Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Migration Movements => Topic started by: BIGFRANK on August 06, 2010, 07:27:54 PM
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Today being the first decent day with reasonable temperatures and a good Northwest wind,Walter,Carol,Pat,Nancy and I were at Rosetta McClain Gardens expecting a few migrating birds of prey. We were not disappointed. The first bird of the watch was at 938am,a juvenile Broadwinged Hawk flew over. By 2pm we had seen the Broadwing,2 American Kestrels,3 Turkey Vultures,a Coopers Hawk and an Osprey.
We also saw a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher,many Barn and Northern Roughwinged Swallows,a few Purple Martins,many Cedar Waxwings and many Baltimore Orioles migrating.
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Hi Frank,
When will Hawk Cliff be starting this year?
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Hi Cody I have no idea,I would imagine someone will be there in mid-August,but I will try to check with our buddy Colin. For sure it wouldnt pick up until about a week into September. Colin did tell me that spike(peak) days for Broadwings is around Sept 15 or 16(weather pending of course). I dont think Id make the trip to Hawk Cliff until September,its very hit and miss this early in the season.
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To add to BIGFRANK'S list of migrants from today, we also had 12 Great Blue Herons fly by heading westward over the course of the morning.
Walter
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Hi Cody I have no idea,I would imagine someone will be there in mid-August,but I will try to check with our buddy Colin. For sure it wouldnt pick up until about a week into September. Colin did tell me that spike(peak) days for Broadwings is around Sept 15 or 16(weather pending of course). I dont think Id make the trip to Hawk Cliff until September,its very hit and miss this early in the season.
Thanks Frank.
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Conditions today at the Rosetta McClain Gardens Hawk Watch were absolutely perfect for a good flight of raptors and sure enough they didn't disappoint. Today we saw 11 out of the possible 15 different species of raptors that we usually count during the fall migration, not too bad for an August day. We tied our single day high Osprey count with 15, and the sightlines for many of the birds was incredible today as several passed at eye level or below us along the Bluffs.
Turkey Vulture - 4
Osprey - 15
Bald Eagle - 4
Northern Harrier - 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 15
Broad-winged Hawk - 26
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
American Kestrel - 12
Merlin - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Plus all our local hawks including the Cooper's Hawk.
Another bird of note today was the Common Nighthawk, we saw 3 of them.
Walter
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Sounds like You had a Great raptor day for August anywhere in Ontario.
Did the Broad-wings pass in one kettle or several smaller ones?
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Hi Tyler,
No real kettling at all, most showed up in groups of 3 or 4 and several came individually. We had one which flew with a Bald Eagle out over the lake. Many gave us excellent views as they flew along the side of the Bluffs.
Some 'up-flight' birds from this morning included 2 more Osprey and 2 more juvenile Bald Eagles. The Eagles put on a 15 minute flight display that won't be forgotten any time soon. We also had a Merlin that sat in a tree eatin' a Goldfinch for lunch.
Walter
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Hey Frank are you going to have the blog on the migration like last year? It was really well done.
Crystal
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Hey Crystal,
I've already been following it, so I'll post it for you..and anyone else who is interested.
http://raptorwatch.blogspot.com/ (http://raptorwatch.blogspot.com/)
Meghan
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Thanks Meghan for posting the link.
Walter :)
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thx Megs :D
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Thursday looks like great conditions right now for a large movement of raptors. Friday also looks promising. Sept 9th and 10th. Im sure any of Cranberry Marsh,High Park,Hawk Cliff,Holiday Beach or my own watch at Rosetta McClain Gardens would welcome all comers. We are hoping for a big day! Remember with strong NW or N winds blowing,it will be cool..take appropriate clothing! 10am-2pm is prime time,but raptors will go later under perfect conditions. A warning that Northwest Wind Disease may not be accepted by some employers as a legitamate excuse to miss work!
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A warning that Northwest Wind Disease may not be accepted by some employers as a legitamate excuse to miss work!
Don't they have a vaccine for that already? LOL and why wasn't the WHO informed of this new virus? *just kidding*
just heard on the weather that there will be some northwesterly winds this afternoon
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Today at the Rosetta McClain Gardens Hawk Watch we observed our 76th Osprey fly by, an amazing number so early in the migration. A sure sign that this species is doing well.
Also today, BIGFRANK counted his 25,000th raptor (a Sharpie!) at the park since he started his Hawk Watch in 2004. Congratulations!!!
Walter
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Today at the Rosetta McClain Gardens Hawk Watch we observed our 76th Osprey fly by, an amazing number so early in the migration. A sure sign that this species is doing well.
Also today, BIGFRANK counted his 25,000th raptor (a Sharpie!) at the park since he started his Hawk Watch in 2004. Congratulations!!!
Walter
Osprey counts are certainly better then Beamer!
Congratulations Frank! You can make it 40,000 by coming to Beamer every day next year :D
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Cody thats 25000 at our watch,since 2004,when I started it. Ive seen far more then that over the past 10 years of birding. We should see another 5000 or so this fall before its all done. Today it was 135raptors including 9 more Osprey and 10 Merlin. Tomorrow should be excellent too!
