[Ontbirds] HSR: Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch (22 Sep 2013) 937 Raptors

[reports]

Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch
Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2013
---

SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total   Season Total
-- --- -- --
Black Vulture0  0  0
Turkey Vulture   0  0  0
Osprey   2 78 85
Bald Eagle  12 71 71
Northern Harrier15167172
Sharp-shinned Hawk 249   3593   3598
Cooper's Hawk7 34 34
Northern Goshawk 0  0  0
Red-shouldered Hawk  1  3  3
Broad-winged Hawk  310  56003  56003
Red-tailed Hawk  3 27 27
Rough-legged Hawk0  0  0
Golden Eagle 0  0  0
American Kestrel   334   1135   1148
Merlin   4 46 46
Peregrine Falcon 0 11 11
Unknown Accipiter0  0  0
Unknown Buteo0  0  0
Unknown Falcon   0  0  0
Unknown Eagle0  0  0
Unknown Raptor   0  0  0
Swainson's Hawk  0  2  2

Total: 937  61170  61200
--

Observation start time: 07:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9 hours

Official Counter:Dave Brown, Jennifer Lyon

Observers:Al Hurst, Bill Read, Ches Caister, Chris Burris, Dave Brown,
  Derek Lyon, Don Campbell, Don Taylor, Gord Kozak,
  Jason McGuire, Jennifer Lyon, Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy,
  Mac McAlpine, Mark Cunningham, Mary Carnahan, Paul Thomas,
  Phoebe Campbell, Ronnie Goodhand, Wayne Parnall

Visitors:
Lots of visitors today as we completed the 2nd weekend of our Hawk Cliff
Hawkwatch open houses with a big thank you to the St. Thomas Field
Naturalists and Hawk Cliff Raptor Banders for all their efforts with the
shows and the booth. Thanks as well to all our observers and counters for
hanging in there despite the questionable weather for today's flight.


Weather:
Well...the forecast was for a day with a mix of sun and cloud...but instead
ended up being pretty much completely overcast with drizzle at times. This
definitely had a negative affect on the flight for the day even though the
winds were from the NW.  Temp was cool under the heavy cloud cover reaching
a high of 14C...though it felt cooler.

Raptor Observations:
Today's flight was a bit of a surprise given the heavier overcast...likely
because the winds were in the NW helping bring what birds were on the move
down to the hawkwatch area.  The total birds tallied for the day was 937.



The were quite a few Broadwings (310) still moving through, many of which
passed low over the hswkwatch  because of the cloud deck. As a result,
visitors were treated to great views of both juvie and adult BWs. The
largest kettle of BWs was about 40 birds.



We also saw a decent flight of Sharpies (249) and at one point a young
Sharpie actually popped up right in front of the observers and went firing
through over the knoll not 5 feet above everyone's heads!  It then passed
through the trees behind the observation knoll without even slowing down
showing just how well they're designed for flying through forested areas.



A bit of a surprise today were the Kestrels (334) as we tend to get higher
numbers on SW winds pushing up the Cliff. At one point there 22 AKs in the
sky at the same time in front of observers! 



Other species included Osprey (2), quite a few Bald Eagles (12), N.
Harriers (15) including one youngster that cruised low across the field
right in front of everyone, Cooper's Hawks (7), a single juvie
Red-shouldered Hawk, Redtails (3), and Merlin (4) one of which sat for
several minutes in the "Merlin Tree" across the field in the front of the
bushlot.

