Day Count 67...YTD Over 3000

Osprey Over Rosetta

We saw our 160th+ Osprey today.

Today was about as expected. With a light north wind part of the morning,which died out by noon,I expected 50-75 raptors. We counted 67. This put us well over the 3000 raptor mark for the season. Most birds were high,with one Osprey spotted "in the ozone" along with 3 Sharpies that were sub-orbital(read even higher!). I had a large bird during the lunchhour,but lost it behind trees before I could make a positive ID.

We had a few low passes by a Turkey Vulture.(Ann's pics)

Today we had another good turn out of watchers,ever hopeful of a great day.Thanks to everyone for their contributions,I dont leave names off to snub anyone,just didnt get your names,or in the sleepy haze which I write my posts in,its simply an oversight. Thanks to Ann,Carol,Andrew,MC2,Cory(thanks for the coffees again),Betty(thanks for the hot chocolates),Pat,Nancy,Lee,Howie,Don and Tim. We have been spoiled lately with big days,so todays count of 67 seemed very slow. The next several days will be very hit and miss,with no big flights expected. Watches are likely to wrap up fairly early2pmish) if few birds are being seen. Plan accordingly.

Todays Totals Included

Turkey Vulture........................11

Osprey........................................3

Northern Harrier......................2

Sharpshinned Hawk...............40

Coopers Hawk...........................1

American Kestrel.....................10

Mid-Month Totals and Some Great Pics From Jen

We have observed over 1800 Sharpshinned Hawks so far. We have seen no adults. They move after the juveniles. Right now if one Sharpshin is seen,its always best to look above,infront of or behind for a second. The siblings travel together.

We have set a one day record for Bald Eagles of 18,and the season total so far ties our best season ever already. There are undoubtedly more to come over the next 2 months. We have seen 46 so far.

We have counted a record number of Osprey this fall already,Walter and I could hardly believe we saw 53 Osprey in one day(record) and so far this fall a total of 158 Osprey. We understand from folks up north that there are still some young Osprey hanging around their natal areas,so there are still more to come!

American Kestrel

This season so far we have seen a very high total of 520 American Kestrels. We shattered our one day count on Sept 9th when we observed 203.

A few unique views from Jen. A juvenile Redtail being harrassed by a Sharpshinned Hawk and a view from above of the same juvenile Redtail. Sharpshinned Hawks are very aggressive,often if you see 2 smallish raptors having a go at each other,it is Sharpshinneds. They will also attack/harass other much larger raptors.

The Gang

Walter searches the skies.

BIGFRANK,Terry and Leon
Thus far,this fall has been quite incredible! We have had brilliant views of many fantastic raptors. We have been joined by many raptor/birding enthusiasts,of all ages and skill levels,from new birders/first time visitors to some of the areas well known birders. This has helped not only with spotting and identification,but afforded those gathered with learning opportunities and great commraderie. Thanks to everyone for their contributions. It has made each visit enjoyable and informative. Special thanks to my righthand man Walter(though he is often on my left or behind me). Special thanks also go out to Ann Brokelman for sharing so many of the great photos shown on this page,I know many folks who have visited commented on how good they are. Thanks today to Jen Howard,who sent along all of todays photos. I try to pick and chose each day,but cant include everything sent. Jen took the photos shown today a few days and I thought Id take this opportunity on a day we did not count to include them.

Ann and Jen (I have lense envy)

Year to Date Total

Turkey Vulture.......................27

Osprey...................................158

Bald Eagle..............................46

Northern Harrier.................103

Sharpshinned Hawk..........1859

Coopers Hawk.......................23

Broadwinged Hawk.............162

Redtailed Hawk....................26

American Kestrel................520

Merlin...................................46

Peregrine Falcon..................17

Year To Date.......................2987

How does this year compare to other years? WOW is all I can say! Lets hope our luck continues.

Year................YTD as at Sept 15

2006..........................1177

2007..........................1128

2008...........................792

2009...........................753

2010..........................2987

Why? Favorable weather conditions? Increased number of observers? Increased ability of observers year over year? Successful breeding seasons for some species? Early winter?(lets hope not) Together we will see what the rest of the fall brings. Friday(tomorrow) could be an ok day,the report calls for a change in winds in the afternoon to southeast,which could shut things down. Irreguardless Walter and I will be present hoping for the best and hope "the gang" shows up to help.

Winds were light..Day Count still good 181

Beautiful Sunrise Over Lake Ontario

While todays weather changed,and winds were lighter than predicted all week,a good flight was observed. Birds were high for the most part and things died down early,about 1230pm. Jean observed an adult Bald Eagle at about 1155am,Bill had caught a piece of it to the west of us. Once again it was Sharpshinned Hawks that made up the bulk of raptors counted. Many people joined us again today,thanks to each of you for your help spotting and identifying the many high birds and many for some reason well out over the lake today. Thanks to Carol,Ann,Peter,Ron,Jean,Don,Brad,Alex,Larry,Andrew,Hugh,Cory,Bill,Pat,Nancy,Berle Tim and Walter.

The local juvenile female Coopers Hawk hunted Squirrels in the park and sat co-operatively in a pine tree.

Todays totals were:

Osprey..............................4

Bald Eagle.........................1

Northern Harrier.............4

Sharpshinned Hawk....134

Broadwinged Hawk........11

Redtailed Hawk...............2

American Kestrel...........23

Merlin...............................2

Day Total.....................181

Note tomorrow rain is predicted all day,noone will be present to count. Friday the light northwind could bring some birds,Sunday looks like the next chance for a good flight of raptors.

Sept 14 Sharpies Just Keep On Comin Day Count 658

The Crowd Gathers Expecting A Good Day

Thanks to everyone who came out today for their contributions and patience with me as I tried to sort through all the calls.Berle,Betty,Cory(thanks for the morning coffees!),Meaghan,Gunner,Lorne,Richard,Murray,Ann,Pat(thanks for the 2nd coffee run and Timbits),Nancy,Carol Peter,Trudy,Lee and most especially Walter.A special Welcome Back to Bill.

A Redtail rested in a bluffside tree

We dont get alot of Broadwinged Hawks at Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch,but generally we get a high portion of low ones. Today we had a decent count of 75 for our site. We currently sit at 151,with our highest count being 225,so with a good day tomorrow we may surpass that.

Sharpshinned Hawks were the bird of the day,with another 464 passing by. We have now seen in excess of 1700 Sharpies this season so far. Many were very low,with a smattering of very high ones. Keen spotting by all gathered helped everyone to enjoy themselves.

Todays excellent total of 658 raptors consisted of:

Osprey..............................3

Bald Eagle.........................1(juvenile 128pm)

Northern Harrier...........12

Sharpshinned Hawk.....464

Coopers Hawk.................6

Broadwinged Hawk........75

Redtailed Hawk.............3

American Kestrel..........84

Merlin.............................8

Peregrine Falcon............2

Tomorrows conditions look great for another big flight..hard to believe there can be many birds left out there!! It will be pretty crazy again tomorrow! We also saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker and 16 Common Loons. Thanks to Pat and Murray for todays photos.

Sept.13 Another Big Day..340..6 Bald Eagles In One Hour

Watchers Watching(thanks Pat)

Today was another great day. It began with dark clouds,thunder and lightening down around Hamilton but no inclimate weather at Rosetta. All day long conditions changed,from blue blue skies,to overcast with a spit of rain,but the most common was nice cloud cover and blue sky,with what was to be a west and later northwest wind. Many birds were very high,but we did have some that were quite low. Between 12 and 1pm we saw 6 Bald Eagles! Many thanks to Murray for some outstanding spotting of some distant and high birds. While everyone contributed,Murray really stood out today. Once again today we spotted all 11 species which could be reasonably expected to be seen this time of the migration season.

Bald Eagle in the sky(thanks Pat)

Todays total of 340 raptors consisted of
Turkey Vulture..........................5
Osprey........................................3
Bald Eagle..................................7(immatures..additional 530pm Sept 12 from Lee,13th 1235pm,1240pm,1241pm,1245pm,1253pm,Adult..1240pm)
Northern Harrier......................9
Sharpshinned Hawk.............258
Coopers Hawk...........................1
Broadwinged Hawk.................22
Redtailed Hawk........................2
American Kestrel...................29
Merlin.......................................3
Peregrine Falcon......................1
This gives us an incredible year to date total of 2148 raptors!!
Lately at Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch,we have had many new visitors. Its been great that new people have come to see "our" birds,become part of the gang and enjoy the gardens. Today everyone helped to find high birds and during busiest times spot birds in all directions. Thanks to Carol,Theo,Hugh,Bob C,Bob,Ron,Betty,Pat,Nancy,Lee,Cory,Berle,Gunner and Murray and of course Walter who as always was #2 in charge. Thanks to everyone for making first time visitors feel welcome,helping folks to see birds and explaning things to passersby. All of you contribute greatly to the sucess of the watch and help it grow.
Tomorrow,it would appear the winds are now predicted to be West. This could still bring many birds,and may yet be northwest,but expectations for tomorrow must be tempered. Walter and I will be there first thing in the morning to greet the day,the birds and any early rising birders.

