After the "perfect" conditions yesterday, a Friday, for a hawk flight, brought 20+ observers, only a handful showed up to support Rayfield Pye on Saturday, perhaps because the wind (albeit NW) was light.
Non-raptors included 2 PINE GROSBEAKS, 6 COMMON REDPOLLS, 1 HERMIT THRUSH, 1 FOX SPARROW and 4 R-N PHEASANT. Between 11am and 1pm Red-tailed Hawks started moving through. Indeed the raptor count for the Cranberry Marsh Raptor Watch in southwest Whitby for Nov.17 was : TTL-96, comprised of 8 Sharp-shinned, 1 Cooper's, 1 Red-shouldered, 85 Red-tailed, 1 Rough-legged. After 92 consecutive days of counting the TTL is 10,736. We have had over 20% of the days with "ideal" conditions, this not being so since 2001--undoubtedly explaining why the count at CMRW had ranged from only 4900 to only 8400 since 2001. Doug Lockrey, coordinator CMRW _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
