OMG, we've finally reached the '200 Raptor' mark!
Our raptor count as of September 16th over the years...
2006 - 1185
2007 - 1977
2008 - 867
2009 - 766
2010 - 2987
2011 - 1935
2012 - 1505
2013 - 1582
2014 - 2843
2015 - 1625
2016 - 1058
2017 - 386
2018 - 206
Let's hope for much cooler weather and strong NW winds in the weeks ahead!
Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 16
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 1
To Date:
Osprey - 35
Bald Eagle - 45
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 56
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 16
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 24
Merlin - 8
Peregrine Falcon - 6
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 206
Other Birds:
Cooper's Hawk (local), Merlin (local), and a couple of hundred Blue Jays.
Hawkwatchers:
Theresa, Leslie, Betty, Hugh, and me.
Walter
Sep 15th - Another Eagle!
Today:
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 12
Eagle Time (EDT):
09:38am - BE - 1
Walter
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 12
Eagle Time (EDT):
09:38am - BE - 1
Walter
Sep 14th - 3 Birds!
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Eagle Time (EDT):
01:00pm - BE - 1
Other Birds:
Blue Jays (500+)
Insects:
28 Monarchs tagged. Very few butterflies in the gardens today. Quite strange considering how lovely the weather was.
Hawkwatchers:
Hugh, Betty, Allison, Walter, and Cori. Thankyou.
Weather Prediction:
Nothing really promising for the weekend. Keep your eye on Wednesday - at present The Weather Network says NW wind.
Walter
Sep 12th - 3 Birds!
Today:
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Insects:
51 Monarchs tagged.
Hawkwatchers:
Sheldon, Terry, Betty, and the Mood group.
Walter
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Insects:
51 Monarchs tagged.
Hawkwatchers:
Sheldon, Terry, Betty, and the Mood group.
Walter
Sep 11th - 26 Raptors!
This morning was a bit of a head-scratcher for those who gathered at the fence - decent NW wind, beautiful sky, no birds! Thankfully just before mid-day things started to pick up.
Today:
Osprey - 8
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 9
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 4
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Total - 26
Eagle Time (EDT):
11:43am - BE - 1
To Date:
Osprey - 35
Bald Eagle - 42
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 25
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 16
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 7
Peregrine Falcon - 5
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 169
Other Birds:
Loons (5), Common Ravens (3), a Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher. Lots of Warblers and other songbirds about the park.
Insects:
An estimated count of 2500 Monarchs passing over the park. Terry, Betty, and Kade managed to capture and tag 172 of them. Fantastic work!
Hawkwatchers:
Theresa, Walter, Sheldon, Bruce F, Manfred, Allison, Brian and Carol, Sonja, Lynn, and MC. Thankyou everyone for another fun-filled day.
See you again soon,
Walter
Today:
Osprey - 8
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 9
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 4
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Total - 26
Eagle Time (EDT):
11:43am - BE - 1
To Date:
Osprey - 35
Bald Eagle - 42
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 25
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 16
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 7
Peregrine Falcon - 5
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 169
Other Birds:
Loons (5), Common Ravens (3), a Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher. Lots of Warblers and other songbirds about the park.
Insects:
An estimated count of 2500 Monarchs passing over the park. Terry, Betty, and Kade managed to capture and tag 172 of them. Fantastic work!
Hawkwatchers:
Theresa, Walter, Sheldon, Bruce F, Manfred, Allison, Brian and Carol, Sonja, Lynn, and MC. Thankyou everyone for another fun-filled day.
See you again soon,
Walter
Sep 10th - A Correction and an Update.
Correction:
Back on September 6th in the early afternoon the hawkwatchers that were gathered at the park witnessed a large dark raptor circling along over the park with a buddy, a Turkey Vulture. Was it another vulture or was it a juvenile Bald Eagle? With no distinct markings whatsoever on the underside and poor lighting I laid back on the bench to study what I could. The two features that stood out for me were the head and the wings. The head did not appear to protrude out like that of a Bald Eagle but also didn't appear to be that of a Turkey Vulture either. As for the wings, they just appeared different than the vulture's, especially at the tips and the trailing edges. Also there was no distinct dihedral (like TVs display) in the wings as it soared and the bird didn't rock in the wind as TVs do. This bird really left us confused and scratching our heads. Any later in the season and I would've called it a Golden Eagle but not without discussion, of course. We did have one heck of a talk about what it possibly was and eventually concurred that putting it down as an 'unidentified raptor' was the best solution to our problem - although I was still slightly leaning towards a GE.
