Hello Ontbirders,
This afternoon I saw and photographed a juvenile dark morph
Red-tailed Hawk at Salem Road and Highway 401 in Ajax east of
Toronto. It's usually assumed that dark morph birds seen in Ontario
are "Western" Red-tailed Hawks (subspecies calurus) because dark
morphs are very rare in "Eastern" Red-tailed Hawks. However, a few
dark morph birds occur in northernmost populations of Red-tailed
Hawks in Eastern Canada. These "Northern" Red-tailed Hawks were given
the subspecies name 'abieticola' (meaning dweller of the fir) but it
hasn't been formally accepted by the AOU. Nevertheless, northern
birds differ from typical Eastern Red-tails in southern Ontario, and
darker birds occur in this northern population. In many ways Northern
Redtails (abieticola) are intermediate between typical Western
(calurus) and Eastern Red-tailed Hawks (borealis). The Ajax bird
could have hatched in northern Ontario or northern Quebec. Further
support that this dark morph is of northern origin is rufous in the
tail, easily seen in the photos. Rufous is frequent in the tails of
juvenile Red-tailed Hawks in the east and infrequent in juvenile
Western Red-tailed Hawks.
See http://www.jeaniron.ca/2007/darkredtail.htm
Other sightings: Seven Glaucous Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull
on east side of Frenchman's Bay.
Directions: 1. Dark morph Red-tailed Hawk at Salem Road and 401: It
perched on the 401 lamp standards and hunted over the overgrown
fields north and south of 401. This area is very busy. There is
parking behind Tim Hortons on east side of Salem just south of 401,
and the first streets east and west off Salem north of 401 are less
busy. 2. Frenchman's Bay: Liverpool Road south of 401 to Commerce,
turn right to Front, then left to parkette with great view of
Frenchman's Bay. The gulls were on the ice close to shore.
Good birding,
Jean Iron
9 Lichen Place
Toronto ON M3A 1X3
416-445-9297
www.jeaniron.ca
