25 Raptors...5 Peregrine Falcons

Today had the threat of rain most of the time,including 2 or 3 huge claps of thunder from clouds out over Lake Ontario. Walter and I hung in from shortly after 9am until 3pm. We were rewarded early with the site of a hunting Red Fox...it chased squirrels all over the gardens. Once we started to look for raptors,a Coopers Hawk went by very low and close..we debated and decided it was the local Coopers Hawk. Within minutes it returned,chasing a Redtailed Hawk(also local) and they interacted,with the Redtail turning tallons up trying to grab at the attacking Coopers Hawk. With that bit of excitement Walter and I were ready for birds. We started to see a few Sharpshinned Hawks at a time. As Gunner and Harry joined us 2 Peregrine Falcons went by about 10minutes appart. After Walter and I left,Ann spotted an Osprey.By the end of the day we had totalled:
3-Osprey
15-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk(not the local)
1-American Kestrel
5-Peregrine Falcons

Tomorrow Monday and Wednesday will bring some raptors but no large movement is expected. Thursday looks good right now for a larger movement of raptors,if the predicated weather holds.

Slow,Cold,Wet Plus End of Sept YTD numbers

Today was cold,overcast and eventually very wet. Before the rain came Walter,Gunner,Berle and myself saw 15 raptors. By noon rains began and Walter and I took refuge under a tree. Soon Leon arrived and as we chatted,Leon spotted a passing Peregrine Falcon.
Todays total was 15 raptors,which included
1-Osprey
8-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
1-American Kestrel
3-Peregrine Falcons

Saturday doesnt look very promising,Sunday some birds may fly but I dont expect much of a flight. Monday looks like the best bet for a decent flight.

The year to date totals as at the end of September are ahead of 2008.We were way up on Turkey Vultures,with that flight of them on the 30th. Our Sharpshinned Hawk total is almost equal to last season,owing to the last couple of days in the month. The Year To Date totals are
416-Turkey Vultures
74-Osprey
20-Bald Eagles
66-Northern Harriers
743-Sharpshinned Hawks
35-Coopers Hawks
6-Northern Goshawks
50-Broadwinged Hawks
84-Redtailed Hawks
258-American Kestrels
22-Merlins
29-Peregrine Falcons
1861-YTD

Slower Than Expected 32 Raptors

Today,there wasnt much of an upflight and the day never turned into what we had hoped for. That said we did see several great birds. A Northern Goshawk came very close to the gathered watchers. It was chased by the local Crows beyond Kew Beach someplace before the Crows returned to Rosetta. A juvenile Bald Eagle was spotted,as we watched a Broadwing abit over the lake. Always a thrill to see the Bald Eagle. We were well looked after today,Bill brought Tim's muffins for us,while Betty brought hot chocolate in a large thermos..some for each of us. Peter arrived considerably later and brought me another hot chocolate. Brad,Carol,Berle,Bill,Betty,Terry,Peter,Walter and myself enjoyed
1-Bald Eagle
1-Northern Harrier
22-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
2-Northern Goshawks
2-Broadwinged Hawks
1-Redtailed Hawk
2-American Kestrels
Thanks to everyone for their help,sustanance and commradderie over the past few good days. Everyones contributions are greatly appreciated and make things go smoother. Things will likely be slow several days in the coming week,due to less then optimal winds and some rain days. If I see a change I will be sure to post. Keep an eye on the weather.

BIGGEST DAY THIS YEAR 744 Raptors

As predicted today was a fantastic day for migrating birds of prey. We saw 12 of 15 species seen regularily in Ontario,plus a Common Raven(which is somewhat rare in Toronto). Today was primo injust about every. It was cold,but Walter and I were brought a warm breakfast by Murray..Much thanks. Later Betty brought Hot Chocolate which was appreciated by all who partook..thanks Betty. I was happy that Sue and Bruce joined us today,and enjoyed many birds. They are the parents of a buddy Rob,who was an avid watcher at Rosetta who has since moved to Calgary. It was a pleasure to meet you both and we hope to see you again soon. We were also joined by a group from University of Toronto(hope I got that right). I hope to see some of them back again sometime. A lady whose name I didnt get,stopped by to chat and praised us for the "work" we were doing in spreading our interest in all things nature. She also inquired as to my opinion of a soon to start(test phase) planned wind farm near East Point Park.

