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posted August 08, 2008
Hawk At Dufferin Grove Park
Picture was taken by Claire Freeman July 31, 2008
Last evening at Dufferin Grove we saw a wonderful sight: a splendid bird of prey sitting placidly in one of the trees right before the play was to start. I had also seen a bird of prey fly into the tall tree by the soccer field during the last play at the Cooking Fire Theatre Festival--could it be nesting there?
I don't know much about birds. I'm guessing it is a female red-tailed hawk. Has anyone else seen it or know what kind of bird it is?
Kim Fry wrote:
Last night was amazing and seeing the hawk so close up made my day!
It is indeed a red tailed hawk and I love that my 5 year old confirmed it for me. She walked around to the back, saw its red tail and said "its definitely a red tailed". In terms of if it is nesting in the park, it is possible. My friend swears there is a nest in Trinity Bellwoods though she has not yet located it.
picture was taken by Claire Freeman July 31, 2008
Gene Threndyle wrote:
On Tuesday, I saw a giant hawk that was completely white underneath around Christie and Davenport not far if you can fly, from Dufferin Grove. It was making that really distinctive hawk call that seems to be much the same for many different kinds, sort of high and shrill.
About 5 years ago we had a pair of sparrow hawks nesting somewhere around the southwest part of Trinity Bellwoods. I saw them catching sparrows more than once. That's always a very dramatic thing to see.
Kim Fry wrote (13 Aug 2008):
Two weeks ago there was a spotting of a red tailed hawk in a tree by the tether ball. It was a magnificent site to behold.
Yesterday at dinner time, we spotted a kestral by the playground clutching a house sparrow (which is not a sparrow but technically a finch.)
Keep your eyes open. They are beautiful brightly colored small falcons.
Cheers,
Gene Threndyle wrote (November 23, 2008):
The person who saw the redtailed hawk in Dufferin Grove may be interested to know that I saw a sharp shinned hawk on Queen Street last week. I wouldn’t have except that it flew into my window while I was reading the paper on the other side. I imagine it was after the English sparrows that live in the ivy growing on the buildings wall.
Luckily the impact only seemed to knock the wind out the bird and it perched on a rake underneath the window long enough for me to get out my Peterson’s Field Guide.
That and a computer search is why I know it was a juvenile sharp shinned hawk since I’m really not much of a birder. I was happy to see it fly off skimming the tops of trees just as though he had read the description of how a sharp shinned hawk should fly, recorded in the field guide.
That’s the only time I’ve ever seen such a bird and it was on Queen West! So perhaps it’s good to keep your eyes up off the pavement and out of the paper. You never know what you may see.
Kim Fry wrote (November 25, 2008)
Thanks for sharing. A good friend called me excitedly today after seeing two hawks communicating and interacting with one another over top of the pit in trinity bellwoods park. It feels like all the birds of prey returning to downtown Toronto are bringing some hope and wonder back into the city. I'll bet one was the very same sharp shinned hawk.
Charlotte wrote (December 19, 2008)
We were delighted to see several hawks in SoCo (South of Corso Italia) in the last few weeks: one a rather large sharp-shinned hawk in the backyard, and one hawk I couldn't see quite clearly in the snow. They are probably in part attracted by the sparrow gangs my husband tenderly cares for.
Here are the short videos (warning: video quality is execrable):
Gene Threndyle wrote (December 19, 2008)
I think those are great videos Charlotte and I'd like to think that's the same bird that flew into my window. I can see in the first video he has yellow green eyes and that, according to the bird guides, means it's a juvenile. Apparently they turn orange red by the second year. Pity the poor creatures out there tonight.