Non-raptor Observations:
Many visitors and regular hawk watchers enjoyed a wonderful diversity of
non-raptor sightings today including 56 avian species of which 3 were new
for the fall season at Hawk Cliff.  The "early birds" today were
White-throated Sparrows found at the gate about 100 metres north of the
observation knoll.  As well, a Lincoln's Sparrow was seen in the same area
later in the morning.  Spotted from the knoll was the third new species,
Rusty Blackbirds, which were seen flying across the field.  Also this
morning numerous flocks of American Goldfinches an

Re: [Ontbirds] Snow geese at Ressor Pond

[Siegmar Bodach]

Hi all,

Late this afternoon while checking for the Ross's Goose at Reesor Pond
in Markham ,ON  I came upon 3 Snow Geese (2 being blue morph) amongst
hundreds of Canada geese in the immediate field just north of Hwy. 7.
Did not find the Ross's
Also present were 2 Greater Yellowlegs

Good birding,
Sigi Bodach
Aurora, ON

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[Ontbirds] Toronto - High Park Hawk Watch - Sept. 16 to 22

[Howard Shapiro]

This is an official posting from the High Park Hawk Watch.

Counters: Naish McHugh, Howard Shapiro , Don Barnett 
Observers: David Beadle , Anne Bell, Jerry DeMarco, Herb Elliott, Bob Falconer, 
Andrew Keaveney, Tom Lane, Ian Mahione, Tim McCarthy, Hugh McNeil, Baxter 
Naday, Marcia Steep, Andrew Tanas, Joe Venturi.

Only the two days,  September 16 and September 22 , provided weather which 
brought hawk migration to High Park this week. Turkey Vultures are begining to 
migrate with small kettles. American Kestrels, after a steady decline in 
previous years, are approaching numbers not seen since 2003. Broad-winged Hawk 
numbers are only marginally higher than the low numbers of 2012.

Our totals for Sept. 22, the week ending this Sunday and the year to date are 
below.


Species   Sept 22   Sept 16 to 22 Year to Date
Turkey 
Vulture...159.224..332
Osprey.2.530
Bald 
Eagle..2...1140
Northern 
Harrier4.417
Sharp-Shinned Hawk..200.295...1073
Cooper's 
Hawk..2...1136
Northern 
Goshawk-..--
Red-shouldered Hawk1..1..1
Broad-winged Hawk163.577..1692
Swainson's 
Hawk..-..--
Red-tailed Hawk.15...18...76
Rough-legged 
Hawk-...-..-
Golden 
Eagle-...-...-
American Kestrel...6786.224
Merlin.1..216
Peregrine 
Falcon.1..510
Unidentified..6..6.53

Total..623...12453600


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.greatertorontohawkwatch.com/

Observations for this season are not
yet available.
--

Howard Shapiro
email: hprw2006-ha...@yahoo.ca
 
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[Ontbirds] Buff-breasted Sandpiper - near Lowbanks, Ontario

[Willie D'Anna and Betsy Potter]

Betsy and I found a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER around 1:00 today at the sod
farm near Lowbanks, Ontario.  There were also 6 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS
nearby.  These birds were on the east side of Regional Road 65 (Hutchinson
Road), which runs between Highway 3 east of Dunnville to Regional Road 3 in
Lowbanks on Lake Erie.  They were about ½ km north of Poth Road.  This seems
to be the only turf in the area that is being actively removed so that there
are large patches of dirt as well.  This is in Haldimand County.  There was
also a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and about 20 KILLDEER here.

 

Also today, we had a DUNLIN  in first-basic plumage at Pinecrest Point.
This is on Lake Erie about 5 km east of Port Colborne.  This was and has
been the best beach for shorebirds in the area (which isn’t saying much).
Also here were 6 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 6 SANDERLING, and 11 SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPERS.  The only other shorebirds on Lake Erie between here and Rock
Point Provincial Park were two GREATER YELLOWLEGS at Long Beach.

 

Photos of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Dunlin can be seen here:

http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/2013-big-year/

 

Good birding!

