No surprises today with wind switching to the east by mid-day. The only raptor that we saw was a Merlin fairly high up and flapping the whole way across our viewing area.
Today we added Common Loon, Least Flycatcher, Great Egret and Trumpeter Swan to our Species Survey.
Walter
Aug 7th - The North Wind
Today's north wind brought a few nice surprises our way in the form of seven Broad-winged Hawks! This is without a doubt the most BWs we've ever had in the first week of August. Let's hope it only gets better from here. Another Bald Eagle and Osprey were seen today. A few of the local raptors made appearances as well including, a Turkey Vulture, two Red-tailed Hawks and the Merlin. Two Buteos flew by way up high but sadly weren't unidentified due to poor lighting and a slightly hazy sky.
Today:
Osprey - 1
Bald Eagle - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 7
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 12
To Date:
Osprey - 5
Bald Eagle - 3
Copper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 7
American Kestrel - 3
Merlin - 1
Total - 20
Eagle Time (EDT):
12:58 PM - BE (unknown age)
Here are a couple of shots courtesy of Ann:
Today:
Osprey - 1
Bald Eagle - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 7
American Kestrel - 2
Total - 12
To Date:
Osprey - 5
Bald Eagle - 3
Copper's Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 7
American Kestrel - 3
Merlin - 1
Total - 20
Eagle Time (EDT):
12:58 PM - BE (unknown age)
Here are a couple of shots courtesy of Ann:
Osprey
Broad-winged Hawk
Ann also got this quick pic of the Mink heading through the fence.
Fellow observers today included Pat & Nancy, Theresa, Hugh, Berle, Betty, Terry, Ron, Ann, and new guy Don. Thankyou everyone.
Walter
Aug 6th - 4 Birds Today
Well, today was a little better. First off, what a gorgeous day to be at the park, wow! When I arrived this morning, Theresa informed me that she had already seen an Osprey fly by. A few hours of conversation went by before the next birds were seen - 2 Bald Eagles, one after the other way up high. Thank God for clouds or they likely would never have been spotted. Both were 1st year birds. Another couple of hours past before a Merlin was seen flying along the edge of the bluffs.
Today:
Osprey - 1
Bald Eagle - 2
Merlin - 1
Total - 4
To Date:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 1
Total - 8
Eagle Time (EDT):
12:35 PM - BE (first year)
12:39 PM - BE (first year)
Surprisingly not a lot of butterfly species today despite the sunshine. Monarch numbers were encouraging. An American Mink which climbed the bluffs and eventually made it's way in to the park was another highlight.
On hand today were Theresa, Peter, Betty, Hugh, Terry, Ron, Berle, Lee and Carol.
See you tomorrow,
Walter
Today:
Osprey - 1
Bald Eagle - 2
Merlin - 1
Total - 4
To Date:
Osprey - 4
Bald Eagle - 2
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 1
Total - 8
Eagle Time (EDT):
12:35 PM - BE (first year)
12:39 PM - BE (first year)
Surprisingly not a lot of butterfly species today despite the sunshine. Monarch numbers were encouraging. An American Mink which climbed the bluffs and eventually made it's way in to the park was another highlight.
On hand today were Theresa, Peter, Betty, Hugh, Terry, Ron, Berle, Lee and Carol.
See you tomorrow,
Walter
Aug 5th - Two Osprey
Today was not all that great for raptor migration with lots of haze/fog and no wind but we did manage to see 2 Osprey fly by. Off and on rain did not make the morning any better. One beautiful highlight was seeing the majestic Lancaster Bomber fly overhead on it's way from it's home in Hamilton to Goose Bay, Labrador. This is first leg of a three to four leg flight to England. It's heading there to join up with the only other airworthy Lancaster in the world. They will both be touring the UK in a series of airshows and other events to commemorate 50 years since the last time two Lancansters ever flew together.
This is a 'slightly' edited photo of the big bird that I took today at Rosetta. It must have been flying near it's full speed of 275 mph when it flew over. Charlene and 'Crown Vic' Ron were also there to enjoy the flyby.
This is a 'slightly' edited photo of the big bird that I took today at Rosetta. It must have been flying near it's full speed of 275 mph when it flew over. Charlene and 'Crown Vic' Ron were also there to enjoy the flyby.
Walter
Aug 4th - Oops, Minus Bird One...Or
It appears that an Osprey might be hanging around along the bluffs as I received a text message from Lee saying that one just flew by the Watch site heading east. It could be the same bird as yesterday...or it could be a new one from today that might have flown down from the north further west of the Watch site and flew eastward once it reached the lake. It happens. I will hold off counting anything that goes by for now until we get a better understanding of the situation. This is why we normally start the Hawk Watch on August 1st instead of the 15th, to learn!
