From: Tim Mccarthy via Ontbirds
Hello Fellow Hawkhounds and folks who just plain enjoy sitting out in the sun all day on a hill somewhere until their brains bake inside their heads: Today we definitely belong in the second category mentioned above, as, so it seems, having read the sightings of Broadwings yet again today, do all the north coast of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie hawkwatchers EXCEPT for those at the Detroit River who had another huge day of Broadwings. You know what this means, of course, don't you beside the fact that we've been sitting in the shade? On days of less than perfect weather for raptor migration (over High park) us old timers would say they're waiting for the right wind. No they're not, the numbers prove it - they're flying through to the North of high Park wihtout any of us ever seeing them , eventually reaching the east shores of Lake Huron and moving south along that shoreline to the Detroit River Site. The relative numbers seen by all the observation sites look to me like they've proven this beyond a doubt. The Broaddies once again have sneaked past us all and gone South via a different route. If you've been getting my rants this fall about that very subject and have seen hawks but not reported it Shame on You. If you are out there under the flight lines but did not see my call to arms this season but saw Broadwings and did not report it then shame on me; I shall try to find a better way to communicate with you all about this before it happens again but now its going to have to wait until yet another season because the Broadwinged migration is almost over. Relax, take a deep breath and drive on. Today over the hill we saw 68 Turkey Vultures (early migrants - does this mean their population which has been expanding so much in the past two decades has finally reached an equilibrium where some birds start leaving the party early?) 2 Ospreys 12 Sharpshins (with quite a few singles, Sharpies normally pass over the Hill 2 at a time because they hunt as they go, and if A misses, B will likely score, maybe they're all stuffed full of Bluejays 9 Redtails (actually there was quite a bit more but we're pretty sure the extras were local. Those local guys have even been seen playing with Ravens. What a sight! 4 Am. Kestrels 1 Peregrine (Have you ever watched newly fledged Peregrines trying to fly? No wonder most of the species' mortality occurs within the first year. Imagine you are their Dad and you see that your 10 year old is about to go out of the house for the first time so you a) give him one of your cigars and light it b) tell him when he goes out that he needs to have it off with the first dame he sees c) hand him the keys to the Ferrari and say "You're on your own, good luck!" d) all of the above Everybody else was so high up (the birds, that is) all we got for the rest was 1 U.B., and 5 U.R., At least now you know we were honest. Happy Hawking or whatever you call it, Tim _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