Willie

--

Willie D'Anna

Betsy Potter

Wilson, NY

dannapotterATroadrunner.com

http://www.betsypottersart.com  

2013 Big Year: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/2013-big-year/

Big Year List:
http://www.happtech.com/BigYearDanna/CurrentList/ShowCurrentListTable.aspx

Odenates: http://www.betsypottersart.com/willie-s-photos/dragonflies

 

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[Ontbirds] HSR: Holiday Beach Conservation Area (23 Sep 2013) 403 Raptors

[reports]

Holiday Beach Conservation Area
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2013
---

SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total   Season Total
-- --- -- --
Turkey Vulture 214920920
Osprey   0 48 48
Bald Eagle  13194194
Northern Harrier 5174174
Sharp-shinned Hawk  47   3517   3517
Cooper's Hawk6192192
Northern Goshawk 0  0  0
Red-shouldered Hawk  1 12 12
Broad-winged Hawk   88  48263  48263
Red-tailed Hawk 15274274
Rough-legged Hawk0  0  0
Golden Eagle 0  2  2
American Kestrel14758758
Merlin   0 56 56
Peregrine Falcon 0 15 15
Unknown Accipiter0  0  0
Unknown Buteo0  0  0
Unknown Eagle0  0  0
Unknown Falcon   0  0  0
Unknown Raptor   0  1  1
Swainson's Hawk  0  7  7

Total: 403  54433  54433
--

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 14:15:00 
Total observation time: 7.75 hours

Official Counter:Todd Pepper

Observers:Jim McCoy

Visitors:
6 visitors from Tecumseh, 2 from Windsor as well as Kevin and Joann from
Windsor who stayed for a couple hours and helped spot those high flying
raptors, and a photographer from Colchester who was out of luck attempting
to photograph raptors today.


Weather:
A day where the forecast came true! It was mostly sunny; the temperature
ranged from 8 - 19C; and the winds out of the NNE at 7-11 km/hr.

Raptor Observations:
403 birds of 9 species. The number of TV's is increasing daily and today
were at 214 birds. The 13 Bald Eagles counted today brings the year total
to 194, the 2nd highest annual count for this species in our 40 years of
counting. The highest count was 201 eagles in 2011. Almost all the birds
were high up in the clouds today.

Non-raptor Observations:
A fairly slow non-raptor day. Still waiting for the Blue Jays to fly, but
only 19 of them teased us today. Chimney Swifts are still leaving the
Province with another 13 counted today. The number of Cedar Waxwing and
American Goldfinch remain high at 66 and 76 birds respectively today. Best
non-raptor of the day was 4 Brewer's Blackbird. 2 Monarchs today, 1 was
with the Bald Eagles probably 15,000 feet up. 

Predictions:
The weather is predicted to be the same as today, however, with the winds
coming out of the East instead of the North-East. Broad-wings and TV's were
observed setting down on my drive from Holiday Beach to Leamington at the
end of the count so it could be a good day.

Report submitted by Todd Pepper (pepper_t...@yahoo.ca)
Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/



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[Ontbirds] HSR: Detroit River Hawk Watch (23 Sep 2013) 6540 Raptors

[reports]

Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2013
---

SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total   Season Total
-- --- -- --
Black Vulture0  0  0
Turkey Vulture 456   1541   1541
Osprey   0 44 44
Bald Eagle   6121121
Northern Harrier 4 67 67
Sharp-shinned Hawk  60   1367   1367
Cooper's Hawk   10151151
Northern Goshawk 0  0  0
Red-shouldered Hawk  0  1  1
Broad-winged Hawk 5969  47911  47911
Swainson's Hawk  1  1  1
Red-tailed Hawk 18211211
Rough-legged Hawk0  0  0
Golden Eagle 0  0  0
American Kestrel10230230
Merlin   0 16 16
Peregrine Falcon 2  8  8
Unknown Accipiter2 31 31
Unknown Buteo1  4  4
Unknown Falcon   0  0  0
Unknown Eagle0  0  0
Unknown Raptor   1 10 10

Total:6540  51714  51714
--

Observation start time: 07:00:00 
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:Jonathan Stein

Observers:Andrew Sturgess, Patrick Mulawa

Visitors:
12


Weather:
Mostly cloudy to start, the sky grew progressively bluer. By the end of the
watch, there was nary a cloud in the sky. A touch of distant haze made
spotting difficult on occasion. The wind was light and mostly out of the
northeast.