As for today, not much happened although the two local Red-tailed Hawks put on an entertaining show for everyone as they hunted along the bluffs and in the park. At one point an American Kestrel flew up and followed one of the Red-tails briefly before moving along to the west. I won't count him just yet either as he may be a 'local' as well.
Paul Reeves managed these great shots.
As for today, not much happened although the two local Red-tailed Hawks put on an entertaining show for everyone as they hunted along the bluffs and in the park. At one point an American Kestrel flew up and followed one of the Red-tails briefly before moving along to the west. I won't count him just yet either as he may be a 'local' as well.
Paul Reeves managed these great shots.
Today Lee, John, Pat & Nancy, Paul, Mark and Ron were at the Hawk Watch.
Walter
Aug 3rd - Bird One
I was just about to leave the house this morning when I got a text message telling me that an Osprey had just flown along the bluffs and passed the Hawk Watch...dammit!!! Sharp-eyed Mike Kinrys gets the gold star for spotting this year's first countable bird. Thankyou Mike! Others who were gathered at the time to see 'bird one' were Leslie, Theresa, Peter, Betty, and Kris. Sadly tho, that was it for raptors for the day. Where there were no raptors there were Great Blue Herons. An incredible 23 Herons passed by the Watch today including 8 that flew by together almost wingtip to wingtip. Ron Pittaway, who was with us at the time commented that he couldn't recall ever seeing so many and so close together in all his years of birding. Some other birds of interest today included a Belted Kingfisher, a Warbling Vireo and a Red-eyed Vireo, as well as a Yellow Warbler singing from down the side of the bluffs. Butterflies were a little sluggish today, some even sat still on flowers and allowed for great photo opts. Kris captured this beautiful shot of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Lantana camara.
As we sat and chatted by the gardens watching butterflies, Paul, Patty and Cori joined us.
I'll be at the park much earlier tomorrow hoping for another Osprey to come my way.
Walter
Aug 2nd - The Second Day
The second day of the Watch went as expected...hazy, hot and humid! Not much was happening in today's heat. The best sighting was of a Peregrine Falcon flying in from the west just out over the lake. It flew after one of the last remaining Bank Swallows but came up empty due to it's feeble attempt. I didn't get a very good view of the excitement with my binoculars because for some unknown reason the lenses were completely covered in condensation INSIDE! Not sure why this happened but I'll check online after I'm done here. Thank God it didn't happen on a busy day! Between all the socializing that I did today I was able to add not only the Peregrine but two more butterflies to our Species Survey. The butterflies were Mourning Cloak and American Lady.
Again I'd like to thank everybody who stopped by today to say hello and wish us success. If today was any kind of indication, the park should be full with people for the remainder of the long weekend. Having so many folks moving around and enjoying the gardens makes it difficult to photograph butterflies and hummers, oh well, another day. By-the-way, there were 3 more Hummingbirds today. One landed high up in a nearby tree and returned to the gardens a couple of times.
I haven't checked the weather for Sunday as yet but I'll be at the park for a while in the morning if the sun is out.
Walter
Again I'd like to thank everybody who stopped by today to say hello and wish us success. If today was any kind of indication, the park should be full with people for the remainder of the long weekend. Having so many folks moving around and enjoying the gardens makes it difficult to photograph butterflies and hummers, oh well, another day. By-the-way, there were 3 more Hummingbirds today. One landed high up in a nearby tree and returned to the gardens a couple of times.
Robin's nest
American Lady
Another Black Swallowtail
I haven't checked the weather for Sunday as yet but I'll be at the park for a while in the morning if the sun is out.
Walter
Aug 1st - 'Tis That Time Once Again!
OMG, where is the time going this year? The time has come to start brushing up on your hawk watching and identifying skills once again. Although we are still a few weeks away from any kind of real migration, I'll be at Rosetta almost daily from here forward waiting for the first couple of birds to fly by. Over the next 2-3 weeks there will likely not be very many raptors migrating passed the Watch site so please do not feel the need to rush down. Of the over 50,000 raptors that we've counted at Rosetta over the years, only 234 have gone by in the first two weeks. Not trying to scare anyone away, just making you aware of the situation. Basically what I'm trying to say is 'I'll be at the concert before it starts instead of arriving during the middle of the first song'. Having said that, please come and enjoy the park, the flowers, the people and the weather, it's such a beautiful place to be this time of the year!