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And by the end of today's Watch, our 129th Osprey of the fall migration!!!
An amazing day today with 654 raptors counted.
Osprey - 53
Bald Eagle - 4
Northern Harrier - 30
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 351
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 2
American Kestrel - 203
Merlin - 6
Peregrine Falcon - 2
Walter
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Osprey - 53
Northern Harrier - 30
American Kestrel - 203
Merlin - 6
Walter
203 Kestrel's, 30 Harriers and 53 Ospreys!! Wow!
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Way to go, BIGFRANK, Congradulations indeed!
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We saw 18 Bald Eagles..most were high and somewhat to the north of the park. Jeans scope was a big help. We had 318 raptors in total. Amazing day..our previous high for Bald Eagles was 10. Next Tuesday shows promise for a big day. We'll see how many times the winds change b4 then.
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Thanks Frank
for your blog
and postings here
Egret :)
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Optimal conditions are predicted for Thursday and Friday right now. If predicted conditions come to pass they could be very big days at all southern Ontario raptor watches. Get to your favorite one! Dress warm if the 25kmh NW winds come,no matter the air temps it will feel colder! Good luck everyone! A reminder that historically Thanksgiving weekend is peak for Turkey Vulture migration.
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I haven't been keeping track of Hawkcliff on a daily basics this year, but based on their total number of raptors seen (128 063), is this due to a heavy Broad-wing migration?
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Hawk Cliff has observed over 99,000 Broad-winged Hawks this year which does make up the majority of their count but other birds are being seen in good numbers there as well. We at BIGFRANK's Rosetta McClain Gardens Hawk Watch are having a terrific year so far with site count records being broken one after the other although Broad-wingeds do not make a dent in our count, we just don't see very many.
Walter
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Migration of raptors is winding down,but they are still going. Watch the skies on strong North element winds as there are still more Redtailed Hawks to come(the predominant migrant now). Roughlegged Hawks are moving,so are Golden Eagles. Thus far we have seen 26 Roughlegs and 11 Golden Eagles. Tuesday looks reasonably promising. They dont get moving until around noon.
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A reminder that Beamer Memorial Park,Raptor Watch in Grimsby starts up soon(if it didnt start midmonth). Early days in Feb are very slow but one more sign spring is springing.
Ive also seen several posts of Northern Saw-whets in areas they havent been seen in so far this winter,likely they are moving north now. If you notice the local highway Redtails they are sitting side by side or in the same tree,pairing up. Local Peregrine Falcons around Toronto and the GTA are all on territory and begin courtship behaviors this time of year.(city Peregrines stay all year as no shortage of pigeons).
Anyone wanting to go to Beamer,check for peak migration times before going. I dont get there often so will check peaks and post soon. In the spring raptors fly ahead of storms,as opposed to fall when they follow them. In spring there is an urgency to get north and find a territory and a mate so they migrate ahead of storms rather then wait them out. Please note Rosetta McClain Gardens is NOT a good migratory path for raptors in the spring. A really good day in April,if there all day U might see 20 birds. It IS however very good for small birds. When there are fallouts we do very well. They have recently chainsaw massacred many trees in the park and brush in some areas,so this could effect spring migration,Im interested to see,come warbler time.
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BIGFRANK has mentioned the word 'fallout' in the above post, a word that I thought might need a bit of explaining especially for all the newbies as spring migration is quickly approaching.
Fallout is exactly what it sounds like. When birds which normally migrate at night encounter bad weather which may include strong winds from the north, they fall out (put down as soon as possible). Migration is then put on hold until conditions improve. At this time the birds are generally very tired and hungry. Come daybreak, the birds can be observed out of their element as they go in search of food to refuel their bodies. A fallout can literally drop thousands of birds on to an area including some species that would normally not be seen there. Trees, bushes and shrubs can be covered in birds and song will fill the air. This is a birder’s dream come true! This spring I suggest watching the weather forecasts and look for fog, rain, strong winds, etc. generally starting in the middle of the night and get out early that morning to see what you can find. Your morning could be filled with some wonderful surprises.
Happy Birding!
Walter :D
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A reminder that Beamer Memorial Park,Raptor Watch in Grimsby starts up soon(if it didnt start midmonth). Early days in Feb are very slow but one more sign spring is springing.
Ive also seen several posts of Northern Saw-whets in areas they havent been seen in so far this winter,likely they are moving north now. If you notice the local highway Redtails they are sitting side by side or in the same tree,pairing up. Local Peregrine Falcons around Toronto and the GTA are all on territory and begin courtship behaviors this time of year.(city Peregrines stay all year as no shortage of pigeons).
Anyone wanting to go to Beamer,check for peak migration times before going. I dont get there often so will check peaks and post soon. .
On Saturday around 1145AM a Turkey Vulture was seen along the ridge of the Niagara Escarpment at Beamer. This was the poster's message
"Today around 11:45, I watched a lone Turkey Vulture as it soared
westward
along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment at Beamer CA, Grimsby.
Frank Horvath "
Beamer's Website can be viewed here....
http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ (http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/)