Myself,Walter,Sue,Bruce,Carol,Gunner,Brad,Pam,Betty,Ann,Bill,Murray and Peter(sorry if I missed anyone) all enjoyed amazing looks at many close raptors. A few close and low Broadwings were highlights for some who had never seen them so well. Others loved great views of a Northern Goshawk. Sharpies provided many terrific views as they often circled waiting for their siblings to join them. A Redtailed Hawk landed in a tree and was harrassed by our local American Crows. A few of the Northern Harriers offered wonderful views too. A Coopers Hawk made 2 attempts at hunting before moving on,one Blue Jay had a very close call. From 11am-3pm we saw 523 raptors,with the best hour being 2pm-3pm when we averaged better than 3 raptors per minute. Ann Brokelman dropped in before and after work and provided the following photos.

Sharpshinned Hawk With Very Full Crop

Sharpshinned Hawk In Flight

Turkey Vulture In Flight

Perched Redtailed Hawk..Post Crow Attack(Frank)

Our total was:

383-Turkey Vultures

1-Osprey

1-Bald Eagle(adult 2:33pm)

16-Northern Harriers

263-Sharpshinned Hawks

11-Coopers Hawks

4-Northern Goshawks

3-Broadwinged Hawks

23-Redtailed Hawks

35-American Kestrels

1-Merlin

3-Peregrine Falcons

Todays great total brings our year to date total to 1861 raptors. This is lower then last season,but today certainly made our total as at the end of September much more respectable.

In addition to the many birds,at the end of the night 2 raccoons ...Portly and Pudgy popped up just on the other side of the bluffside fence from us and as soon as they disappeared down the bluffs a Red Fox walked by very close. We saw a Common Raven again today,attacked again by the local American Crows. It proceeded west towards the Leslie Street Spit. In all just an amazing day filled with great sightings and lots of fun...even if it was hectic for Walter and I.

Tommorrow should bring a decent upflight and reasonable day. If large numbers of Vultures fly,totals could climb again tomorrow. DRESS WARM!!!

Sept 29th Finally Good Winds...159 Raptors

Today we finally got northwest winds,all day long. They were quite strong,sometimes gusting around 50kmh. This meant all birds were low and almost all were very close to us. Few were much above the treetops. We had great views of many Sharpshinned Hawks and American Kestrels which sometimes really had to fight the strong winds. Several Turkey Vultures passed very low and close,something we all really enjoy. At 12:55pm we had a juvenile Bald Eagle go through below us and tight to the bluffs,giving all gathered a terrific albeight fast view. A Peregrine Falcon flew by carrying something,we are still trying to figure out what? Late in the day we saw 2 close Ospreys. We saw only one local Redtailed Hawk,otherwise there was no hint of another bueteo. Thanks to Berle,Carol,Brad,Peter,Walter,Ann,Betty and Walter for all their help today. Everyone did their best to stay warm,as the strong winds made it quite cold. In the end we saw:
21-Turkey Vultures
2-Ospreys
2-Bald Eagles(12:55pm and 2:50pm both juveniles)
13-Northern Harriers
88-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
29-American Kestrels
2-Peregrine Falcons

This puts our total for the season over 1000 finally! We are hoping for an even better day tomorrow. If you are going to attend,dress warm!..Bring everything you think you need and then throw everything else you dont think you need into your pack or car! You wont be sorry.

Sept 25th Another Slow Day..11 Raptors

Today we had another very slow day. Bill,Berle,Lee,Carol and I saw 11 raptors,which included:
3-Turkey Vulture
1-Osprey
1-Northern Harrier
3-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk
1-Redtailed Hawk
1-American Kestrel

The "local" Merlin made several passes of the park,as did the local Coopers Hawk. Each was seen hunting. We were also treated to a great sighting of a Red Fox hunting Squirrels. Berle escpecially enjoyed this.
Tomorrow is a write-off,I will not be present. Sunday I will give it a go but dont expect much. Monday looks like poor weather again. Tuesday depending on when the rain makes it through could be good. Wednesday looks excellent right now..this could be a "mega-day".

Sept 24th Finally Some Migrating Raptors 44 Today

Thankfully we finally had some decent winds,although the count was lower then we had hoped for,it was a good day. Walter and I started off the day when a newly local Merlin went by with prey in its tallons. It landed again in the same tree as a few days ago,where it ate alittle before moving to a different spot. It had a Golden-crowned Kinglet. WARNING The following photos and video show a raptor with its prey!

Walter,Berle,Carol,Bruce,Bill,Betty,Peter,Lee and a small group of students with their 2 teachers(sorry I will get the right info from U on next visit) Enjoyed a good day. The students had several questions about the raptors and other birds we were seeing. We look forward to their return sometime soon to enjoy the marvelous raptors we see. Todays sightings were:

3-Turkey Vultures

4-Osprey(YTD 70)

5-Northern Harriers

15-Sharpshinned Hawks

3-Coopers Hawks

1-Northern Goshawk

3-Redtailed Hawks

9-American Kestrels

1-Peregrine Falcon (YTD..24)

The next several days do not look very good for raptor movements. The next remotely promising day would seem to be Tuesday or Wednesday. Sunday a small movement may take place. Note if there is all day rain it is unlikely anyone will be present to count. If it is terribly slow,we may leave early. We also saw many White-throated Sparrows,thousands of Blue Jays and a Piliated Woodpecker.