Betty, Terry, Theresa, Carol, Phil, Pat and Nancy, and myself gathered this morning to officially open the 2014 edition of the Watch! We even had a ribbon cutting ceremony! Our roving field reporter Lee checked-in via text message to let us know that she was ready and in position with eyes-to-the-skies. Several other kind folks stopped by to say hello and wish us well.
Although we didn't see any 'countable' birds today, we did have spectacular views of two local Red-tailed Hawks as well as a flyby from the local Cooper's Hawk. Overall we counted 31 bird species, 10 butterfly species and 3 mammals for our Fall Season Species Survey. Of interest today, a total of 8 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were counted. Some were seen in the main gardens around the Black & Blue Salvia and others were flying along the bluffs heading west.
Here are a few photos from the day (sorry, no birds)
Betty, Terry, Theresa, Carol, Phil, Pat and Nancy, and myself gathered this morning to officially open the 2014 edition of the Watch! We even had a ribbon cutting ceremony! Our roving field reporter Lee checked-in via text message to let us know that she was ready and in position with eyes-to-the-skies. Several other kind folks stopped by to say hello and wish us well.
Although we didn't see any 'countable' birds today, we did have spectacular views of two local Red-tailed Hawks as well as a flyby from the local Cooper's Hawk. Overall we counted 31 bird species, 10 butterfly species and 3 mammals for our Fall Season Species Survey. Of interest today, a total of 8 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were counted. Some were seen in the main gardens around the Black & Blue Salvia and others were flying along the bluffs heading west.
Here are a few photos from the day (sorry, no birds)
It's official!
Black Swallowtail
Wild Indigo Duskywing
Monarch
Red Admiral
Silver-spotted Skipper
Painted Lady
Northern Broken-Dash
See you soon,
Walter
New 2014 Poster
In no way am I trying to rush the summer away, I just want to show-off the new Raptor Watch poster for this year. Hope you like it.
See you all soon,
Walter
Richard's Poem
Here is the beautiful poem that Richard Welsman, head-gardener at Rosetta wrote and recited during the commemoration of Frank's bench on Sunday June 22nd, 2014. It's just lovely.
Thankyou Richard. I will keep a copy of the poem with me while conducting the Raptor Watch and while watching for migrating birds during the spring.
Walter
Today We Dedicated Frank's Bench!
What a beautiful day, what a wonderful time. It was a lovely dedication!
Coffee and donuts followed...
Please click here to go to Lee's RMG Facebook page where several more photos of the day are being shared.
Thanks to Theresa for organizing and Ann for conducting today's event, and also to those who were kind enough to bring food and drink. Hope to see you all again at the park real soon.
Walter
The Passing of Colin Horstead
Hi all,
It is with great sadness that I post about the passing of our dear friend Colin Horstead. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he passed away peacefully on Saturday at his home surrounded by his loving family. Click here to read the family's announcement in the Toronto Star newspaper. Services will be held this Wednesday.
Colin, an avid hawkwatcher, was instrumental in helping Frank find and establish the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch back in 2004. After meeting Frank at the High Park Hawkwatch and seeing his keen interest in hawks, Colin taught Frank about identifying the birds. One of my favourite lines Colin said was "I taught Frank everything he knows about the hawks but not everything I know." I guess I too fall in to that same category as he taught me much of what I know as well. Colin knew that the hawks followed the shoreline of Lake Ontario during migration and suggested to Frank that they try an area somewhere closer to home to watch for them so that Frank wouldn't have to travel across the city by TTC everyday to High Park. Great suggestion my friend, the rest as they say is history!
Here are a couple of photos I took of Colin and Frank during the 2011 Hawkwatch.
The following is a blog post Frank did on November 17th, 2011 with a special write-up from the London Free Press:
Special Post - My Raptor Mentor
It is with great sadness that I post about the passing of our dear friend Colin Horstead. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he passed away peacefully on Saturday at his home surrounded by his loving family. Click here to read the family's announcement in the Toronto Star newspaper. Services will be held this Wednesday.
Colin, an avid hawkwatcher, was instrumental in helping Frank find and establish the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch back in 2004. After meeting Frank at the High Park Hawkwatch and seeing his keen interest in hawks, Colin taught Frank about identifying the birds. One of my favourite lines Colin said was "I taught Frank everything he knows about the hawks but not everything I know." I guess I too fall in to that same category as he taught me much of what I know as well. Colin knew that the hawks followed the shoreline of Lake Ontario during migration and suggested to Frank that they try an area somewhere closer to home to watch for them so that Frank wouldn't have to travel across the city by TTC everyday to High Park. Great suggestion my friend, the rest as they say is history!
Here are a couple of photos I took of Colin and Frank during the 2011 Hawkwatch.
