Hawk Watch in High Park

Hawk Hill in Toronto's High Park has the distinction of being one of the very few major raptor monitoring sites operating in the centre of a large urban environment. It is one of three sites in the Greater Toronto Area that participate in the Greater Toronto Raptor Watch to observe the fall migration of hawks and other raptors. 

At the Hawk Watch. Photo: Karen Yukich

Observers in High Park are seeing autumn raptor migration which consists of southbound birds which, on meeting the obstacle of Lake Ontario, turn westward and follow the Lake Ontario shoreline. The location of distinct incoming raptors is often described by their position over the background of the downtown Toronto office towers and minutes later by their position over the tall Oaks and Pines of High Park.

While the primary objective of the hawk watch is to enjoy and monitor the fall raptor migration, there is a public participation element which is encouraged and respected. In all years there has been an enthusiastic group of observers contributing to the spotting, identification and counting of incoming raptors. Hawk Hill benefits from the size and the quality of the surrounding parkland habitat and also the encouragement and support of the Toronto Parks Department.

Totals throughout the season are posted on the HMANA Hawkcount website. Monthly species daily totals which meet the Toronto Ornithological Club reporting guidelines are forwarded to the Records Committee for inclusion in their database.

Sources

See also

To download "A Guide for Hawks Seen in North America" identification chart as a PDF for single-copy printout for personal, non-commercial use, click here. (Source: Hawk Migration Association of North America website.)

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