6 Raptors on a very slow day

Today was very slow again,but a beautiful clear day and good company made it bearable. Brad,Pam,Carol,Bill,Walter and I saw only 6 raptors today. We saw:
2-Sharpshinned Hawks
2-Coopers Hawks
1-American Kestrel
1-Redtailed Hawk

Right now the forecast doesnt look very good for raptor movements until next Saturday. I am not trying to be negative,but unless you are prepared to have long spells without birds,I would get some things done around the house in the next few days! There is a chance a push of Sharpshinned Hawks could happen. I believe the bulk of all Broadwinged Hawks will be gone by the next north wind day and that they will stay north of Toronto. While we didnt see a large movement of Broadwinged Hawks at Rosetta McClain Gardens,we had some great views of low ones. Hang in there gang,birdier days are coming.

Sept 18 Good winds brings good count. 125 Raptors

Today the conditions were very good. Winds were from the north or northwest almost all day and we had decent clouds to see birds against. In the early part of the day we had several treetop level Broadwinged Hawks,always a treat. Meaghan and Crystal,Betty,Berle,Lee,Carol,Bill,Dave,Ron,Walter and I enjoyed terrific views of many raptors including a few Osprey and Bald Eagles. We had 3 Bald Eagles pass the count site today,all were juvenile.
Our final totals were:
22-Turkey Vultures
5-Osprey
3-Bald Eagles(10:47am,11:30am,12:38pm)
3-Northern Harriers
46-Sharpshinned Hawks
22-Broadwinged Hawks
2-Redtailed Hawks
19-American Kestrels
2-Merlin
1-Peregrine Falcon

The coming several days the forecast is not very good for raptor movement. None-the-less,we will be present barring bad rains. While north element winds almost guarentee a good day,on south ones a few times,we got surprised with big Sharpshinned Hawk movements...I guess they just dont read the weather reports!

6 Raptors...YTD..772

Today was painfully slow,so we cut off by 1130am EDT. We saw only 6 raptors. A low Osprey was the highlight. Unfortunatly,Spanky,Carol,Walter,Berle,Terry,Dave and I saw very little. While it was a beautiful day,it wasnt a day to be raptor watching. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
Todays birds were:
1-Turkey Vulture
1-Osprey
3-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-American Kestrel

Friday holds some promise,with west then a good north wind in the afternoon. Saturday doesnt look too bad right now.

Sept.16 Very Slow..Beautiful Perched Merlin

Todays count was but 14 raptors. While early winds were favorable,there was virtually no flight of raptors. The video is of a perched Merlin.

Merlin

Perched Merlin

Head Turned Right Around(note how the markings look like fake eyes)

The final count of 14 raptors was:

1-Turkey Vulture

1-Osprey

2-Northern Harriers

8-Sharpshinned Hawks

1-American Kestrel

1-Merlin

The Merlin was the real highlight of the day. We searched the skies relentlessly,but were unable to make Broadwings appear!

36 Raptors YTD...753 Plus A Common Raven

Today was much slower then expected. A number of Broadwinged Hawks moved through eastern raptor watches at Cranberry Marsh and Iriquois Shoreline,which indicates they were further north then we can view from our spot at Rosetta McClain Gardens. The local Coopers Hawk was chased by Crows. The best sighting of the day was a Common Raven,which is an uncommon sighting in Toronto. We saw it coming towards the park,and I thought it was a hawk,from the way it was flying,and its shape. As it approached I was trying to see some other colour then black and make it into some odd morph of hawk. Soon the Crows began chasing it and the size difference,wedge tail and different cadence and I called it a Raven. Aside from its relative rarity in the city,what made this a fun sighting was that Walter and I had just spoken 30minutes earlier about him not seeing one in the GTA as yet(he has seen many elsewhere). It is the 2nd time during the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch that a Common Raven was seen,the first was several years ago.
Our raptor sightings were:
7-Turkey Vultures
1-Northern Harrier
16-Sharpshinned Hawks
1-Coopers Hawk(plus the local)
2-Redtailed Hawks
8-American Kestrels
1-Merlin
36-Total Raptors

The next few days will be hit and miss for numbers. The next predictably good day is Saturdays north wind. One never knows when the birds will show up,Ive had hundreds of Sharpshinned Hawks fly on Southwest or east winds,so who knows..apparently the birds dont read the weather forecasts.