Nuttin' again today but that's okay cuz a few are gettin' closer. Today Ann reported seeing 1 Osprey and 7 Turkey Vultures over her neighbourhood roughly 6 kms away to the east. If any of those birds got passed us at the park it wasn't for the lack of trying. Betty and I scanned the sky for at least 20 minutes after we got the call. The best we could do was a local Turkey Vulture and a local Red-tailed Hawk.
New additions today to the BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES and MAMMALS lists were a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird, a Downy Woodpecker, and the local Turkey Vulture for birds. Butterflies species included Question Mark, Red Admiral and Viceroy. No new mammals to report.
Lots of good folks stopped by today including Lorne, Pat & Nancy, Pat's brother Mike, Betty, and Gunnar and his wife Vivian.
With tonight's single digit temperatures in the north and tomorrow's predicted NW 20-25 wind in the GTA, that might just do the trick and bring us some early migrants. Fingers crossed!
Walter
August 2nd - A Repeat
Day two is now in the books and unfortunately again we ended up with zero raptors - not really a big surprise. Today was another gorgeous day to be out. My time was split between looking for birds and chatting with Tom, Berle, Phil and his daughter Marrisa, Betty, Lee and several park walkers who all stopped by to say hi.
Much of what was observed yesterday was seen again today but I did manage to get a few new additions:
TIME:
8:30AM - 12:30PM
BIRDS:
Great Egret
Barn Swallow
BUTTERFLIES:
Eastern Comma
Mourning Cloak
MAMMALS:
American Red Squirrel
Again today I had 2 Hummingbird sightings but like yesterday they appeared to be just flying through, not sure if they're stopping anywhere in the park. This year's gardens unfortunately lack the Black and Blue Salvia flowers that kept so many Hummers and so many people happy last season. There are likely other flowers that they'll stop and feed from but they may not stay so long at them.
Walter
Much of what was observed yesterday was seen again today but I did manage to get a few new additions:
TIME:
8:30AM - 12:30PM
BIRDS:
Great Egret
Barn Swallow
BUTTERFLIES:
Eastern Comma
Mourning Cloak
MAMMALS:
American Red Squirrel
Again today I had 2 Hummingbird sightings but like yesterday they appeared to be just flying through, not sure if they're stopping anywhere in the park. This year's gardens unfortunately lack the Black and Blue Salvia flowers that kept so many Hummers and so many people happy last season. There are likely other flowers that they'll stop and feed from but they may not stay so long at them.
Walter
August 1st - A Beautiful Opening Day!
Well, today went pretty much as expected...no countable raptors! But what a beautiful day to be out enjoying the park, the sun and a nice cool breeze off the lake. I think this might have actually been the best opening day to the Hawk Watch that I've ever experienced. Even with the big puffy white clouds overhead there was still lots of sunshine and like always the little Maple tree was there as my protection from getting too burnt.
The only raptor that was seen was a 'local' Red-tailed Hawk. It soared over the park from west to east and was searching for it's lunch.
The following is a report of what was seen today:
TIME:
10:00AM - 2:00PM
BIRDS:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk (local bird)
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Bank Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
BUTTERFLIES:
Silver-spotted Skipper
Northern Broken-Dash
Black Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Monarch
MAMMALS:
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Cottontail
Over the course of the next four months I'll be keeping a running list on my computer of what is seen at the park for the above BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES and MAMMALS and I'll report anything of interest in the daily postings. Of course, anything else that we can identify will be listed as well.
Walter
The only raptor that was seen was a 'local' Red-tailed Hawk. It soared over the park from west to east and was searching for it's lunch.
The following is a report of what was seen today:
TIME:
10:00AM - 2:00PM
BIRDS:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk (local bird)
Ring-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Bank Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
BUTTERFLIES:
Silver-spotted Skipper
Northern Broken-Dash
Black Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Monarch
MAMMALS:
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Cottontail
Over the course of the next four months I'll be keeping a running list on my computer of what is seen at the park for the above BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES and MAMMALS and I'll report anything of interest in the daily postings. Of course, anything else that we can identify will be listed as well.
Walter
A Quick Note...
Hi everyone, It looks as though the start of this year's Raptor Watch is going to be a soggy one. I'll be down at Rosetta when the rain stops and I'll be patiently watching for bird #1.
As most of you know it's going to be painfully slow for the first few weeks. The only hope I have right now for anything flying earlier than normal is due to the fact that we're experiencing much cooler temperatures lately. We'll see what happens.
