Hot,Hazy,Light NW Winds,Few Raptors

Though we had hopes for a better day,the winds just werent enough at only 10kmh to push birds near Rosetta McClain Gardens. Sites east of us had decent days,as their sitelines to the north are much better then ours. We did have a Coopers Hawk,land in the top of "the bare Pine" which Ann photographed. Upon review we believe it is a young male. We did not see it arrive,but when 5 American Crows flew near it and 2 took serious dives at it,I suggested to Ann that there was probably something in the Pine. There was and this is the photo she has shared.


Perched Coopers Hawk Courtesy Ann Brokelman

Later a Broadwinged Hawk landed briefly in the same tree,but alas Ann aimed and it took flight and went out of sight to quickly for her to react and get any shots of it.
Our final total was:
1-Osprey
7-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
1-Broadwinged Hawk
1-American Kestrel
11-Total Raptors

With it being so hot,and very few raptors moving past,I packed things in by 12:30EDT. We also saw only 3,P-51s fly past from the airshow by that time.

Sept 4 Busy Morning 36 Raptors ...YTD 335

2 Sharpshinned Hawks Courtesy Ann Brokelman

Today there was a light NW wind early,later appearing to come from the WNW. Morning was very steady,by noon we had seen 30 birds of prey. Most of the birds were Sharpshinned Hawks,several interacted with each other. At 10:47am we had a 3rd year Bald Eagle circle for several minutes. It was enjoyed by everyone gathered,particularily Lee. Walter and I saw a Merlin speed through the middle of the park. Often one indication U saw a Merlin is that U tell everyone else "that was a Merlin" as it goes by so fast that most dont see it. Other then 5 distant Turkey Vultures and a Northern Harrier,everything else was reasonably close.By days end we had seen:

5-Turkey Vultures
3-Osprey
1-Bald Eagle
5-Northern Harriers
15-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
4-American Kestrels
1-Merlin
1-Peregrine Falcon
Non-raptors included a Great Egret,Red-eyed Vireo and a Common Nighthawk. Thanks to Walter,Berle,Dave,Colin,Marguarite,Ann and Carol for an enjoyable day. Tomorrow morning winds will be okay,but I dont expect alot of raptors. The Canadian International Airshow goes tomorrow,which often disturbs a good flight of raptors. With luck we will see several of the planes.

Sept 3rd A Normal Early September Day 32 Raptors

Today most of the raptors came after 11EDT,with a final total of 32 raptors being counted. Sharpshinned Hawks are clearly on the move as we had a few flurries of them,and many came in pairs. Being all juveniles this time of year,many are likely siblings travelling together. We saw one American Kestrel have a fight with a Sharpshin briefly. Thanks to Berle,Terry,Mike,Murray and Walter for coming out to enjoy the day.
Walter and Murray went over to The Cranberry Marsh Raptor Watch today,to enjoy their Family Raptor Day. From the sounds of it,it was quite successful,as the guys reported that there were many young people there with their parents,and parking areas were full. They also returned with several handouts with raptor information and records of Cranberry Marsh's Raptor Watch,as well as info on smaller birds. For Murray and Walter,I thank the organizers and the regular watchers at Cranberry Marsh for their hospitality.

Todays Numbers:
2-Osprey
27-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
2-American Kestrels
32-Total Raptors

This brings our season's total to 299 raptors. Today we also saw 4 of the Blue Angels,practising for the Canadian International Airshow. We also saw a CF-18.
Walter and I saw a somewhat rare butterfly called an American Snout. We have several photos,which will appear on the Rosetta McClain Discussion Board(linked on the right of this page). The winds look good for tomorrow.

Sept 2nd Another Nice Day=A Poor Raptor Count

Today was very slow so we packed it in by 1pmEDT(2pm on your watch). Walter,Bill,Murray and myself managed 8 raptors. All were low today which was nice. A local Coopers Hawk and 2 Sharpshinned Hawks made a few passes of the park. Our final count consisted of:
1-Osprey
1-Northern Harrier
4-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-American Kestrel
1-Merlin
This brings our total this season to 267. Keep an eye on the weather,the predictions for the winds keep changing. A warning,often the Canadian International Airshow holds up migration through Toronto. The birds dont like all those noisy fast moving planes and avoid the city. The show starts at 12:30pm or 1pm. We expect to see a number of the planes from Rosetta McClain Gardends in the coming days. We saw one bi-plane fly by today,which is likely a stunt plane from the show. If the raptors dont fly,we can watch the airshow planes instead.

