Well, I finally got my NW winds - strong enough to blow these puppies to Panama! A few birds were seen today, but it was very interesting to watch them as they struggled against the strong winds. Generally, they approached from the east, often 100-300 feet up, and occasionally higher. They were clearly trying to use the winds to reduce the energy loss, but despite their best efforts, they all eventually flapped a bit, soared a bit and then "coasted" downhill below treetop level and stayed at that altitude for several hundred meters and then climbed and did it all again, as they slowly moved westward.
Numbers today: Cooper's Hawk - 3 Northern Harrier - 1 Red-tailed Hawk - 15 Rough-legged Hawk - 2 Other birds of interest - Snow Goose - 4, Fox Sparrow - 2, and Cackling Goose - 5 Rosemary Harris and Janice Melendez were the only hardy souls to join me at the watch. Cranberry is at the Foot of Hall's Rd. Exit 401 at Salem, south to Bayly, east to Hall's Road, south to south platform. Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
