Hello Ontbirds subscribers, This evening, between 5:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., I observed a very impressive movement of 628 Common Nighthawks over High Park in Toronto. I made my observations near the north end of the duck ponds in the southeast corner of High Park (near the Historical Sites & Monuments Board of Canada marker honouring James H. Fleming's first banding of a bird with a numbered band on 24 September 1905). Most birds were generally moving NE to SW, with some birds lingering for short periods to quarter over the large willows near the picnic area just west of the duck ponds, and over the south end of the High Park zoo. About a dozen Ring-billed Gulls were also foraging about 30-40 metres high in this area as well - presumably on flying ants. Small numbers of nighthawks were already passing over when I arrived at 5:45, and continued steadily until about 7:55, at which point the numbers slowed considerably. The last bird I saw was at 8:19 p.m. The peak of passage occurred at 7:18 p.m., when 82 Common Nighthawks were in view simultaneously. There are 7 previous counts of more than 500 Common Nighthawks in fall migration in the Toronto area, as follows: 1129 on 27 August 2001; 800 on 26 August 1994; 737 on 25 August 1998; 706 on 31 August 1944; 568 on 27 August 2001 (different location than the 1129 on the same date); 550 on 27 August 1961; and 500 on 27 August 1989. Interestingly, R. Delamere Black, in his 1934 paper on Charles Fothergill's bird observations (Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute 20(1):141-168) noted that Fothergill saw "upwards of 1000 over Toronto [the name for the present-day Port Hope at the time] on 30 August 1817". Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, indeed. Although the Common Nighthawk has been demonstrated to be seriously declining as a breeding bird in our area in the last 30 years, these large pulses of fall migrants are still regularly observable. Other notable sightings included: 200-300 Chimney Swifts (these are far more difficult to get an accurate count for, as many circle back and forth multiple times while feeding), a flock of 13 meadowlarks moving overhead, an adult female Cooper's Hawk that landed in a tree quite close by (to the dismay of many American Robins arriving at a nearby roost location), and a very cooperative Red Bat that came out at 7:40 p.m and circled over the north duck pond about 10 times before landing in a tree overhanging the street. High Park is immediately north of Lakeshore Blvd. W. and west of Parkside Drive in Toronto. The observation area is just west of the children's Adventure Playground, a couple of hundred metres west of the corner of Parkside Drive and Wright Avenue. Glenn Coady Toronto _________________________________________________________________ Find hidden words, unscramble celebrity names, or try the ultimate crossword puzzle with Live Search Games. Play now! http://g.msn.ca/ca55/212_______________________________________________ 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
