Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: Napper on September 05, 2012, 05:32:16 PM
-
Today at lunch
I was watching one of the many resident Kestrels making lots of noise
when I noticed something small following behind it.
The Kestrel flew on into Downsview park and the Hummer turned back towards
where I was standing and flew over the Hangers.
Napper :D
Re: Kestrels, I observed an adult male feeding a fledgling less than two weeks ago. :?:
-
Sounds amazing to watch!!!!!!!
Saw a kestrel today at Swansea School, possibly a migrant.
-
I was driving through Downsview today and I saw two kestrels hanging out on the fence by the air strip. I didn't stop until I saw a larger raptor gliding low to the ground in the middle of the air strip. I didn't have my binoculars but judging by its low flight, v pattern wings, and white rump I think it was a Northern Harrier. I have never seen a Harrier before and I didn't have my binoculars so let me know if it doesn't sounds like a Harrier. Has anyone ever seen a Northern Harrier in Downsview before?
Another fun Kestrel store came a couple of weeks ago. For one of the camps run in Downsview Park we a had a birds of prey show come in and do a presentation. They had all kinds of raptors...kestrels, peregrine, red tailed, Northern Goshawk, a zone tailed hawk (very smart) and finally a bald eagle. It was a great show, my personal highlight was when a bald eagle landed on my arm to eat the piece of chicken I was holding in a leather glove. This story relates to Kestrels because when the zone tailed hawk was taken out for the show it took off and landed on some telephone wire. While the hawk from the show was perched there it started to get dive bombed by a kestrel from the park. The wild Downsview Park kestrel was really aggressive and came back for a couple rounds of dive bombing, taking on a much larger hawk.
-
Re: Northern Harrier
Yep the last two seasons I've seen Northern Harriers at Downsview in the fall.
I thought I saw one today but it appeared to be too small.
Re: Agressive Kestrels behavior. Yep I see them dive bombing everything from Humans to Red-Tailed Hawks. It's a daily thing
and there are many Kestrels about. I have to dig up my raptor bible to see if they often breed multiple times per season.
Napper :D