Slow September Start 9 Raptors

Today the winds were too light to bring much past Rosetta McClain Gardens. Fortunately,the company was good and we did get a few birds. A Kestrel landed in 2 trees and an Osprey passed by very close while Ann was there. Unfortunatly,until Sunday,unless the weather report changes there doesnt appear to be a day where we will get any great number of birds. We will still be present,but will likely be leaving by 2pm at the latest.

Aug 31 The End To A Successful August...18raptors

Today the gang enjoyed a beautiful day. The sun was very hot on us,but the skies were perfect. We ended the watch at 1pmEDT. We had one bird that sparked debate,we had it as a bueteo,but it didnt look right. Fortunately Ann got a few photos(not up to her standards) that were good enough for a positive ID. Colin and I looked at the photos and independantly came up with 100% Northern Goshawk,a juvenile.We finished the last day of the month of August with 18 raptors. We saw:
1-Osprey
1-Turkey Vulture
13-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Northern Goshawk
1-American Kestrel
1-Merlin

Ann Brokelman sent along these 2 shots of a Sharpshinned Hawk and an Osprey.



The Final August Total is a record 250 raptors.
32-Osprey(new Aug record)
14-Turkey Vultures
8-Bald Eagles(new Aug record)
14-Northern Harriers
80-Sharpshinned Hawks
5-Coopers Hawks
1-Northern Goshawk(first in Aug for us)
16-Broadwinged Hawks
36-Redtailed Hawks
27-American Kestrels
7-Merlins(new Aug record)
10 Peregrine Falcons(new Aug record)
The 71 raptors spotted on Aug 26 was an August record.

Thanks to everyone for their contributions to a brilliant start to the 2009 raptor watch season. We have already seen some great birds and I look forward to many more. Its been great to see new folks out for the first times and Ive enjoyed seeing all of the regulars from previous seasons. Keep watching for north element winds and remember we should see some of the Canadian International Airshow planes in the coming week,and during the airshow this coming weekend.

Aug 30 47 Raptors and Some Special Visitors

The morning started very slow,before the birds finally came. It was very windy and cool today. We had a real gang of visitors today,including Kathy and her husband,Lee,Anne,Carol and her son(first visit) Riel,Dave,Colin and Marguarite,Charlie,Peter and Bruce(sorry if I have missed anyone). By the end of the day we had a very respectable 47 birds of prey go past the park,including:

6-Osprey

38-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-Merlin

2-Redtailed Hawks

Our seasons total is now 232,which is almost 100 more then our best previous August total! Thanks to everyone for their contributions. We also saw a Northern Parula Warbler,Nashville Warbler,2 Great Egrets,a few Great Blue Herons,a few each of Great Crested Flycatchers and Baltimore Orioles.Below is a shot Lee took.

Our special visitors today were Mary West-Mortimer and Geoffry West-Mortimer,who were the last residents of the homes where Rosetta McClain Gardens is now. Their family donated the parcel of land to the city,to be a garden spot for relaxation and rest and a place of beauty. They were very pleased to hear of our watch and said they were glad the park was being used for such an activity. We informed them we have seen 185 species of birds from the park,and Mary said it was a great place to see spring Warblers. I let her know it still was and she was very pleased to know that,and that so many people were enjoying them. It was our honour to meet she and Geoffry. Before they left,I let them know one of the staff members kept some historical photos of the property and I asked permission to take a photo . They provided a way for us to contact Geoffry about filling in any blanks in the family and properties history. Thanks to the West family for their part in our having such a wonderful place to enjoy. We will do our best to bring more visitors to enjoy this marvelous treasure.

Aug 28th 13 Raptors On A Blustery Day

It seemed more like an October day,then an end of August day. It was windy and overcast. Walter,Ann,Carol,Beryl,Lee,Dave and Colin(Niloc) joined me today,on a day when several birds literally blew by very quickly. I did manage a decent silhouette shot of an Osprey and a Redtailed Hawk that landed atop a tree and rested for 10minutes or so before carrying on.

