Fall migration is in full swing. Many of the swallows and flycatchers have already largely disappeared with an increasing number of warblers, vireos and other songbirds filing past now. As they head out, many hawks join them, appearing in numbers overhead on days with northerly winds. Hawk watching sites along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, including the bluffs in Scarborough, are active, with hundreds soaring by on good days. Red-tailed Hawks are among the more regularly seen species. The hawks, eagles and vultures will not cross the lakes, but rather, work their way along the shore until they are able to continue south over land.

Soon we will see flocks of migrating White-throated and White-crowned sparrows, joined at month’s end by Dark-eyed Juncos. This is your cue to have feeders filled to welcome visitors, some of which will remain for the winter.

Happy birding!

Brian Morin

Publisher of Ontario Birding News