This morning en route to Richmond Hill from Newmarket, I observed a dark-phase Rough-legged Hawk hunting over the fields on the south side of the King-Vaughan Line, just west of Bathurst.
There were at least 12 Rusty Blackbirds in a tree on the same side of the road, the only remainders of a of a much larger flock of blackbirds that rapidly dispersed when the aforementioned hawk came by. A few kms further southwest of this location, I observed a light-phase Rough-legged Hawk perched, then hunting near the roadside, about one km south of the KV Line on Dufferin Avenue. Returning from my morning hockey game in Richmond Hill at about 10:30 a.m., I stopped to check the pond at the NW corner of Elgin Mills and Leslie, where large flock of about 500 Canada Geese had congregated. Among them were at least 50 Cackling Geese. Richmond Hill is directly north of Toronto along Yonge Street, easily accessed from both Hwys. 400 and 404. The Major Mackenzie exit is best to take. The areas described above are north of Major Mackenzie on the roads indicated. Ron Fleming, Newmarket
