While driving east on Victoria Road from Whitby Harbour, I saw a very
large dark falcon flying low, and in a southerly direction, across an
area of grass and scrub sw of the intersection of Victoria and
Thickson Road. It was carrying a large bird. I turned south onto
Thickson Road and followed it until landed on the nw corner of the
industrial building on Thickson Road just se of the Railway tracks.
After pulling into the parking lot was able to get a better look it as
it fed on a Rock Pigeon. Before I could get my camera out, it
flushed and flew south towards Thickson Woods. I was about 80 feet
from the bird with 15x Binoculars for about 2 minutes. I was a very
large dark falcon, with no obvious markings on the wings, back and
sides of neck and head; striking white throat, short yellow bill and a
heavily-streaked and blotched belly and underparts. The 'hood' was
squared off at the neck, unlike the hood of the Peregrine Falcon. The
size comparison with Rock Pigeon was marked ... half the size of the
Falcon. I spent over an hour looking around Thickson Woods without re-
locating the falcon.
Thickson Road is clearly marked on Highway #401.
Wayne Renaud (289-848-0043)
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