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.