Raptor Observations:
Barring a small early push of Broadwings, the skies were mostly empty. That
is, up until the 3 o'clock hour. After 3, a lengthy procession of streaming
Broadwings shot past high overhead. And along with them came a nice
assortment of other birds including another very big female Peregrine
Falcon and our first Swainson's Hawk of the season.

Non-raptor Observations:
Blue Jay (150+) numbers are beginning to edge upward. A single Snow Goose
was mixed in with one of many skeins of Canada Geese (200+). Cape May and
Blackpoll warblers continue to hang out in the trees by the watch site.

Predictions:
Partly cloudy with moderate temps and light east wind.

Report submitted by Jonathan Stein (steinj...@gmail.com)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.drhawkwatch.org 


Site Description:
The Detroit River Hawk Watch (a joint venture of the Detroit River
International Wildlife Refuge and its Friends group, the International
Wildlife Refuge Alliance) is the Boat Launch at Lake Erie Metropark located
approximately 20 miles south of Detroit, Michigan. The location is at the
mouth of the Detroit River as it enters Lake Erie.

Directions to site:
Lake Erie Metropark:

>From I-75, exit at Huron River Drive (exit 27). Continue east on Huron
River Drive. Turn left on West Jefferson and proceed a few hundred yards to
the entrance of Lake Erie Metropark. After paying the entrance fee, follow
the signs to the Boat Launch.




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[Ontbirds] Ottawa: Ross's Goose and Sabine's Gull

[Bruce Di Labio]

Hi Everyone
At 3:00 pm there was a Ross's Goose with Canada Geese just west of Moodie Drive 
along Carling Ave. The geese are on the south side feeding at the east end of 
the sports field. Also the adult Sabine's Gull is currently fly catching over 
the Deschenes Rapids along with 11 Bonaparte's and lots of Ring-billed 
Gulls. View from Britannia Point. 
Good birding
Bruce


Sent from my iPhone
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[Ontbirds] Marbled Godwit, Snowy Egret at Mitchell's Bay, Chatham-Kent

[Allen Woodliffe]

At noon today, September 23, the MARBLED GODWIT was still present and seen from 
the main park area at the west end of Mitchell's Bay, in Chatham-Kent. Also a 
SNOWY EGRET was in the same vicinity, sometimes in the same field of view. Both 
birds have been there off and on since the end of last week. 

Directions: From Chatham, take Hwy 40 north towards Wallaceburg. After about 12 
km north of Chatham, take Municipal Road 42 west all the way to Mitchell's Bay. 
Municipal Road 42 starts off from Hwy 40 as Electric Line, jogs south briefly 
on Bear Line and then continues west on Bay Line. At the extreme west side of 
Mitchell's Bay is a parking area. Go to the north end of the parking area and 
look north where you should see a small sand bar which frequently has a few 
Caspian Terns, etc. resting. Both the Marbled Godwit and Snowy Egret are 
typically seen in the vicinity of this sand bar. A spotting scope is necessary 
for viewing.

Allen Woodliffe
Chatham
  
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[Ontbirds] Ross's Goose @ Reeser Pond

[Bruce F. Aikins]

At dawn today (Monday), the Ross's was sleeping among the Canada Geese at
Reeser Pond.  I departed before it, presumably, flew to the nearby fields
to feed for the day.  My guess is that it will return this evening and stay
overnight for early morning viewing again.

Reesor Pond is in Markham on the west side of Reesor Road south of Highway
7 and just north of Highway 407.

-- 
B.F. Aikins
118 Morris Lane
Scugog Point
Nestleton Stn. ON
L0B 1L0
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[Ontbirds] Ottawa: Sabine's Gull

[Bruce Di Labio]

Hi Everyone
The adult Sabine's Gull found yesterday evening by Jake Walker is still present 
at Deschenes Rapids at 9:11am. Best to view from Britannia Point, east end of 
Cassels Road. 
Good birding,
Bruce 

Sent from my iPhone
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