As in the past, we should see somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15-20 raptors total over the first 15 days. After that we'll see a slow but gradual increase in volume, usually jumping up towards the final days of the month. Over that time we'll see a number of Osprey, Bald Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels starting on their journey south. Several of the other raptor species will be seen as well but in much lower numbers.
For the most part I suggest waiting till later in the month when things start to pickup before coming to the park but, if you're in the neighbourhood, don't hesitate to stop in and say hello. The park is full of beautiful flower gardens and there are plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the day.
Officially the hawk watch season doesn't start till August 15th but we're not official so we start now!
Walter
As most of you know it's going to be painfully slow for the first few weeks. The only hope I have right now for anything flying earlier than normal is due to the fact that we're experiencing much cooler temperatures lately. We'll see what happens.
As in the past, we should see somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15-20 raptors total over the first 15 days. After that we'll see a slow but gradual increase in volume, usually jumping up towards the final days of the month. Over that time we'll see a number of Osprey, Bald Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels starting on their journey south. Several of the other raptor species will be seen as well but in much lower numbers.
For the most part I suggest waiting till later in the month when things start to pickup before coming to the park but, if you're in the neighbourhood, don't hesitate to stop in and say hello. The park is full of beautiful flower gardens and there are plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the day.
Officially the hawk watch season doesn't start till August 15th but we're not official so we start now!
Walter
Year 10 begins...
Hello and welcome to the 2013 edition of the Rosetta McClain
Gardens Raptor Watch. This year we are
celebrating our 10th anniversary of hawk (raptor) watching in the
park.
If you are new and don't know me, my name is Walter. I’ve been an avid hawk watcher since 2008,
the year that I first met BIGFRANK. In
that first year Frank taught me almost everything he knew about hawks and what
to look for to help me identify them. I
was easily hooked! I was Frank’s daily
helper at the Watch 4 out of the last 5 years. In 2011, I had the opportunity to conduct the
Watch in Frank’s absence. I was not
alone though that year, I had an amazing group of watcher’s that pulled
together to give me a hand. What a time
we had! Frank was back at it in 2012 to
watch and count a record breaking 7267 ‘birds of prey’ that flew over the
park.
This year I've committed myself, with the help of many others,
to doing the Watch once again. We look
forward to seeing all those who will be returning and also to welcoming many
new folks who will be attending for the first time. As many of you know, our Watch at Rosetta is
not an 'official' Watch so just getting out and enjoying the migration of these
spectacular birds has always been the goal. Frank’s passion right from the beginning was
to share with others what he was seeing.
The number counting has almost become secondary.
Some information about our Raptor Watch...
WHERE: Rosetta McClain Gardens, a small park situated on top
of the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario. It is located in Toronto
(Scarborough), Ontario, at the intersection of Kingston Road and Glen
Everest Road. It's one stoplight east of
the main intersection of Kingston Road and Birchmount Road. The gardens are fully wheelchair accessible
and have bathrooms and lots of benches. NOTE - the following ARE NOT ALLOWED in
the Gardens: dogs, picnics, bicycle riding or ball playing.
WHEN: From August 15th - November 30th. Almost daily we will
be present watching and counting migrating raptors. Peak migration is from mid-September to
mid-October. Peak time of day is most often 10am-2pm. Optimal conditions for a large movement of
birds are on days with moderate to heavy northwest winds and nice white puffy
clouds, though anything can happen.
WHAT IS SEEN: Any or all of 15 species of birds of prey can
be seen migrating along the north shore of Lake Ontario. Some birds, if we're
lucky, will land briefly in the trees in the Gardens, some will circle briefly
above us, while most others will just fly past us as they continue their long
journey southward. In past years, between 4000 and 7000 raptors have been seen. On our best day last year, and best day ever,
we counted over 2000 birds! Of these,
1750 were Turkey Vultures. Incredible!
So if you have time and are able to get out and join us at
the Watch, you may see any of the following 15
species of raptors (hawks, birds of prey): Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Bald
Eagles, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Northern
Goshawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks,
Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, American Kestrels, Merlins, and Peregrine
Falcons.
If you have them, bring any of the following items with you:
a pair of binoculars, a scope, a camera, and also a birding book, a snack to
eat, and a small folding chair if you like.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Walter
Another excellent tribute to Big Frank
Our friend and fellow hawk watcher Phil Lameira of the Beach Metro Community News has written an excellent tribute to Big Frank. He covers Frank's young life, how Frank got hooked on Raptors, Phil's own first encounter with the Rosetta gang and his first meeting with Frank. A truly wonderful account.
