Wind conditions looked great for a lakewatch from the north lookout at Derby Hill Bird Observatory today, even though we got a bit of a late start at around 10am. The optimal time to do one of these watches is when there is a W with a slight northerly aspect wind, preferably over 20 mph. This wind helps push birds to the eastern corner of Lake Ontario and where we are viewing from.
Unfortunately, about 20 minutes before we arrived, there was a report of a Pomarine Jaeger that we missed. While the wind was very optimal, there wasn’t much of a flight going on. Only a few flocks of waterfowl went by, including species such as Long-tailed Ducks, Northern Pintail, and a few Common Loons. Gull numbers were also low but we got a nice look at some first and second cycle Great Black-backed Gulls and an immature Black-legged Kittiwake!
Thankfully, a Parasitic Jaeger made an appearance, as well as a quick flyby of an adult male Surf Scoter. It was also nice to see a nice sized flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls pass through midday.
Trip Overview:
Derby Hill Hawk Watch–North Lookout
Nov 1, 2024
10:13 AM
246 Minutes
4 Brant
14 American Black Duck
21 Northern Pintail
1 Surf Scoter
47 Long-tailed Duck
9 Bufflehead
10 Common Merganser
39 Red-breasted Merganser
1 Parasitic Jaeger
1 Black-legged Kittiwake — Immature
52 Bonaparte’s Gull
17 Ring-billed Gull
11 American Herring Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Horned Grebe
2 Common Loon
8 Double-crested Cormorant
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Bald Eagle
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Common Raven
2 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
Number of Taxa: 24