Todays totals were:

4-Osprey

1-Bald Eagle(adult..2:25pm)

3-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-Coopers Hawk

2-Redtailed Hawks

2-American Kestrels

13-Total Raptors

Sunday and Monday both have a chance to be great days for raptors. Watch for those Northwest winds,keeping in mind it is still August. We have had great turnouts which really makes the watch even more enjoyable.

Aug 27 16 Raptors,3 more Osprey

Today was a typical August count,16 is a respectable number. Our total included 3 Osprey..2 that Ann spotted,one later circled above us.

Today We Saw:

3-Osprey

4-Northern Harriers

4-Sharpshinned Hawks

2-Redtailed Hawks

3-American Kestrels

16-Total Raptors

Thanks to Dave we saw 2 Great Crested Flycatchers and a Red-necked Grebe.

Aug 26 Best Day In August Ever...71 Raptors 5 Bald Eagles

Walter and I met at about 715am shortly before it began to rain. It finally stopped for about the 3rd time around 10am. Shortly after,the sky cleared and the birds started to come. Again northwest winds brought out many watchers who all enjoyed some of the days record 71raptors. Gunner,Beryl,Lee,Dave,Peter and Murray all joined Walter and I . Everyone really enjoyed the day. We saw 5 Bald Eagles,which were definetly the highlight of the day. 2 came through together,both juveniles. At 1:10pm an adult Bald Eagle flew by close enough to view it naked eye,later at 2:35pm another adult Bald Eagle went over the park.

Not the best shot but its all I could do. We added 7 Osprey to our seasons tally. Remarkably we saw 11 out of 11 species that could normally be expected to be seen this time of year. We saw:
10-Turkey Vultures
7-Osprey
5-Bald Eagles(Juveniles at 12:40pm and 2 at 1:25pm,Adults at 1:10pm and 2:35pm)
3-Northern Harriers
11-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk(plus the local)
12-Broadwinged Hawks
8-Redtailed Hawks
12-American Kestrels
1-Merlin
1-Peregrine Falcon
71-Total
This total has been updated to reflect 8 Turkey Vultures Carol saw, after I left. Too many records fell today for me to keep track of. In my month end summary I will make note of them all. The seasons total is now 150. We are off to a great start. Thanks to everyone for their spotting help and commraderie.

Family Raptor Day At Cranberry Marsh Sept 3 2009

Central Lake Ontario Conservation and our raptor watching friends at Cranberry Marsh are taking part in their first Family Raptor Day and I wanted to post this message to show our support of the good folks out at Cranberry Marsh. There will be displays,a great handout filled with raptor information,prizes, a raffle and much more. Of course volunteers will be offering identification tips. All of the information can be found at http://www.cloca.com/2009/Family%20Raptor%20Viewing%20Day/index.htm . There are 3 presentation times 9-11am,1-3pm and 6-8pm. If you attend,tell em BIGFRANK sent ya. I am hoping to get at least one vehicle load of Rosetta raptor watchers to go and show our support. It looks like it will be fun and informative. Please let any family and friends know,especially if they live in the area.

Aug 24 and 25 Some Nice Birds

Over the past couple of days,things have slowed down,but there have been some great birds. On the 24th,7 raptors were seen,including 3 Osprey. Today,Walter and I saw 3 different Peregrines,2 were males..different ones for sure because one had a feather missing from its tail. Today at 12:30pm we had our first Bald Eagle of the season,a juvenile which flew east to west. At 12:51pm the same bird flew past going west to east. Birds seen over the 2 days were:
3-Osprey
1-Bald Eagle
3-Northern Harriers
1-Sharpshinned Hawk
1-Redtailed Hawk
3-Peregrine Falcons

This brings the season total to 79. The next 2 days have potential to be good days for August,again I remind folks August is slow,so a good day in August is something around 20 BOPS. Watch for a north component in the wind.
I invite everyone who wants to follow things even closer to join us on the Rosetta McClain Gardens Discussion Board. There we discuss everything thats being seen. With fall migration underway,the board will be more active again. Please join in and let us know what you are seeing,animals,bugs or birds. The link is to the right side of this page.