Bird of Prey Day at Braddock Bay

Braddock Bay Raptor Research is in the midst of its annual Hawkwatch, so Dawn and I decided to take advantage of the extraordinary spring weather for a bit of raptor observing. Arriving shortly after 11:00 to blue skies and temperatures in the 60's (15-20°C), we took a quick tour of the exhibitors, then joined the binocular and scope crowd at the base of the old hawk watch platform (the platform itself has been closed down, apparently due to structural inadequacies). It was not a top-flight day for Braddock, which often sees daily counts in excess of 1000 raptors. Winds were calm, not the southwest breezes preferred by soaring birds skirting the southern shore of Lake Ontario on their way to their summer homes in Canada and points north. Nevertheless, we observed several kettles moving through the area. Buteo species included Rough-legged--light and dark morphs (Buteo lagopus), Broad-winged (Buteo platypterus), Red-tailed (Buteo jamaicensis) & Red-shouldered (Buteo lineatus) hawks. Coops (Accipiter cooperii) & Sharpies (Accipiter striatus) were common as well. A Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) put in an appearance too, but by far the highlight was this pair of immature Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that circled each other and even fought a bit as they ranged ever higher on the thermals:


At midday, we gave up the hawk watching in favor of a tour of one of the banding stations, about a mile (1.7km) west of the main site. I've always wanted to see the banding operation, and since the station lies on the Owl Migration trail, we thought we'd take in both activities today. We were not dissapointed with our decision.

The BBRR banding station is the only one in the nation that allows members of the general public to visit without an appointment or invitation. Staffed by trained, registered banders who have a passion for education, it provides an unrivalled opportunity for interested laypersons to learn about raptor migrations, species, and banding techniques. Our guide Scott was as amiable as he was knowledgable. Outside the entrance to the main blind we announced ourselves and waited for the all-clear. We were met just beyond the entrance by Jason, one of the banders at the station, who presented this glorious immature male Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) for our inspection:


It was large for a male and quite vocal-- a common behavior according to Jason. He displayed the bird only long enough to allow us a few pictures, then carefully placed it back into its transport tube and handed it off to his grandfather for the short journey to the Hawkwatch festival where it was to be adopted (part of the fundraising effort maintained by Braddock Bay) and released.

Our group was large, so we split up. A Girl Scout troop entered the banding blind first. The rest of us waited outside, our attention occasionally roused by a passing Coop or Sharpie. Fifteen minutes later it was our turn. We filed into the blind, stationing ourselves near narrow windows that gave us a view of the five spring-loaded bow nets baited with Rock Doves and European Starlings. Jason began explaining the work they did in the blind, but partway through his presentation he was interrupted by a colleague who eagerly announced the arrival of another Goshawk, and called for silence. The hawk came in low over the trees, angling for a tethered pigeon. As soon as it touched the ground the trap was sprung:


Jason and his colleague leapt from the blind and collected the Goshawk from the trap with admirable alacrity:


Inside the blind, they measured the bird's wing chord, then sized its leg for a band:



After it was banded, Jason announced that it was an immature female. It was recorded and photographed, and they were about to bundle it into a carrier for transport to the main lodge, when the other bander jumped up and rushed outside. He'd caught a Sharpie in another net! He brought in the bird, and we had an excellent learning opportunity. Here were the largest and smallest of the accipters side by side!


It was very instructive to see the great size difference between these two taxonomic cousins, and a rare treat for birders accustomed only to seeing raptors on the wing. They packaged the Goshawk for transport, then went to work on the Sharpie. Here's another look after Jason had applied its identification band:


Traffic at the traps was fairly constant. Here's an immature Red-tailed Hawk that caught on to the game, and avoided the trap:


We thanked our hosts for the demonstration, and headed back out to the trail, where Scott informed us that they had located a Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) and a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) not too far down the trail.

We came upon the Long-eared owl which was 25 feet (7.5m) up in an old pine tree. I tried to take pictures, but the tangle of branches made it impossible for my camera's autofocus to lock onto the bird. It watched us as we moved below, making as little noise as possible in our excitement. I had better luck with the diminutive, and very accomodating Saw-whet. They perch in low foliage, so I had to kneel to get a good look. It was well concealed by dangling spruce branches:


After some careful movement along the trail, I managed to line up for a couple of good photos:



What a beautiful bird! It didn't seem at all concerned by the dozen or so people watching from as near as 6 feet(2m). We spent perhaps 5 minutes observing the owl, conversing in hushed whispers, pointing out its location to the many children among us. Then we left as quietly as our plodding feet allowed, faces aglow from our encounter. I can't think of a better way that we could have spent the day.