Another Good Day..193 Raptors...5 Bald Eagles

Today started off with fog at the lake. I arrived to the sound of fog horns from boats. Needless to say things started off slow. Eventually the fog lifted and we saw 193 raptors go by. A local Sharpie kept going back and forth,confusing things abit,but I made my best attempt to make allowances for that. Sharpshins just kept on coming,at one stage we had 6 flying together. Only one Bald Eagle was reasonably close,the rest were quite far off and high. That said they were easily recognizable. Pat,Lee,Mike,Les,Ron,Linda,Betty and Norm enjoyed several birds.Many were quite high,but they passed directly over us so that wasnt so bad. Many low Sharpshinned Hawks and a few Kestrels and Northern Harriers,along with one very low Broadwing were great to see so close.
Todays final total was
Osprey..............................3
Bald Eagle.......................5(juveniles @1120am,1138am,1237pm,adults 1145am,1205pm)
Northern Harrier............4
Sharpshinned Hawk...158
Coopers Hawk.................1
Broadwinged Hawk........4
Redtailed Hawk..............1
American Kestrel..........17
Weather conditions for Tuesday and Wednesday still looks perfect for a big hawk migration. Keep your eyes on the weather for the NW winds all day long. Please note very often in the fall winds go to the NW overnight..in the morning they become whatever they will be for the day. Biggest days will be NW all day long.

Better Than Expected Count...High Birds

Today I didnt expect to see much as winds were not right for a good movement of raptors in our area. Low winds were from off the lake,high winds were weak at best from the east. The count of 120 was fair,most birds were very high up. We did have a low flying Osprey and a low Broadwing. The best sighting of the day was a Merlin that flew past at mach 1,then came from behind us chasing a Northern Flicker,that was flying for its life. Something none of us had ever seen. The Merlin soon continued on without its meal. We had several first time visitors who at least got to see a few birds and enjoy the beauty of Rosetta McClain Gardens. Thanks to Sean,Marty,Brad,Pam,Lee,Carol,Bruce,Mike,Cory,Leon,Sue,Bill and Walter(who kept tally today) for joining us and lets hope for lower birds next time. Great conversation filled the slow spots.
Our total of 120 raptors was:
Osprey............................1
Bald Eagle......................1(juvenile 917am)
Northern Harrier.........3
Sharpshinned Hawk..82
Coopers Hawk.............2
Broadwinged Hawk.....1
American Kestrel.......26
Merlin...........................3
Peregrine Falcon..........1
The conditions look great now for Tuesday and Wednesday. If we are going to see any large movement of Broadwinged Hawks,it will be one or both of those days if the weather holds. Remember historically we have not seen huge movements of Broadwinged Hawks. Our best season is only 225. That said many are great sightings of low birds and who knows maybe a bunch will end up at our shoreline.

Bald Eagle Record..Great Upflight...Total Raptors Counted 318

Northern Harrier

juvenile Bald Eagle

Walter and I arrived very early,joined in short order by Meaghan and Charles. The upflight was quite amazing. Upflight means birds that have stayed overnight quite nearby. Generally they leave first thing the morning after a big day,like yesterday.The first bird was at 6:37am,barely after sunrise. By 9am we had 125 raptors. Included in that 125 were 4 juvenile Bald Eagles. Single birds passed at 8:15am,8:37am and 2 together at 8:45am. Shades of things to come. 14 more Bald Eagles passed by 2 being full adults,for a record,final total of 18 Bald Eagles. Previously we had seen 10 in one day. Most were either well out over the lake,or to the north of the park,thanks to Jean Iron for her scope confirmations of many of the birds. A few early Bald Eagles flew near and close,like in these photos,sent to us by Ann.

Unique views offered ..Bald Eagle from above.

Bald Eagle Flys By

We saw another 15 Osprey,further extending climbing total,which now stands at an incredible 144. Anticdotally we have heard from many folks that northern Ontario lakes had many Osprey. It appears to be very true.

Sharpshinned Hawks and American Kestrels continued to be on the move,with 84 and 24 respectively,by 9am. A Peregrine Falcon showed itself. It clearly had a very full crop(had just eaten). It appears to be unbanded.

Sharpshinned Hawk Close-up

We welcomed back Mary from the UK,Bruce Falls and many new folks,including Hugh, and Charles. Present and spotting/photographing birds were Ann,Niloc(Colin),Jerry,Meaghan,Murray,Lee,Berle,Carol,Cory,Betty,Pat,Don,Ron,Jean and Walter. Ive no doubt given the challanging conditions that so many observers definetly aided the count. Many thanks to everyone for their contributions.