The Beach Metro Community News 'Frank Bert Butson, 1965-2013' by Phil Lameira
The Beach Metro Community News 'Frank Bert Butson, 1965-2013' by Phil Lameira
Meet Big Frank
First posted to the Toronto and Southern Ontario Birding board by Rob'in'To and used here by permission.
On Wednesday May 29, 2013, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and the Ministry of Natural Resources banded 4 baby Falcons at the Etobicoke Sunlife building nest site. One male, actually the only male in the bunch, was named "Big Frank" in honor of their fallen guardian. This site was monitored during the fledge watch mostly by Big Frank.
On Wednesday May 29, 2013, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation and the Ministry of Natural Resources banded 4 baby Falcons at the Etobicoke Sunlife building nest site. One male, actually the only male in the bunch, was named "Big Frank" in honor of their fallen guardian. This site was monitored during the fledge watch mostly by Big Frank.
The Birch Cliff News
Hedy Korbee of The Birch Cliff News asked Ann and I if we could help her write a story about Frank. I think she has done an amazing job with what we gave her. It's just a beautiful tribute.
The Birch Cliff News 'Raptor Watch Founder Dies' by Hedy Korbee
The Birch Cliff News 'Raptor Watch Founder Dies' by Hedy Korbee
RIP Frank Butson aka BigFrank
Hi everyone, this is Lee. I know most of you already have heard the sad news that Frank passed away this week but I just talked to Walter who agreed that a post should be included here. The funeral information is in this link: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Frank-Butson&lc=3778&pid=164960889&mid=5543124
We, his friends from Rosetta, are arranging to purchase a memorial bench in the park dedicated to Frank. Ann Brokelman is organizing this and we will post details here as they come in. If you were thinking of making a donation in his memory, please consider donating towards the cost of the bench.
Also, if anyone has photos of Frank can you please forward them to Ann? Frank's mom would like them for the wake next Saturday but Ann needs them by tomorrow.
We will likely keep the blog going in the fall as it has many followers so please don't delete it from your bookmarks.
We, his friends from Rosetta, are arranging to purchase a memorial bench in the park dedicated to Frank. Ann Brokelman is organizing this and we will post details here as they come in. If you were thinking of making a donation in his memory, please consider donating towards the cost of the bench.
Also, if anyone has photos of Frank can you please forward them to Ann? Frank's mom would like them for the wake next Saturday but Ann needs them by tomorrow.
We will likely keep the blog going in the fall as it has many followers so please don't delete it from your bookmarks.
All Raptored Up For Another Season...The Records Fell Final Total 7267
What a year gang!!! First and foremost, I must thank Walter, not only for his summary of all of this seasons numbers, but his constant support and great work helping to run the watch. I couldnt do it so well without you Walter, fantastic job!!
The raptor watch gang observed so many amazing things this season, it is all a blur. August started off slow, but in the end we had our 2nd best August ever. The 28th saw our highest one day count in August ever, at 120! The following day we saw 8 Bald Eagles. Bring on September.
September saw some fantastic views of Broadwinged Hawks. While Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch doesnt see huge numbers of Broadwings, we get many amazingly close views, to make up for our lack of volume. September saw a fantastic total of 51 Peregrine Falcons, our best ever total of Peregrines and an indication that a new record for Peregrine Falcons in a season would come. By seasons end we saw an incredible 102 Peregrines!!
October brought Turkey Vultures...boy did it ever!! We saw an incredible 1750 Turkey Vultures on October 12th, a new one day record, part of a one day record of 2066 raptors that day! Everyone left that day jaw dropped. October saw us rack up Golden Eagle sightings and set us up for our best season ever. Record numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks thrilled everyone too as we crushed our season record.
November saw Golden Eagle numbers surpass any other season and finish with 20. Hurricane Sandy held things up, towards the end of October, causing a logjam of raptors, that burst in early November. By November 5th we had 4 days with over 100 raptors in November, pushing us well beyond the November record for raptors seen in the month, not to mention surpassing 7000 raptors seen in one season for the first time ever!! Our Redtail numbers were a mere 1 away from 1000 for the season when migration all but stopped, before we finally saw #1000 very late in the month.
What a fall it was!
Here are the final totals...