Unfortunately, due to Colin's failing health he was unable to join us during last year's Watch. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
____________________
The following is a blog post Frank did on November 17th, 2011 with a special write-up from the London Free Press:
Special Post - My Raptor Mentor
I had to post this article,which appeared on Nov 12th in The London Free Press about Hawk Cliff and a man near and dear to me,my "raptor mentor" Colin Horstead.
While other watchers at High Park helped me along,during my initial forray into raptor watching,Colin "took me under his wing" as it were. He saw how keen I was and nutured it. He would take me aside and tell me what to look for and why a bird was what it was. The only reward he asked for was that I pass it on. He often jokes,"Ive taught you everything you know(dramatic pause)but not everything I know.",in his good natured manor. He took me out winters and we did road trips,so my crash course in raptor identification could continue even in off season. He took me to Beamer Memorial Park Hawk Watch(Niagara Pennisula Raptor Watch) several times each spring early on so Id keep learning. He took me to Hawk Cliff,by which time I was fairly skilled at identification and spotting. I owe Colin a great deal. Not only did he help me to be very proficient at raptor ID,but he became and remains a very valued and even cherish friend. Because of him I not only started the watch at Rosetta,but have met so many wonderful friends. Ive tried to honour the committment to Colin to "pay it forward",since then by teaching all I am able to the many new raptor watchers at Rosetta. Id like to think what he taught me is being passed on in a way he'd be proud of or at least satisfied with.
From The London Free Press
These hawks are no ‘dicky birds’
THE WORLD OUTDOORS
By PAUL NICHOLSON, Special to QMI Agency
Dave Brown's modest reference to the skilled and loyal corps of volunteer hawkwatchers at Hawk Cliff on Lake Erie east of Port Stanley is "the usual suspects."They scour the sky rain or shine, seven days a week, logging every raptor sighting from late August to November. Brown, who is based in Mitchell, co-ordinates schedules and publishes the detailed daily findings on the organization's website (search "Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch.") The Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch is one of about six Ontario hawkwatch sites west of Toronto and is one of about 200 sites in North America that are linked to the Hawk Migration Association of North America. The common goals are to conserve, study and appreciate raptors such as hawks and eagles.
The information gathering is a form of "citizen science" and takes advantage of observers such as Tom Bolohan, Ches Caister and Ronnie Goodhand to create a continentwide understanding of the status of raptor populations.An example of a population shift would be the recovery of bald eagles and peregrine falcons in Ontario after DDT was banned in the 1970s. As an umbrella organization, the Hawk Migration Association establishes standard methodologies for counts and is a focal point for research. Scientists also liaise directly with the Hawk Cliff crew, which has local data going back to 1974.
Jim Dunn was relied on to lead the daily count from late August, when this fall's migration started. From early September to early November, Colin Horstead was the lead counter. For the past five years, Horstead has been a lead counter with the Hawkwatch. He is a Torontonian, but he checks into the Kettle Creek Inn in Port Stanley for two months each fall.Asked about the roots of his interest in hawks, Horstead recently explained "Way, way back I was fishing on the Pickerel River. This would have been in the mid-1950s. There were ospreys around, but I didn't know what they were so I got my first bird book and found out." He has never looked back. "I got into the migration after I retired in 1992."
Perhaps because of those first osprey sightings, he does still focus on birds of prey. "I like the raptors. I just like to specialize. It's the type of person I am. I call everything else a 'dicky bird,' but I'm just joking." He confesses an admiration for those birders who are good at non-raptors. Mary Carnahan is one of the hawkwatchers who is relied on to report sightings of non-raptor species.
The balance of the migration that wraps up November 30 will be charted by Brown and the London-area watchers.Regarding this year's fall migration, Brown remarked "It's been an excellent season for birds, but a rotten season for weather." Said Horstead, "This year's been tough because of threatening rain," but tough or not, Horstead will return: "I'll be back next year. It's a passion." This sentiment reflects the remarkable commitment of all "the usual suspects."
Hawk Cliff sightings The golden eagles were again particularly good last Saturday. Some were soaring very high and others, including juveniles and adults, were lower and offered excellent views. More than 600 red-tailed hawks were also spotted, along with counts of red-shouldered and rough-legged hawks, turkey vultures, and other raptors. Great V's of honking tundra swans flew over periodically. They looked spectacular in the sun against the deep blue sky. Other sightings in the woods and thickets included yellow-rumped warblers, fox sparrows, pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers, a Northern shrike, cedar waxwings, Eastern bluebirds, rusty blackbirds and a purple finch.
____________________
Walter
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