This is an official posting from the High Park Hawk Watch.
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario
View Period: Oct 2 - 9, 2006
Station coordinator: Don Barnett
Counters: D. Barnett, B. Carswell, C. Harte, M. Kelch, N. McHugh & H. Shapiro
Thanks to the many observers and visitors who have contributed to the enjoyment and success of the Hawk Watch!
Six golden eagles were observed on October 9, an otherwise quiet day with only 180 total raptors seen.
The golden eagles came through as a trio, a double and a single from 2:35 to 3:15 EST.
The following are our totals for: Oct 2 - 9 and Year-to-Date:
Species Oct 2 - 9 Year-to-Date
Turkey Vulture................748..........1158
Osprey..............................1............34
Bald Eagle..........................1...........23
Northern Harrier..................3..........80
Sharp-Shinned Hawk..........132........1177
Cooper's Hawk.....................9............81
Northern Goshawk................0...........1
Red-shouldered Hawk.............4...........4
Broad-winged Hawk................3.......2536
Swainson's Hawk....................0........0
Red-tailed Hawk.....................97....... 246
Ferruginous Hawk................0........0
Rough-legged Hawk................0........2
Golden Eagle.......................6............6
American Kestrel......................13.......227
Merlin.....................................1........12
Peregrine Falcon.......................9.......25*
Gyrfalcon.............................0.......0
Other...............................0.............0
Unidentified........................8..........55
Total...........................1035 .........5667
*Totals for Peregrine Falcon may be high due to local birds which are unintentionally counted as migrating individuals.
High Park Site Description:
High Park is a 400 acre wooded park dominated by a Black Oak Savannah located just west of Downtown Toronto near Keele and Bloor. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department.
The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 metres above sea level and 38 metres above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8 seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the centre of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993.
The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
More information including a summary of our past observations is available at:
http://www.torontobirding.ca/~gtrw/Observations for this season are not yet available.
Marc Lichtenberg
marcslic@hotmail.com