Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: Reuven_M on June 08, 2011, 03:36:10 PM

Title: Riverwood Cooper's Hawk Chicks
Post by: Reuven_M on June 08, 2011, 03:36:10 PM
1 fuzzy white head peeking out of the nest this afternoon  :D
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Post by: Bird Brain on June 08, 2011, 04:26:21 PM
Awesome!  :D  Thanks for posting this info.
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Post by: Reuven_M on June 10, 2011, 04:38:31 PM
Mom feeding bloody hunks of something to two fluffy chicks this afternoon, I only watched for about 10 minutes because I have to bend at an awkward angle to see!
Indigo buntings singing continuously in the field right behind, plus pine warbler near Chappell house.
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Post by: Bird Brain on June 10, 2011, 08:41:53 PM
Hi Reuven.  I'm thrilled to read about the 2 chicks sighting!  :D  

I might have to visit Riverwood on Sunday.   8)
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 10, 2011, 10:42:29 PM
Hi Reuven,
Where abouts is the nest?
I went to Riverwood tonight for the first time in years, and saw lots of great wildlife :D I did see a Cooper's Hawk at around 8:45 on one of the trails, but it was hunting, not hanging out near a nest...
I'd love to see it :)

-L
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Post by: Reuven_M on June 10, 2011, 10:48:51 PM
From macewan house (near the art gallery), head down the main path, to the double row of big spruces. Turn left at the end of the spruces. Continue along, past the start of the fence on the right, until you come to a trail though the fence. Right at the base of this hill, look a little left a few metres above eye level, where the nest is in the crook of a maple. It may take a while to see it!
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 10, 2011, 11:00:47 PM
Spiffy, thanks! I'll go check it out tomorrow :)
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 11, 2011, 08:34:54 PM
Ok so no luck for me today...not 100% sure where to go from here:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5822332067_d322ca4fbc_m.jpg)

According to your directions, I went left there and followed the gravel path until I saw an opening in the fence on my right...
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/5822333129_f93b4d0364_m.jpg)

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5039/5822895324_ea643d19dc_m.jpg)

Through that opening theres a short path (just a few paces) , then a rather steep, but short (just a few paces again) hill...is that the "base of the hill" you were talking about? At the base of that little hill there is a skinny tree (I didnt notice what kind) in the middle of the path, and if you turn left from there you go down another hill... When I hiked down further  I did see 2 Cooper's Hawks flying through the trees, then watched one land on a branch and eat something furry. I looked around and watched for a while but still didn't see a nest.

How deep into the woods should I be looking from the base of the hill you mentioned?

Thanks,
-L
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Post by: Reuven_M on June 11, 2011, 09:08:39 PM
When there aren't so many leaves, the nest is visible from right where you were standing in the third picture! Go down the tiny hill just past your third picture, and look left a bit to try and see the nest. It is very hard to see at the moment. Try a bunch of different vantage points from right around there, the best spot is a bit to the right along the lower path, where there is a medium sized tree, with a rather bare, higher bit of ground on the other side of it. This is the only spot you can really see into the nest, but it is easier to find it a bit to the left of the tiny hill.
If I'm remembering correctly, the tree it is in is a maple with a split into two trunks about halfway up. The nest is in a crook of the left trunk.

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5822454359_4f42c07b4e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59434382@N05/5822454359/)
I believe this the location of the nest, it is somewhere around there.
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 11, 2011, 09:27:48 PM
Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh so I did have the right spot! Hopefully I'll be able to get out again tomorrow to look again. I probably didnt look as hard as I needed to because I wasnt sure that it was the place, and I'd spent the afternoon going to all the places that might have fit the description and then looking for every maple I could find...lol. By the time I found that spot I was half eaten by the bugs and dancing around in an attempt to hang on to the rest of my precious blood.

I did see several indigo buntings, and a ruby throated hummingbird though so the day was great anyway!

Thanks :D
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Post by: Bird Brain on June 11, 2011, 09:35:55 PM
Quote from: "BirdNerd"
I was half eaten by the bugs and dancing around in an attempt to hang on to the rest of my precious blood.
Oh, crap!   :shock:   Thanks for the forewarning.   I'm planning to meet up with my mom there tomorrow morning.  She won't get one bite and I'll get totally eaten alive!
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 11, 2011, 09:38:13 PM
They arent so bad when you're on the gravel path, but as soon as you step on the grass, or into the trees...commence slap dance  :shock:
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Post by: Bird Brain on June 11, 2011, 09:40:30 PM
Quote from: "BirdNerd"
...commence slap dance  :shock:
 :lol:  Thanks for the great laugh, I'm going to remember this one!
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Post by: Reuven_M on June 12, 2011, 04:45:34 PM
Not much to see today as mom had her back turned towards the viewing spot the whole morning (or at least each time I checked)
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 12, 2011, 05:09:10 PM
Found it! And just counted 4 fluffy white faces popping up to partake in something furry and bloody :D
Awesome :)
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 12, 2011, 05:16:32 PM
Oh my! Upon closer inspection there are actually 5 little fuzzy faces :)
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Post by: Bird Brain on June 12, 2011, 09:31:57 PM
Quote from: "BirdNerd"
Oh my! Upon closer inspection there are actually 5 little fuzzy faces :)
Wow, that's excellent - just like last year!  :D
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Post by: BirdNerd on June 17, 2011, 11:40:39 PM
Went down to Riverwood today to see the chicks, and there are still 5 :) They're getting big! Mom was off to the side when I got there and there was one little head up. Just lookin around, all cute. Then a little while later when I looked again, she was tearing apart a small bird and feeding the chicks (only reason I know it was a bird is because I could see the little feet).
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Post by: Reuven_M on June 24, 2011, 07:29:45 AM
Yesterday evening went to see the nest, the leaves are making it very difficult to see but there were at least 4 chicks, which now have many flight feathers, are almost as big as mom, and were sitting on the sides of the nest or on branches around. Won't be long until fledging I think.