Move ahead 2 days to the 8th and doesn't the Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch in Port Stanley get a Golden Eagle! Their report read, "The big surprise today was a Golden Eagle that was very low as it passed through right overhead. The bird had a faded off-white band across the tail deck and dull golden feathering on the nape of the neck but was otherwise completely dark and had a smaller head than a Bald. This is one of a very few Golden Eagles that have ever been recorded in the month of September at Hawk Cliff." Of note, during our sighting at Rosetta on the 6th, the bird's tail was never spread open and lighting was not on our side to notice the colouring of the nape of the neck. All birds for the day appeared as silhouettes and hard to identify.
For those who do not totally understand the relationship between our raptor watch location and the Port Stanley location, it's really quite simple. Because of the way in which raptors and other birds navigate around the Great Lakes during fall migration, many birds flying down over eastern Ontario and western Quebec run in to a natural barrier in the Great Lakes. They don't like to fly over large bodies of cold water as they do not provide the hot air thermals the birds need in order to migrate efficiently. They must then follow the north shore of Lake Ontario until they reach the west end and then turn southward. They eventually arrive at Lake Erie and must follow it's northern shoreline all the way to it's west end, just south of Windsor. Then they're free to fly south as they please. The length of time it takes for a large bird to pass over the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch and then eventually over the Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch depends on a number of factors including wind and weather. With favourable conditions it could easily be done in 2 days. We did not have any unfavourable weather over the span of those couple of days and the wind was blowing down from the north - the direction that keeps the birds hugging the shorelines. I personally don't see any reason why the Golden Eagle observed at Hawk Cliff was not the exact same big dark bird that we saw over Rosetta 2 days earlier therefore I'm adding it to our count. If you're not happy with that, then take your bins elsewhere to play - lmao!!!
This is actually our 3rd Golden Eagle observed in the month of September ever. The previous early date was on the 19th in 2006 and the other was on the 30th in 2015.
Update:
Lee had an Osprey fly over the Watch during the afternoon yesterday (Sep 9th). She also saw the local Cooper's Hawk and a Search & Rescue Helicopter.
To Date:
Osprey - 27
Bald Eagle - 41
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 16
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 6
Peregrine Falcon - 3
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 143
See you again soon, maybe even tomorrow!
Walter
Back on September 6th in the early afternoon the hawkwatchers that were gathered at the park witnessed a large dark raptor circling along over the park with a buddy, a Turkey Vulture. Was it another vulture or was it a juvenile Bald Eagle? With no distinct markings whatsoever on the underside and poor lighting I laid back on the bench to study what I could. The two features that stood out for me were the head and the wings. The head did not appear to protrude out like that of a Bald Eagle but also didn't appear to be that of a Turkey Vulture either. As for the wings, they just appeared different than the vulture's, especially at the tips and the trailing edges. Also there was no distinct dihedral (like TVs display) in the wings as it soared and the bird didn't rock in the wind as TVs do. This bird really left us confused and scratching our heads. Any later in the season and I would've called it a Golden Eagle but not without discussion, of course. We did have one heck of a talk about what it possibly was and eventually concurred that putting it down as an 'unidentified raptor' was the best solution to our problem - although I was still slightly leaning towards a GE.
Move ahead 2 days to the 8th and doesn't the Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch in Port Stanley get a Golden Eagle! Their report read, "The big surprise today was a Golden Eagle that was very low as it passed through right overhead. The bird had a faded off-white band across the tail deck and dull golden feathering on the nape of the neck but was otherwise completely dark and had a smaller head than a Bald. This is one of a very few Golden Eagles that have ever been recorded in the month of September at Hawk Cliff." Of note, during our sighting at Rosetta on the 6th, the bird's tail was never spread open and lighting was not on our side to notice the colouring of the nape of the neck. All birds for the day appeared as silhouettes and hard to identify.
For those who do not totally understand the relationship between our raptor watch location and the Port Stanley location, it's really quite simple. Because of the way in which raptors and other birds navigate around the Great Lakes during fall migration, many birds flying down over eastern Ontario and western Quebec run in to a natural barrier in the Great Lakes. They don't like to fly over large bodies of cold water as they do not provide the hot air thermals the birds need in order to migrate efficiently. They must then follow the north shore of Lake Ontario until they reach the west end and then turn southward. They eventually arrive at Lake Erie and must follow it's northern shoreline all the way to it's west end, just south of Windsor. Then they're free to fly south as they please. The length of time it takes for a large bird to pass over the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch and then eventually over the Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch depends on a number of factors including wind and weather. With favourable conditions it could easily be done in 2 days. We did not have any unfavourable weather over the span of those couple of days and the wind was blowing down from the north - the direction that keeps the birds hugging the shorelines. I personally don't see any reason why the Golden Eagle observed at Hawk Cliff was not the exact same big dark bird that we saw over Rosetta 2 days earlier therefore I'm adding it to our count. If you're not happy with that, then take your bins elsewhere to play - lmao!!!