Turkey Vulture - 2223 (best year)
Osprey - 115 (3rd best year)
Bald Eagle - 65 (3rd best year)
Northern Harrier - 266 (4th best year)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2208 (4th best year)
Cooper's Hawk - 110 (2nd best year)
Northern Goshawk - 23 (2nd best year)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 76 (best year)
Broad-winged Hawk - 347 (2nd best year)
Red-tailed Hawk - 1002 (best year)
Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (7th best year)
Golden Eagle - 20 (best year)
American Kestrel - 604 (4th best year)
Merlin - 101 (2nd best year)
Peregrine Falcon - 102 (best year)
Total - 7267 (best year)
Here are the new records (14 new, 1 tied)...
Turkey Vulture - Day record of 1750 birds on October 12th, Month record of 2051 birds in October, Year record of 2223 birds.
Red-shouldered Hawk - Day record of 19 on October 26th, Month record of 41 birds in October, Year record of 76 birds.
Red-tailed Hawk - Month record of 601 birds in November, Year record of 1002 birds.
Golden Eagle - Month record of 15 birds in November, Year record of 20 birds.
Merlin - (tied) Day record of 17 birds on October 21st.
Peregrine Falcon - Month record of 51 birds in September, Year record of 102 birds.
All Species - Day record of 2066 birds on October 12th, Year record of 7267 birds.
Walter and I thank everyone who came out to enjoy the spectacle that is fall raptor migration. We thank the staff at Rosetta McClain Gardens for their continued support, many kindnesses and friendships. Thanks to everyone who helped spot and count. Thanks to all of our watchers who are also incredible photographers for their contributions of photos to the blog. They make the mere numbers pop with excitement and come alive. Your contributions have helped the watch grow immensely. Thanks especially to our chore group of watchers and contributors for your support and friendships, Walter and I couldnt do this without all of you. We welcomed many new folks this season and we're glad to have you. Well done to our regulars for making the new folks feel so comfortable and welcome, and for sharing all you have learned. One thing that Walter and I get so many comments about is how friendly our watchers are and how much new people enjoy becoming part of the fun. Thanks to the various members of the press, who did stories about our watch. Increasing public awareness about the incredible birds we see can only be positive and add to our list of friends.
Non-raptor sightings were very exciting this year too of course. This fall we added several new species to our Rosetta McClain Gardens bird list, now sitting at 197 species. Very impressive! "Northern finches" added some thrills as White-winged Crossbills, Evening Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings were seen.
We hope to see everyone over the winter and beyond. Next season is our 10th Anniversary, so I hope to have a few special events...even better than Pizza Days! Id like those among us who have some ability to create a logo, suitable to use on the blog and maybe even a few t-shirts. Thanks again everyone! See you at our seasons end luncheon on Dec 8th. Whoever doesnt make that I hope to see you this winter in quests for owls and other interesting winter birds. I will post from time to time over the winter. So dont forget to check back now and then!
The raptor watch gang observed so many amazing things this season, it is all a blur. August started off slow, but in the end we had our 2nd best August ever. The 28th saw our highest one day count in August ever, at 120! The following day we saw 8 Bald Eagles. Bring on September.
September saw some fantastic views of Broadwinged Hawks. While Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch doesnt see huge numbers of Broadwings, we get many amazingly close views, to make up for our lack of volume. September saw a fantastic total of 51 Peregrine Falcons, our best ever total of Peregrines and an indication that a new record for Peregrine Falcons in a season would come. By seasons end we saw an incredible 102 Peregrines!!
October brought Turkey Vultures...boy did it ever!! We saw an incredible 1750 Turkey Vultures on October 12th, a new one day record, part of a one day record of 2066 raptors that day! Everyone left that day jaw dropped. October saw us rack up Golden Eagle sightings and set us up for our best season ever. Record numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks thrilled everyone too as we crushed our season record.
November saw Golden Eagle numbers surpass any other season and finish with 20. Hurricane Sandy held things up, towards the end of October, causing a logjam of raptors, that burst in early November. By November 5th we had 4 days with over 100 raptors in November, pushing us well beyond the November record for raptors seen in the month, not to mention surpassing 7000 raptors seen in one season for the first time ever!! Our Redtail numbers were a mere 1 away from 1000 for the season when migration all but stopped, before we finally saw #1000 very late in the month.
What a fall it was!
Here are the final totals...
Turkey Vulture - 2223 (best year)
Osprey - 115 (3rd best year)
Bald Eagle - 65 (3rd best year)
Northern Harrier - 266 (4th best year)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2208 (4th best year)
Cooper's Hawk - 110 (2nd best year)
Northern Goshawk - 23 (2nd best year)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 76 (best year)
Broad-winged Hawk - 347 (2nd best year)
Red-tailed Hawk - 1002 (best year)
Rough-legged Hawk - 5 (7th best year)
Golden Eagle - 20 (best year)
American Kestrel - 604 (4th best year)
Merlin - 101 (2nd best year)
Peregrine Falcon - 102 (best year)
Total - 7267 (best year)
Here are the new records (14 new, 1 tied)...
