November 3rd - A Nice Day For A Harrier

Our first decent November day brought 29 raptors passed the Watch, this is an excellent start. Hopefully tomorrow will bring many more!

Today:
Northern Harrier - 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 8
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Rough-legged Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 4
Total - 29

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1849
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 199
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1744
Cooper's Hawk - 84
Northern Goshawk - 17
Red-shouldered Hawk - 20
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 473
Rough-legged Hawk - 4
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6133

Rough-legged Hawk

Northern Harrier

Today's best non-raptor was American Pipit and also an Eastern Red Bat was observed flying above.

A migrating Eastern Red Bat

I'd like to thank everyone who arrived in the morning to run the Watch in my absence. Hawk watchers today included: Ann, Theresa, Terry 1, Terry 2, Allison, Berle, Tom, Pat, Nancy, Carol, Betty, Hugh, Phil, Gunnar, and Lee.

Walter

November 2nd - Red-shouldered Hawk Released

Today was another fabulously slow day at the Watch but we did have some excitement when we quickly found out that Toronto Wildlife Centre was about to release a Red-shouldered Hawk back in to the wild. The release was done on the lawn in front of the Mountain Ash trees. The young bird wasted no time in taking flight once the box was opened. Albeit brief, for those lucky enough to be at the park at that time it was wonderful to witness.

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1849
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 187
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1736
Cooper's Hawk - 83
Northern Goshawk - 17
Red-shouldered Hawk - 20
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 470
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6104

Red-shouldered Hawk release

Non-raptor sightings today included a pair of Eastern Towhees and a couple of Eastern Phoebes.

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Towhee

Lots of people in and out of the park including: Berle, Theresa, Ann, Lee, Lorne, Betty, Gunnar, Phil, Carol, and today we welcomed Yvonne.

As many of you already know I won't be at the park tomorrow morning so if you go please take note of what you see and please keep an eye out for those 'pepper specks' way up high. I should be there in the early afternoon. Thanks and see you when I get there.

Walter

November 1st - 5 more!

Another one of those days! Wrong wind.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 187
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1734
Cooper's Hawk - 83
Northern Goshawk - 17
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 469
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6099

Today's big excitement was the low flyover of a Common Raven. Not a common sighting in Toronto for sure. Another dozen or so Monarchs, a Clouded Sulphur, and a Red Admiral were seen passing by.

Common Raven

Downy Woodpecker

Cedar Waxwings were enjoying the Mountain Ash berries.

Theresa, Terry 2, Pat, Nancy, Ann, and Phil were on hand today.

Walter

Special Post - Some October Results

Seven of the Fifteen raptors that we normally see over Rosetta had great results in October. The 'Month' total for Turkey Vultures easily surpassed any previous 'Year' total that we've ever had at the park.

Turkey Vulture - Best month ever!
Bald Eagle - 2nd best month ever!
Cooper's Hawk - 2nd best month ever!
Northern Goshawk - 2nd best month ever!
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2nd best month ever!
Red-tailed Hawk - 2nd best month ever!
Merlin - Best month ever!

Walter

October 31st - Another Few Afternoon Birds

Another quiet day at the park today to bring an end to the month. Overall though it was an excellent month for hawk watching at Rosetta.

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Total - 6

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 187
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1732
Cooper's Hawk - 83
Northern Goshawk - 17
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 466
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6094

Only 5 Monarchs counted today.

On hand today were: Terry 2, Pat & Nancy, Berle, Theresa, Phil, Peter, Ann, and Carol.

Walter

October 30th - Slooow!

Another absolutely gorgeous Fall day at the park but completely wrong for bird migration. Watch for the next day with a 'north' element in the wind.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Northern Goshawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
Total - 7

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 186
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1730
Cooper's Hawk - 83
Northern Goshawk - 17
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 463
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6088

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Bird of the day was a juvenile Red-throated Loon that we watched through Linda's scope for about an hour as it hung around on the water just out in front of the Watch site.

At the park today were: Norm, Berle, Peter, Mike 2, Theresa, Carol, Ann, Mike & Leslie, and today we welcomed Linda.

Walter

October 29th - 5 In 4 Hours!

Very quiet at the park today. I arrived at 11:00 AM just as a high-flying Cooper's Hawk was going by.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 186
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1728
Cooper's Hawk - 83
Northern Goshawk - 16
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 459
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6081

Some 20+ Monarchs still migrating by.

Theresa, Margaret, Peter, Gunnar, Betty, and Carol were at the park today.

Walter

Special Post - November

Just to echo and further add to BIGFRANK's comment on what to expect as we now head in to the last month of the Watch. If birds have not been held back due to the warmer weather we've experienced this Fall season, some species' numbers will sharply drop off. We're still expecting more Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks are just starting to appear over Rosetta. Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks are coming through now but in their usual small numbers. Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, and others will still be migrating but sightings will be a little less frequent. Any days with a 'north' element in the wind will now definitely be the best days from here on in and with that said, they'll probably be cold days with heavy cloud cover. Please join us at Rosetta any time you have the chance but please pick and choose your days wisely.....and don't forget to dress warmly!

The following is a cumalutive summary of what's been seen over the years during the month of November.