This is actually our 3rd Golden Eagle observed in the month of September ever. The previous early date was on the 19th in 2006 and the other was on the 30th in 2015.
Update:
Lee had an Osprey fly over the Watch during the afternoon yesterday (Sep 9th). She also saw the local Cooper's Hawk and a Search & Rescue Helicopter.
Osprey (Lee)
local Cooper's Hawk (Lee)
Search & Rescue (Lee)
To Date:
Osprey - 27
Bald Eagle - 41
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 16
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 6
Peregrine Falcon - 3
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 143
See you again soon, maybe even tomorrow!
Walter
Sep 7th & 8th - Eagles, Osprey, and Others!
RMG Raptor Watch
7th September 2018
Today:
Osprey - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Merlin - 2
Total - 7
Hawkwatchers:
Theresa, Julie, Sheldon, Ron, Walter, Pat & Nancy, Hugh, Norm, Bruce F, Berle, Mark, Lee, Murray, and several others. Thankyou!
_________________________
RMG Raptor Watch
8th September 2018
Today:
Osprey - 11
Bald Eagle - 16
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 8
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Total - 42
Eagle Time (EDT):
07:45am - BE - 1
08:01am - BE - 1
08:56am - BE - 1
09:07am - BE - 1
09:09am - BE - 1
09:23am - BE - 2
09:28am - BE - 1
09:47am - BE - 1
10:39am - BE - 1
10:52am - BE - 2
11:25am - BE - 1
11:32am - BE - 1
12:27pm - BE - 1
04:43pm - BE - 1
To Date:
Osprey - 26
Bald Eagle - 41
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 16
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 6
Peregrine Falcon - 3
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 142
Some of today's excitement...
Other Birds:
Loons (12), Common Ravens (2)
Insects:
Monarch butterflies - Another likely under-estimated count of 3000!
Hawkwatchers:
Phil, Sheldon, Mark, Bruce Massey, Walter, Mike D, Allison, Ron, Bruce & Ann Falls and their son Rob, Norm, Ed, Cori, Bruce Ferry, Lee, Susan, Ella, Ben, plus several others who stopped by. Thankyou everyone for a spectacular day!
Weather Prediction:
East wind (The laziest wind) for Sunday and rain tonight.
See you all again soon,
Walter
7th September 2018
Today:
Osprey - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Merlin - 2
Total - 7
Hawkwatchers:
Theresa, Julie, Sheldon, Ron, Walter, Pat & Nancy, Hugh, Norm, Bruce F, Berle, Mark, Lee, Murray, and several others. Thankyou!
_________________________
RMG Raptor Watch
8th September 2018
Today:
Osprey - 11
Bald Eagle - 16
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 8
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Total - 42
Eagle Time (EDT):
07:45am - BE - 1
08:01am - BE - 1
08:56am - BE - 1
09:07am - BE - 1
09:09am - BE - 1
09:23am - BE - 2
09:28am - BE - 1
09:47am - BE - 1
10:39am - BE - 1
10:52am - BE - 2
11:25am - BE - 1
11:32am - BE - 1
12:27pm - BE - 1
04:43pm - BE - 1
To Date:
Osprey - 26
Bald Eagle - 41
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 16
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 7
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 23
Merlin - 6
Peregrine Falcon - 3
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 142
Some of today's excitement...
Osprey (Mike D)
Bald Eagle and Monarch butterfly (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
local Red-tailed Hawk (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
Bald Eagle (Mike D)
local Turkey Vulture (Mike D)
local Turkey Vulture (Mike D)
Other Birds:
Loons (12), Common Ravens (2)
Common Raven (Mike D)
Insects:
Monarch butterflies - Another likely under-estimated count of 3000!
Hawkwatchers:
Phil, Sheldon, Mark, Bruce Massey, Walter, Mike D, Allison, Ron, Bruce & Ann Falls and their son Rob, Norm, Ed, Cori, Bruce Ferry, Lee, Susan, Ella, Ben, plus several others who stopped by. Thankyou everyone for a spectacular day!
