Big Brother is Watching (Sort of)

Raptors - that is, hawks, eagles and vultures - are well into their fall migration now. And, as is the case every fall, someone is watching them: the Greater Toronto Hawk Watch. These are experienced bird-watching types who monitor and count the various species as they make their way to parts south. Check out their site to understand their mission and to find the areas where the count takes place. You can even watch the count in progress most days throughout the fall.

Of course telling you about the hawk watch was just a cheap excuse to show this Red-tailed hawk. Let's face it, you can never put up too many pictures of hawks. (Click to enlarge.)

Highrise Hawk

As many of you already know, our huge staff here at Toronto Wildlife laughs at danger, and we spare absolutely no expense of time or effort to obtain the very best urban wildlife images. To that end, last night, right after dinner, I walked out onto my own balcony. And from just a few feet away this hawk was staring back at me.

Thinking of you dear reader I went all the way back inside and got my camera. When I came back out the hawk hadn't budged and was still staring at me. He seems a little freaked out, likely because he's not used to seeing relatively large (but still fashionably slim) mammals just a few yards away when he's 130 feet high.

And from up high he checked out the area. First he looked down.

Then he looked to his right.

Then he looked over his shoulder.

Then he looked to his left.

Then he kind of...well, I'm not sure what direction this is, but he saw something interesting.

Then he (or she) took off with one more concerned look in my direction. As you can see from the darker lighting, this was almost exactly at the moment the sun went down which might not be a coincidence.

This hawk was fast. And here's a tip, sometimes you can be too close to what you're photographing, because at the speed this hawk flew off there was no way to physically pan quickly enough to get even one real flight shot. I got this one and then just empty sky.

After a good deal of hemming and hawing I've decided that this is probably a Sharp-shinned hawk, however you should definitely read about the Broad-winged hawk before you take my word for it.

UPDATE: July, 2012. The last paragraph above seems awfully prophetic now. This is actually a Merlin. Oops.

Absolutely Not a Turkey

In honour of American Thanksgiving I was going to post a pic of a wild turkey (the bird, not the drink) that I once shot right on the very edge of Toronto. But I can't find it! Yikes!

So instead I'm posting something that might conceivably eat a wild turkey. No, it's not Mr. and Mrs. Jones of Steubenville, it's a very vigilant-looking Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Or...

I'm pretty sure it's a Sharp-shinned Hawk. (SEE UPDATE BELOW) If you check a bird ID book you'll find many of the birds of prey (aka raptors) in the Northeast of North America look very similar, and each species can look different depending on their age and the time of year when you see them. Even really expert birders can argue about the identification of these birds, so while I'm the first to admit I'm not a hundred percent positive I'm reasonably certain that this is indeed a Sharp-shinned Hawk, or a Sharpie as they're sometimes called. Anyone with a different opinion is welcome to let me know.

Found this guy right smack in the middle of the Don Valley.

UPDATE: In fact, later on I determined that this is probably a Broad-Winged Hawk. Oops.

For a Sharp-shinned hawk go here.

When Hawks Attack

We hate to repeat ourselves at Toronto Wildlife and sure, we've posted an image of a Red-tailed hawk before. But this is a different red-tailed hawk and it's a cool action shot. So there.

This hawk actually had a black squirrel and a grey squirrel trapped on two not-so-high trees about four feet apart. Here he's just making his strike on the grey squirrel. Normally I don't love shots that have blurry wing motion but I think it works this time considering the context.

For the more timid and romantic among you...the grey squirrel survived. So did the black one. And, after awhile, the red-tail gave up and went to look for easier prey.

Taken at Colonel Sam Smith park in Etobicoke. Click to enlarge and get a better look at this picture.

Red-winged Blackbird

One good rule of wildlife photography I follow is that it's better to have a good image of something 'boring' than a horrible image of something exciting. So sure, you can find red-winged blackbirds everywhere, they're about as common as robins, but it's still better to get a nice image of something this common than a grainy, out-of-focus shot of a bald eagle or pterodactyl giving birth.

If you ever want to see something cool, watch some red-winged blackbirds when a bird of prey shows up. They'll go after it every time, harrassing it and nipping at its wings until it goes away. They aren't scared at all.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-tails are amazingly abundant all over Toronto. If you carefully watch what's flying above your head I guarantee you'll see some (but try not to do this while driving). This is a juvenile, I believe, who let me get close out of inexperience and because breakfast was in progress. I find most raptors will let you get a little closer at mealtimes. I do advise however that you never try and take their meals away.

This Red-tail was on the Leslie Street Spit, aka Tommy Thompson Park. What the breakfast was exactly...well, probably the fewer details the better.

UPDATE: I've added more images of this bird below. Click to get a better look.