But over 50 monarchs observed in the gardens.  Monarchs everywhere!.

The first raptor of the season is...

A Merlin!  I haven't heard of any other sightings of migrating birds of prey, so this will have to be it.  And when I say it, that was the only migrating raptor I saw today.  I went down in the afternoon for an hour or so since the winds were pretty good and the weather was cool, something we normally don't get in August.  There were quite a few monarch butterflies around the fountain and some very talkative blue jays.  All of the photos are mine:

Merlin

 Turkey Vulture

Blue Jays

Monarch

We also saw 2 of the many local turkey vultures going back and forth.

Today:

Merlin - 1

YTD:

Merlin - 1

People:

Lee, Blaine and Rob

See you at the park!

Lee

2017 Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor watch will be starting Sept 1, 2017!

Hi all,

First,  a huge "Thank You" to Walter for his long hours of dedication at the fence and commitment to keeping this "blog" updated and current!
A small group of us met and will continue to try to keep the "Rosetta raptor watch" operational.

The Rosetta McClain raptor watch will "officially" start Friday Sept 1, 2017, daily 10am-3pm.
In August we will capture casual observations as they get reported!

Our current priorities and tasks to figure out are:

1) How to scheduling observers at the fence (perhaps use google calendar as used by the piping plover caretaker teams?)
2) Establishing a process to record hawk data at the fence (clipboard + notebook - store in office?)
3) Reporting at the end of each day (smart phone photo of clipboard sent to Lee?)
4) Updating the blog (Lee/Terry to post on "blog")
5) Capturing some of the great photos each day! (Lee/Terry to post on "blog")
6) Year end data summaries etc.........  deal with them later!

Assistance will be needed with observing at the fence!

Please comment, text or email,  Lee/Terry/Betty/Hugh/John if you can help
Stay tuned!!

 

The fun will begin soon!