Weather Prediction:
East wind (The laziest wind) for Sunday and rain tonight.
See you all again soon,
Walter
Sep 6th - 42 Raptors!
The NE wind keep the birds up high today and cloud cover made identification challanging at times.
Today:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 11
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 9
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 6
Merlin - 1
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 42
To Date:
Osprey - 13
Bald Eagle - 25
Northern Harrier - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 6
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 22
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 93
Eagle Time (EDT):
10:22am - BE - 1
10:31am - BE - 1
10:39am - BE - 1
11:10am - BE - 2
11:21am - BE - 1
01:21pm - BE - 2
03:45pm - BE - 2
03:48pm - BE - 1
??:?? - GE - 1
Other Birds:
Loons - 8
Common Nighthawk - 1
Insects:
Monarchs - 12,000
Dragonflies - thousands!
Hawkwatchers:
Walter, Sheldon, Theresa, Sophie, Allison, Berle, Bruce F, Anthony, Chris, Terry, and Betty. Thank you everyone!
Weather Prediction:
Similar NE wind will be blowing throughout the morning and switching to E by lunchtime. Birds will likely be flying high again.
See you again,
Walter
Today:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 11
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 9
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 6
Merlin - 1
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 42
To Date:
Osprey - 13
Bald Eagle - 25
Northern Harrier - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6
Broad-winged Hawk - 12
Red-tailed Hawk - 6
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 22
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Buteo - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 2
Total - 93
Eagle Time (EDT):
10:22am - BE - 1
10:31am - BE - 1
10:39am - BE - 1
11:10am - BE - 2
11:21am - BE - 1
01:21pm - BE - 2
03:45pm - BE - 2
03:48pm - BE - 1
??:?? - GE - 1
Other Birds:
Loons - 8
Common Nighthawk - 1
Insects:
Monarchs - 12,000
Dragonflies - thousands!
Hawkwatchers:
Walter, Sheldon, Theresa, Sophie, Allison, Berle, Bruce F, Anthony, Chris, Terry, and Betty. Thank you everyone!
Weather Prediction:
Similar NE wind will be blowing throughout the morning and switching to E by lunchtime. Birds will likely be flying high again.
See you again,
Walter
Sep 3rd - An Update
Sorry folks for the lack of updates lately, I had a slight computer malfunction - the hard drive died.
Here's what I have for the last few days...
August 31st
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 (Theresa)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (Bruce F)
Bald Eagle - 1 (02:07pm) (Cori)
Merlin - 1 (Cori, Walter)
Osprey - 1 (Cori, Walter)
Total - 5
September 3rd
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (Bruce F, Walter)
Bald Eagle - 1 (Betty, Hugh)
American Kestrel - 2 (Sheldon)
Total - 4
To Date:
Osprey - 9
Bald Eagle - 14
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 4
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 16
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 51
Please let me know asap if you've had other sightings that are not listed above of any of our 15 raptor species passing over rosetta and heading west. The local raptors don't count. ; )
See you again soon,
Walter
Here's what I have for the last few days...
August 31st
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 (Theresa)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (Bruce F)
Bald Eagle - 1 (02:07pm) (Cori)
Merlin - 1 (Cori, Walter)
Osprey - 1 (Cori, Walter)
Total - 5
September 3rd
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (Bruce F, Walter)
Bald Eagle - 1 (Betty, Hugh)
American Kestrel - 2 (Sheldon)
Total - 4
To Date:
Osprey - 9
Bald Eagle - 14
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 4
Broad-winged Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 16
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 51
Please let me know asap if you've had other sightings that are not listed above of any of our 15 raptor species passing over rosetta and heading west. The local raptors don't count. ; )
See you again soon,
Walter
Aug 30th - 30 Raptors, 15,000 Monarchs
With a moderate N-NE wind throughout the morning and in to the early afternoon, it turned out to be a fairly good late August day. A few of us were still at the park at 6:00pm but mostly just to talk. At day's end we had added the following to the count...
Today:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 10
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 13
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 30
To Date:
Osprey - 8
Bald Eagle - 12
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 14
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 42
Eagle Time (EDT):
10:06am - BE - 1
11:12am - BE - 1
11:33am - BE - 1
11:39am - BE - 2
11:49am - BE - 1
12:38pm - BE - 1
01:44pm - BE - 1
02:25pm - BE - 2
An interesting 'hawk watching' moment came late in the afternoon as we watched the local Cooper's Hawk and local Merlin go at it over the east end of the park and eventually out over the lake. As they returned back over the bluffs the Coop's interest switched to an incoming Osprey. They went at one another all the way across the park and out the west side. This battle produced two firsts for me - I've never seen an Osprey get so pissed at another raptor and, I've never seen an Osprey do the 'talons up' flip - not once but several times! Very cool!!!
