Posting for Paul Harpley, questions should go to him [email protected]
Tuesday January 27, at 1;30 p.m. an American Kestrel was observed in a roadside 25 foot high White ash tree with a meadow vole in its talons. The Kestrel stayed in the tree and ate parts of the vole for about 3 minutes and flew off to a nearby hedge row about 150 feet away with the vole still in its talons. The observation was made on Ravenshoe Road, on the north side in the Town of Georgina, 0.8 kilometers east of the hamlet of Brown Hill.
Also, earlier in the day on January 27th at 8:45 and 10:00 a.m., I observed a Dark morph, juvenile Rough-legged hawk hunting the meadows and fields and alighting in large farm area trees east of the hamlet of Egypt (also Town of Georgina). This may be the same bird I observed on January 16 on the Durham York Town line hunting and soaring for an hour (2-3 p.m.). On Wednesday January 28th I visited the site again, and found the Dark morph, juvenile Rough-legged hawk in the same place. Five minutes later, 1 kilometre south of the hamlet of Egypt I say another Rough-legged hawk, this one a light morph, juvenile (first year) individual in an adjacent field siting in an old apple tree in a fencerow. This site area is an excellent opportunity to see and compare Rough-legged hawk morphs in the same place.
Both these bird species seem to be staying in the area. Good close viewings of these birds are probable.
Paul Harpley -- --- Mark Cranford ONTBIRDS Coordinator Mississauga, ON [email protected] 905 279 9576 _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
