Wind (current)

Sep 24th - A Quick Update...

I will update this further tonight...

Today:
Osprey - 7
Northern Harrier - 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 30
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 9
Peregrine Falcon - 6
Total - 58

Other Birds:
American Golden Plover - a new species for the park - #207!

Butterflies:
Monarch - 34

Hawk Watchers:
Bill, Terry, Mark, Allison, Betty, Carol, Gary, Berle, Pat & Nancy, Gord, plus several others.  Thankyou everyone!

Walter

Sep 23rd - In My Absence

I'd like to thank everyone for their participation in the Watch today in my absence.  At present (1:30am!) I feel okay and I'll most likely be back at the park in the morning...don't worry I'm not contagious in any way!

Today:
Northern Harrier - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 39
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Total - 42

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 72
Bald Eagle - 23
Northern Harrier - 80
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1861
Cooper's Hawk - 8
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 88
Red-tailed Hawk - 10
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 240
Merlin - 54
Peregrine Falcon - 11
Total - 2451

Other Birds:
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1

Butterflies:
Monarch - 200

Hawk Watchers:
Berle, Bill, Hugh, Lee, Manny, MC, and Terry

Weather Prediction:
Sep 24th - mainly sunny, E 20km/h and gusting (theweathernetwork.com)

Walter

Sep 22nd - Red-tailed Hawks

Other than the local Red-tailed Hawks putting on another fantastic show not much else really happened today.  Unfortunately most Hawks we saw migrating over the park today were up high and hard to see in all the 'blue'.

Today:
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 30
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 33

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 72
Bald Eagle - 23
Northern Harrier - 78
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1822
Cooper's Hawk - 7
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 88
Red-tailed Hawk - 10
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 240
Merlin - 54
Peregrine Falcon - 11
Total - 2409

 local Red-tailed Hawk (Kris)

...and the other local (Kris)

...and together (Walter)

Other Birds:
Common Raven - 2 flying along the bluffs

Butterflies:
Monarch - 300+, my best guess

Hawk Watchers:
Mark, Bill, Allison, Dave, Berle, Terry, Kris, Manny, Betty, Hugh, Cori, MC, Lester, and a couple of others.

Weather Prediction:
Sep 23rd - sunny, NE 5 km/h switching to S 10 km/h (theweathernetwork.com)

Walter

Of Interest...

There will be a rare Supermoon Eclipse over the city this coming Sunday night starting at around 8pm and if you don't have a better/darker place to view it, Rosetta might be your best option.  If the sky is clear, I'll see you at the park.

The Star - Where to see Sunday's rare Supermoon Eclipse over Toronto

Walter

Sep 21st - Very Similar Conditions to Yesterday

Today:
Osprey - 5
Northern Harrier - 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 128
American Kestrel - 7
Merlin - 7
Total - 155

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 72
Bald Eagle - 23
Northern Harrier - 77
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1792
Cooper's Hawk - 7
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 10
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 239
Merlin - 54
Peregrine Falcon - 11
Total - 2376

a near adult Sharp-shinned Hawk (Ann)
(note the 'reddish' horizontal barring on the underside and yellow coloured
eye - a full adult would have a red coloured eye)

two juvenile Sharpies (Ann)

Other Birds:
Brown Creeper - 1 in the big maple tree directly behind us
Common Loon - 6 counted today
Common Raven - 3 flying along the bluffs
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1 seen in the northwest corner
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 seen on the east side of the park

local Red-tailed Hawk (Ann)

such a thrill for many park goers (Ann)

 Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Ann)

Butterflies:
Monarch - 500+, my best guess as again today many were flying over the park way up high.

Hawk Watchers:
Bill, Mark, Terry, Pat & Nancy, Hugh, Judy, Arvo, Dave, Berle, Don, Ann, Betty, Cori, Carol, MC, Janina, and a few others who popped down.

Weather Prediction:
Sep 22nd - mainly sunny to sunny, E 10km/h switching to S 10km/h (theweathernetwork.com)

See you at the park,
Walter

Sep 20th - The Sharpies Just Keep on Comin'!

