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.
The Broad-winged Hawk migration appears to be finishing and the numbers this year well are below 5 year averages. Our best day was Sept. 23 when 442 raptors were counted consisting mainly of Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Broad-winged Hawks. We also had a few days of southerly winds and almost no raptors. Our totals for Sept. 23, the week ending this Sunday and the year to date are below. Species Sept 23 Sept 23 to 29 Year to Date Turkey Vulture.......................165................337..................669 Osprey.........................................3.....................5....................35 Bald Eagle..................................1.....................1....................41 Northern Harrier........................3.....................4....................21 Sharp-Shinned Hawk..........105.................125...............1198 Cooper's Hawk..........................3.....................7....................43 Northern Goshawk....................-......................-........................- Red-shouldered Hawk............1......................1......................2 Broad-winged Hawk............120.................124..............1816 Swainson's Hawk......................-......................-........................- Red-tailed Hawk.....................12...................13...................89 Rough-legged Hawk................-.......................-......................- Golden Eagle............................-.......................-.......................- American Kestrel...................17....................20.................244 Merlin.........................................-.......................3....................19 Peregrine Falcon.....................-........................-....................10 Unidentified............................12....................14....................67 Total......................................442...................654...............4254 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: [email protected] _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