Turkey Vulture - Day record of 1750 birds on October 12th, Month record of 2051 birds in October, Year record of 2223 birds.
Red-shouldered Hawk - Day record of 19 on October 26th, Month record of 41 birds in October, Year record of 76 birds.
Red-tailed Hawk - Month record of 601 birds in November, Year record of 1002 birds.
Golden Eagle - Month record of 15 birds in November, Year record of 20 birds.
Merlin - (tied) Day record of 17 birds on October 21st.
Peregrine Falcon - Month record of 51 birds in September, Year record of 102 birds.
All Species - Day record of 2066 birds on October 12th, Year record of 7267 birds.
Walter and I thank everyone who came out to enjoy the spectacle that is fall raptor migration. We thank the staff at Rosetta McClain Gardens for their continued support, many kindnesses and friendships. Thanks to everyone who helped spot and count. Thanks to all of our watchers who are also incredible photographers for their contributions of photos to the blog. They make the mere numbers pop with excitement and come alive. Your contributions have helped the watch grow immensely. Thanks especially to our chore group of watchers and contributors for your support and friendships, Walter and I couldnt do this without all of you. We welcomed many new folks this season and we're glad to have you. Well done to our regulars for making the new folks feel so comfortable and welcome, and for sharing all you have learned. One thing that Walter and I get so many comments about is how friendly our watchers are and how much new people enjoy becoming part of the fun. Thanks to the various members of the press, who did stories about our watch. Increasing public awareness about the incredible birds we see can only be positive and add to our list of friends.
Non-raptor sightings were very exciting this year too of course. This fall we added several new species to our Rosetta McClain Gardens bird list, now sitting at 197 species. Very impressive! "Northern finches" added some thrills as White-winged Crossbills, Evening Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings were seen.
We hope to see everyone over the winter and beyond. Next season is our 10th Anniversary, so I hope to have a few special events...even better than Pizza Days! Id like those among us who have some ability to create a logo, suitable to use on the blog and maybe even a few t-shirts. Thanks again everyone! See you at our seasons end luncheon on Dec 8th. Whoever doesnt make that I hope to see you this winter in quests for owls and other interesting winter birds. I will post from time to time over the winter. So dont forget to check back now and then!
Redtail #1000 On A Cold Blustery Day
Finally we reached Redtail number 1000. While we thought more birds would fly today, no hawk watching sites counted very much, so we can be assured we werent missing much at least. After many days without even a single countable Redtailed Hawk, after several teasers today when local Redtails went by and came back, we were relieved to finally see one pass that wasnt familiar to us, not to be seen again.
We had a great look at a large juvenile female Goshawk today too, giving us 23 sightings of Goshawks this season, one off our highest total ever. A few more Redtails eventually flew by giving us 1002 for the fall and almost sneaking by at 10:49am was a juvenile Bald Eagle, number 65.
Our total was:
Bald Eagle - 1 (Juv. 10:49 am)
Northern Goshawk - 1
Redtailed Hawk - 3
Total - 5
Present today besides Walter and I were, Mike 4, Paul, Gunnar, Ron, Mike 2, Harry, Cori, and Mark. Thanks to Cori for making a run to Tim Hortons for hot chocolate and Chili to warm up Walter and I. It was much appreciated and needed!!
At this stage, unless we get good winds from the north of some sort, its unlikely anyone will be counting. The 30th seems it may be the final wrap up, we will likely show up to make it official, no matter the weather.
We had a great look at a large juvenile female Goshawk today too, giving us 23 sightings of Goshawks this season, one off our highest total ever. A few more Redtails eventually flew by giving us 1002 for the fall and almost sneaking by at 10:49am was a juvenile Bald Eagle, number 65.
Our total was:
Bald Eagle - 1 (Juv. 10:49 am)
Northern Goshawk - 1
Redtailed Hawk - 3
Total - 5
Present today besides Walter and I were, Mike 4, Paul, Gunnar, Ron, Mike 2, Harry, Cori, and Mark. Thanks to Cori for making a run to Tim Hortons for hot chocolate and Chili to warm up Walter and I. It was much appreciated and needed!!
At this stage, unless we get good winds from the north of some sort, its unlikely anyone will be counting. The 30th seems it may be the final wrap up, we will likely show up to make it official, no matter the weather.
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