Not quite the day that most had hoped for but still not bad.  Judging by reports and photos I've seen, it appears that you could've stood anywhere from the lake all the way up to Steeles Avenue and saw migrating hawks!  Hopefully some people took notice of the bird migration over their neighbourhoods!  Anyway, at Rosetta most birds were flying just a little too high for most to enjoy.

Today:
Osprey - 6
Bald Eagle - 2
Northern Harrier - 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 245
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 10
Merlin - 4
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 280

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 67
Bald Eagle - 23
Northern Harrier - 69
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1664
Cooper's Hawk - 7
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 10
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 232
Merlin - 47
Peregrine Falcon - 11
Total - 2221

Eagle Time (DST):
10:24 - BEx2 (adult)

first light! (Walter)

a Sharpie taking a dive straight down! (Lee)

 Red-tailed Hawk (Lee)

Merlin (Lee)

Sharpie! (Ann)

Peregrine Falcon (Ann)

Northern Harrier (Mike)

as BIGFRANK called it "Striatus coming at us!" (Mike)

Other Birds:
Blue-headed Vireo - 1 seen in the northwest corner of the park
Cackling Goose - 1 mixed in with a group of Canada Geese
Canada Goose - many small flocks migrating over the park early in the day
White-throated Sparrow - numbers are increasing around the gardens

Butterflies:
Monarch - 1500+ - likely a very conservative guess!

a Walking Stick (Ann)

...and an Orb Weaver spider (Ann)

Hawk Watchers:
Phil, Lorne, Peter, Mike, Mark, Monika, Martha, Allison, Norm, Ann, Laural, Richard, Carol, Lester, Pat & Nancy, Berle, Eleanor, Lee, Dahye, Betty, Hugh, and many others who stopped by!  Thankyou for another wonderful day.

Weather Prediction:
Sep 21st - mix of sun and cloud, E 5km/h increasing to 15km/h (theweathernetwork.com)

Walter

Sep 19th - Slow Day Today

With scattered showers all over the place today we weren't expecting a big movement of raptors and that's exactly what we got - only 16 birds.  We'll try again tomorrow.

Today:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 15
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 16

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 61
Bald Eagle - 21
Northern Harrier - 59
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1419
Cooper's Hawk - 6
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 9
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 222
Merlin - 43
Peregrine Falcon - 10
Total - 1941

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Lee)

Other Birds:
Red-tailed Hawk - local bird, caught a chipmunk for lunch today

Lunch time! (Lee)

Butterflies:
Monarch - 54 counted today

Mammals:
Woodchuck (Groundhog)

Hawk Watchers:
Carol, Trudy, Phil, Ann, Hugh, Betty, Lee, and Allison.  Thankyou!

Weather Prediction:
Sep 20th - sunny, N 10km/h to start, then quickly switching to S 10km/h (theweathernetwork.com)

See you at the park!
Walter

Sep 18th - Red-bellied Woodpecker!

Oh sorry, the title should have said something in reference to the fact that this was day 5 of the Sharpie festival.  The only difference with today was that there were whispy clouds in the sky to add a nice backdrop for our viewing of the birds.

Today:
Osprey - 2
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 143
American Kestrel - 11
Merlin - 4
Total - 162

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 61
Bald Eagle - 21
Northern Harrier - 59
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1404
Cooper's Hawk - 6
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 9
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 222
Merlin - 43
Peregrine Falcon - 9
Total - 1925

Eagle Time (DST):
11:11am - BE (imm)

American Kestrel (Kevin)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Kevin)

Osprey (Kevin)

American Kestrel (Mike)

Merlin (Mike)

Merlin (Mike)

 Sharp-shinned Hawk (Mike)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Lee)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Lee)

 ...and another Sharpie! (Lee)

Birds:
Blue Jay - number of birds migrating over the park increased today
Red-bellied Woodpecker - mixed in with a flock of Jays

Butterflies:
Monarch - 250+ observed.  Numbers flying west increased in the afternoon.