Todays final tally of 318 raptors consisted of:

Osprey.............................15

Bald Eagle(record)........18(times at bottom of post)

Northern Harrier..........17

Sharpshinned Hawk..190

Coopers Hawk................5

Broadwinged Hawk......18

Redtailed Hawk..............5

American Kestrel.........46

Merlin.............................3

Peregrine Falcon...........1

Year to date we have a fantastic 1495 raptors observed.

Bald Eagles seen today are juvenile unless noted.

815am,837am,2 at 845am,915am,1025am,1034am,1107am,1145am,1151am,1205pm 2juvies + one adult,1220pm,1245pm adult,1247pm,130pm .

We also saw 7 Common Loons and a Common Nighthawk.

Come out and join me!

Keep your eye on Tuesday for our next big flight. That said birds surprise us all the time.

Records Fall...654 Raptors Counted Today

Sharpshinned Hawk


Redtailed Hawk

Common Nighthawk(Ann's First)




Sharpshinned Hawk



Northern Harrier



American Kestrel

SharpShinned Hawk








Migrating Monarchs











Broadwinged Hawk VS American Kestrel

Broadwinged Hawk

Raptors thought conditions were great for flying. Walter and I got an early start in anticipation of a great day. By 10am we had 52 raptors already. Things just got crazy from there. With more watchers than ever before(all names I got will appear at the end of todays report) adding to the sightings,our total was 654.
We started our day with an Osprey at 715am..we ended our day at 715pm with an Osprey. Only a few days ago we set a new site record of 23 Osprey..today we doubled that and then some,finishing with a new record total of 53. Our previous high season total had been 100 Osprey,todays amazing total gives us 129 with 2/3 of the month left to go!! Osprey were passing in pairs often and 3 times,3 passed us flying together! WOW.
Sharpshinned Hawks were moving through all day as were American Kestrels. Our previous high daily count of Kestrels was 142. When we finished,we had counted a new site record 203 today! Fantastic!
Northern Harriers flew in decent numbers,while bueteos were all but absent,with just one Broadwinged Hawk and 2 Redtailed Hawks.
Monarch Butterflys passed by in very large numbers today,a few thousand easily. A Common Nighthawk was something abit different too(not a hawk but the same family as the Whip-por-Wil.

Our Final Count was 654 raptors made up of:
Osprey...........................53(old day record 23..season record 129,old record 100)
Bald Eagles.....................4(3adults,10:14am,12:47pm,2:55pm,1 Juv 5:40pm)
Northern Harrier.........30
Sharpshinned Hawk..351
Coopers Hawk................2
Broadwinged Hawk.......1
Redtailed Hawk.............2
American Kestrel.......203(new day record..old 142)
Merlin..............................6
Peregrine Falcon............2
With thanks to Lee,Pat,Nancy,Cory(especially for coffee runs),Betty(for hot chocolates),Karsten,Murray,Phyliss,Larry,Terry,Leon,Ron,John,Niloc,Lilian,James,Berle,Carol,Ann,Jen,MaryUK and my right hand man Walter! for their contributions today. What a day!! Tomorrow looks like it could be very good too! Dress warm,bring lunch,enjoy good folks! Edit ONE...apparently I cant add when I am tired..the first posted final total was 641..correctly added it is 654..DOH! This brings our year to date total to 1177. Thanks to Ann Brokelman for all of todays great photos. Its just so hard to chose among the many,but I feel the selected photos are representative of what we saw and just some that are unique views.(lack of Osprey pics is merely because so many have been posted recently)

Great Day Count and 25,000th Raptor Counted Since Inception

Today as expected was a great day. Winds were strong west,often with a north element in it. The gang had fantastic close views of most of the birds counted today. We added 9 more Osprey and had a great total of 10 Merlin. One near the end of the day counter attacked a murder of American Crows. Ann got fantastic photos of one of the Merlins.

We had a good number of American Kestrels and Northern Harriers including one male which Ann photographed.

Everyone was thrilled with the great views.

Berle,Betty,Pat,Nancy,Cory,Shirley,Ron,Peter,Carol,Ann,Jen,James,Walter and I all had a part in surpassing 25000 raptors counted since the Rosetta McClain Raptor Watch started in 2004.

At 1:37pm a Sharpshinned Hawk became the 25000th raptor observed from Rosetta McClain Gardens. We celebrated with a group photo of those remaining at the time. Thanks to everyone involved over the years for their contributions to the count and welcoming new watchers.

Local Coopers Hawk

Todays count of 135 raptors included:

Turkey Vulture................1

Osprey..............................9

Northern Harrier...........11

Sharpshinned Hawk......71

American Kestrel...........31

Merlin.............................10

Peregrine Falcon.............2

Conditions for tomorrow look excellent,for another high count day. Year to date count is 523 raptors. Thanks to Jen Howard for the group photo.