Red-tailed Hawk
I arrived at the hawk watch at 10:15 and stayed until 12:45. Although the winds were light, and mostly from the south and southeast, the temperature never got above 35 degrees, so it was a bit cold. There were good sized flocks of American Robins, Starlings, Cedar Waxwings, and Red-winged Blackbirds. I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Cooper's Hawk, and counted 10 Red-tailed Hawks. A couple of the Red-tailed Hawks flew low and almost directly overhead; others circled high into the blue sky, and I lost them after putting my glasses on to try to see them through my camera. A few of the Red-tailed Hawks flew down into the trees, and it is possible that a few of the 10 that I counted were actually double-counted when they re-appeared from the trees.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
The most interesting sight was a pair of Crows that chased one of the Red-tailed Hawks from the trees, and followed it high into the sky, and I watched the aerial combat for a few minutes as the Crows took turns harassing the hawk.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
On my way home I stopped at a few of the ponds in Stoney Creek to look for migrating waterfowl. I spotted a river otter eating lunch on a log in the Hidden Creek pond, and then saw some Canada Geese and a Great Blue Heron with a leucistic flight feather on the pond at Rodes Farm. The river otter threw its head back to swallow after each bite. There was a pair of Great Blue Herons on Sawmill Creek pond #3.
River Otter
River Otter
River Otter
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron