Hawk enthusiasts observe spring migration at annual Hawkwatch

What do you see when you look into the abyss of a red-tailed hawk's eyes?

Canadian Raptor Conservancy's director James Cowan sees Canada.

"When I look into her eyes, you know what I see?" Cowan asked his wide-eyed audience at Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch's open house on Friday, while his colleague held out Xena, a 10-year-old red-tailed hawk.

"I see a ruggedly good-looking bird. That is our country. I think our country, from coast to coast, from north to south, is a ruggedly good-looking country."

The up-close encounter with the feathered creatures was one of the many highlights at the annual open house of Hawkwatch, which drew a steady stream of hawk enthusiasts to the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby.

Now in its 41st year, Hawkwatch monitors the annual spring migration of hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures over the Niagara Peninsula.

The one-day open house, a spring classic, brings together hawk experts and binocular-wearing spectators for talks, displays, as well as live demonstrations from the Canadian Raptor Conservancy. 

Hawkwatch's counting period usually goes from March 1 until the middle of May. So far this season, volunteer counters have recorded sightings of some 5,000 birds of prey. By the end of the spring migration, more than 15,000 are expected to cross the Niagara Escarpment, said Bruce Mackenzie, a veteran volunteer with Hawkwatch. 

The Escarpment is a key location along the migratory route, because it helps the returning birds avoid the cold waters of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, while funneling them through with its strong updrafts, Mackenzie said. 

Almost all birds migrating north into Ontario ride on rising air to help them conserve energy during the strenuous journey, Mackenzie said. Because the cold waters of the Great Lakes do not produce any rising hot air, the birds must go around these bodies of water. The result is a large number of birds flying directly over the Escarpment.

"It's like the waist of an hourglass," Mackenzie said. 

The Beamer, which sits atop the Escarpment at its closest point to Lake Ontario, provides a prime location for hawk watchers, Mackenzie said.

More than half of the returning birds of prey are expected to be Turkey vultures, a relatively new species in Ontario, Mackezie said.

The number of Turkey vultures has increased dramatically over the past several decades, Mackenzie said. In comparison, when Hawkwatch first started four decades ago, only 300 Turkey vultures were recorded.

"My parents never saw a Turkey vulture in Ontario," he said. 

"It's a big bird. It's fascinating to watch. It's almost the size of an eagle."

Take a look at the photo gallery above for a snapshot of a Turkey vulture and other highlights at the open house of Hawkwatch.

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