While visiting Niagara Falls on Tuesday July 1, I saw two sharp-shinned hawks put on a terrific display of flying and mock-collisions out over the gorge about 100 yards from the base of the falls. It's not the rarity of the birds, but the length of the display, the extremely public location that struck me as interesting and I wondered if they are living nearby and do it on a regular basis.
The birds flew overhead, at eye level and below us as we watched from the railing. At one point, one of them tucked his wings in and divebombed at a 45 degree angle towards the falls, pulling up just short of the spray. After about 10 minutes, they landed on the roof of the old power plant just below Table Rock. If you're taking visitors to Niagara Falls this summer, have a look for them. We also saw many Baltimore orioles in Queenston and Niagara-On-the-Lake and the usual turkey vultures. Take the Queen Elizabeth Way to Niagara Falls and follow the signs. Parking at the falls is $12 (!!). Follow the road beside the river out of Niagara Falls (it turns into the Niagara Parkway) for Queenston and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Kathryn Mills <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