2004-2010:
Turkey Vulture - 41
Osprey - 0
Bald Eagle - 12
Northern Harrier - 65
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 156
Cooper's Hawk - 78
Northern Goshawk - 29
Red-shouldered Hawk - 36
Broad-winged Hawk - 0
Red-tailed Hawk - 1592
Rough-legged Hawk - 37
Golden Eagle - 19
American Kestrel - 28
Merlin - 9
Peregrine Falcon - 17
Total - 2119

Walter

October 28th - Only 5 Birds!

A crazy slow day today with only 5 birds seen. Most people that showed up thought that we had good conditions for a decent movement of Vultures and Red-tails but it just didn't happen over Rosetta. The sky was perfect for spotting and viewing all day but unfortunately the wind was from the wrong direction.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
Total - 5

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 186
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1726
Cooper's Hawk - 82
Northern Goshawk - 16
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 457
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6076

At least 3 small flocks of Snow Buntings were seen and heard flying over the park today. A nice unexpected surprise for many who could now add them to their 'Year' lists without travelling north out of the city.

Birders today included: Mike 3, Terry 2, Norm, Berle, Pat, Nancy, Allison, Betty, Freida, Hugh, Theresa, Tom, Carol, Gunnar, Phil, Peter, and today we had a short visit from our friend Daniel who was back in Toronto for the day.

Walter

October 27th - Red October

The skies over Rosetta turned 'red' again this afternoon as we observed lots of high-flying Red-tailed Hawks pass over the park. Unfortunately most birds today appeared as black pepper specks up against a gray sky making spotting and ID'ing fairly difficult. I'd like to thank everyone for their help once again today.

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 1
Bald Eagle - 2 (juvenile 1:00, 2:30)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 3
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 202
Rough-legged Hawk - 2
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Total - 216

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1848
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 63
Northern Harrier - 186
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1723
Cooper's Hawk - 82
Northern Goshawk - 16
Red-shouldered Hawk - 19
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 455
Rough-legged Hawk - 3
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 128
Peregrine Falcon - 44
Total - 6071

Rough-legged Hawk

Peregrine Falcon

Cooper's Hawk

Those who hung in today were rewarded with a Short-eared Owl which flew overhead heading west and a Northern Shrike which landed in the big Maple for a brief rest before moving on.

Short-eared Owl

Northern Shrike

Thermals?

Watching Red-tails passing over the north end.

Many Hawk watchers including: Peter, Lorne, Terry 2, Tom, Betty, Ron, Berle, Theresa, Ann, Phil, Gunnar, Pat & Nancy, Tony, Bruce Falls, and we welcomed Brian to the Watch today.

Walter

October 25th - Now Our 2nd Best Year Ever!

Wow, 12 out of a possible 15 species today including our first Rough-legged Hawk of the season. During the morning many birds flew by low providing excellent views and photo ops. 43 Turkey Vultures passed by so low that only a couple were seen above the treeline. Terry, Betty and I went up to Kingston Road to count them as they kettled over Birchmount Park. In the afternoon many of the birds appeared much higher in the sky. We watched as many Red-tails, a couple of Eagles, a Roughie, and a few others soared overhead. The dark clouds and rain moved in to the area around 3:30 PM sending everyone packing.

Today:
Turkey Vulture - 111
Bald Eagle - 3 (juvenile 1:20, 1:45, 2:15)
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 51
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Northern Goshawk - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 7
Red-tailed Hawk - 117
Rough-Legged Hawk - 1
Golden Eagle - 1 (juvenile 1:50)
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 301

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1847
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 61
Northern Harrier - 186
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1721
Cooper's Hawk - 79
Northern Goshawk - 16
Red-shouldered Hawk - 18
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 253
Rough-legged Hawk - 1
Golden Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 127
Peregrine Falcon - 42
Total - 5855

Rough-legged Hawk

Golden Eagle

Bald Eagle

Northern Goshawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Northern Harrier

Thousands of Blackbirds, Starlings, Waxwings, and Robins flying through again early this morning including many small flocks of Eastern Bluebirds. A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker was a great surprise today. It appeared in the big maple tree right behind us and then flew over to the apple tree before moving on to the spruce trees.

My thanks to everyone for their help in spotting and ID'ing so many high and far birds today. Watchers today included: Terry 2, Freida, Berle, Betty, Pat, Nancy, Ann, Tom, Theresa, Norm, Phil, Peter, Gunnar, Lee, Allison, Carol, and Cori.

Please note if you're thinking of joining us at the Raptor Watch the washrooms are now closed for the season.

Walter

October 24th - After The Rain

Once the morning rain finally stopped we all headed for our favourite little park. Not a lot of birds flying but we did get a nice variety of the ones that did.

Today:
Bald Eagle - 1 (juvenile 3:30)
Northern Harrier - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 9

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 1736
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 58
Northern Harrier - 182
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1670
Cooper's Hawk - 78
Northern Goshawk - 14
Red-shouldered Hawk - 11
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 136
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 620
Merlin - 125
Peregrine Falcon - 41
Total - 5554

Peregrine Falcon

Red-tailed Hawk

Merlin (bird is fully 'cropped', not the photo!)

Bald Eagle

The tip of Bluffer's Park

A nice crowd gathered including: Berle, Ann, Terry 2, Theresa, Phil, Peter, Gunnar, and Betty.

Walter