Mammals:
Nothing of note

Hawk Watchers:
Mike, Lee, Terry, Allison, Betty, Norm, Carol, Berle, Hugh, Kevin, Dahye, and MC.  Thankyou all for another great day!

Weather Prediction:
Sep 19th - risk of thunderstorms, S 25km/h switching to SW 35km/h and gusting up to near 60km/h! (theweathernetwork.com)

Walter

Sep 17th - Yes, More Sharpies!

No surprise today as the Sharpie parade continued over the park.

Today:
Osprey - 1
Northern Harrier - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 132
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 3
Total - 138

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 59
Bald Eagle - 20
Northern Harrier - 58
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1261
Cooper's Hawk - 6
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 9
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 211
Merlin - 39
Peregrine Falcon - 9
Total - 1763

Birds:
Almost zero birds in the park today!
Blue Jay - numbers are picking up as their migration begins over the park

Butterflies:
Monarch - 87 counted, 3 tagged

Mammals:
Nothing of note

Hawk Watchers:
Carol, Dave, Barb, Arvo, Betty, Hugh, Berle, Dave, Lorne, John, and a few others.  Thankyou again!

Weather Prediction:
Sep 18th - sunny, S 15-25km/h and gusting (theweathernetwork.com)

See you in the shade of the maple tree!
Walter

Big Frank(ie) Video...


Sep 16th - The 'Sharpie' Festival Continues...

Yet another low wind and all blue sky kinda day!  Of the 169 raptors counted today, 163 of them were Sharpies!  It was another gorgeous day just to sit in the shade and enjoy the company and watch the birds.

Today:
Osprey - 1
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 163
Merlin - 1
Total - 169

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 58
Bald Eagle - 20
Northern Harrier - 57
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1129
Cooper's Hawk - 6
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 9
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 210
Merlin - 36
Peregrine Falcon - 9
Total - 1625

Birds:
Blue Jay - a few small groups flying west over the park

Butterflies:
Monarch - 200+ flying through, many along the top edge of the bluffs.  A Monarch that Terry tagged on August 31st was accidentally caught again today - 16 days later!  Once released, it tookoff towards the west and out of the park.

Mammals:
Nothing of note

Hawk Watchers:
Allison, Manny, Terry, Lorne, Bob, MC and her father, Pat & Nancy, Arvo, Liz, Peter, Hugh, Betty, Cori, Jen, Ann, plus several others.  Thankyou everyone!

Hawk Watchers Stung (by Hornets/Wasps):
Walter, Ann - that makes a total of 4 of us for the week!

Weather Prediction:
Sep 17th - sunny, S 5-15km/h (theweathernetwork.com)  Another day of Sharpies?!!!

See you at the park,
Walter

Sep 15th - Another Great Flight of Sharpies!

The light wind blowing off the lake was not strong enough to affect the flight today.  Again today most Sharpies passed directly overhead.  Although numbers were a little lower than yesterday, we still had a fairly steady stream of birds...and when there were no birds...there were Monarchs!

Today:
Bald Eagle - 1
Northern Harrier - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 147
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Total - 154

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 57
Bald Eagle - 20
Northern Harrier - 53
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 966
Cooper's Hawk - 6
Northern Goshawk - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 87
Red-tailed Hawk - 9
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 0
American Kestrel - 210
Merlin - 35
Peregrine Falcon - 9
Total - 1456

Eagle Time (DST):
8:30am - BE (imm)

Birds:
Common Raven - 2 flying over the park
Parakeet - 1 possibly flying through the park heading west

Butterflies:
Monarch - 143 counted

Mammals:
Nothing of note

Hawk Watchers:
Carol, Betty, Terry, Lorne, Liz, Hugh, Berle, Manny, Arvo, and several others.  Thanks everyone, it's never easy dealing with an all blue sky!

Weather Prediction:
Sep 16th - sunny, SW 10km/h switching to S 15km/h (theweathernetwork.com)

See you along the fence!
Walter