Other Birds:
Turkey Vulture (local), Cooper's Hawk (local), Merlin (local), Eastern Bluebird (6), Common Nighthawk (7), and a couple of Great Blue Herons.
Insects:
Monarch migration was amazing today with a very likely under-estimated count of 15,000! Many many times I could see 10-15 monarchs at once in my binoculars without scanning. They filled the sky at all heights. Dragonfly migration picked up as the day progressed.
Hawkwatchers:
Bruce F, Jean, Berle, Sheldon, Ron, Glen, Trudy, Cori, Lee and myself. Thankyou everyone!
See you again soon,
Walter
Today:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 10
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 13
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 30
To Date:
Osprey - 8
Bald Eagle - 12
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 14
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 42
Eagle Time (EDT):
10:06am - BE - 1
11:12am - BE - 1
11:33am - BE - 1
11:39am - BE - 2
11:49am - BE - 1
12:38pm - BE - 1
01:44pm - BE - 1
02:25pm - BE - 2
An interesting 'hawk watching' moment came late in the afternoon as we watched the local Cooper's Hawk and local Merlin go at it over the east end of the park and eventually out over the lake. As they returned back over the bluffs the Coop's interest switched to an incoming Osprey. They went at one another all the way across the park and out the west side. This battle produced two firsts for me - I've never seen an Osprey get so pissed at another raptor and, I've never seen an Osprey do the 'talons up' flip - not once but several times! Very cool!!!
Other Birds:
Turkey Vulture (local), Cooper's Hawk (local), Merlin (local), Eastern Bluebird (6), Common Nighthawk (7), and a couple of Great Blue Herons.
Insects:
Monarch migration was amazing today with a very likely under-estimated count of 15,000! Many many times I could see 10-15 monarchs at once in my binoculars without scanning. They filled the sky at all heights. Dragonfly migration picked up as the day progressed.
Hawkwatchers:
Bruce F, Jean, Berle, Sheldon, Ron, Glen, Trudy, Cori, Lee and myself. Thankyou everyone!
See you again soon,
Walter
Aug 27th - Updated Raptor Count
To Date:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 12
See you soon,
Walter
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 12
This beautiful Merlin appears to be staying in the area (Julie)
See you soon,
Walter
Aug 22nd - NW Wind, 7 Raptors!
Today was a great day to get out and enjoy the weather, the company of others and also to watch a few early migrants fly over the park. Although maybe not as exciting as we'd hoped but we did have an adult Bald Eagle fly over the center of the park and sometimes that's all you really need!
Today:
Osprey - 3
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 7
To Date:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 10
Eagle Time (EDT):
02:05pm - BE - adult
Other Birds:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk (all local birds). Many migrant songbirds are starting appear throughout the park including Warblers, Vireos, and Flycatchers.
Insects:
Butterflies - A good variety was observed again today including yet another Giant Swallowtail! Monarch migration continued with an estimated count of 125. Betty had a busy day catching and tagging 60 of them. A decent number of dragonflies are starting to appear in the sky over the park.
Hawkwatchers:
Bruce F, Theresa, Ron, Berle, Hugh, Cori, Betty, Ann, Chris, Sheldon, and myself. Thankyou everyone!
Weather:
Thursday starts out with NW wind but will swing around to SW before the morning ends.
See you again soon,
Walter
Today:
Osprey - 3
Bald Eagle - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 7
To Date:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Unidentified Raptor - 1
Total - 10
Eagle Time (EDT):
02:05pm - BE - adult
Other Birds:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk (all local birds). Many migrant songbirds are starting appear throughout the park including Warblers, Vireos, and Flycatchers.
Insects:
Butterflies - A good variety was observed again today including yet another Giant Swallowtail! Monarch migration continued with an estimated count of 125. Betty had a busy day catching and tagging 60 of them. A decent number of dragonflies are starting to appear in the sky over the park.
Hawkwatchers:
Bruce F, Theresa, Ron, Berle, Hugh, Cori, Betty, Ann, Chris, Sheldon, and myself. Thankyou everyone!
Weather:
Thursday starts out with NW wind but will swing around to SW before the morning ends.
See you again soon,
Walter
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