Turkey Vulture Migrating North And Catching Thermals
Catching thermals...
Catching a glimpse of the Toronto skyline...
Catching some spring warmth...
From my vantage point along the Niagara Escarpment overlooking the farmland of Niagara On The Lake below, I can see Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline in the distance. The spring migration has begun. This area along the edge of the escarpment is an important flyway for many birds heading north. In this image a turkey vulture is catching the thermals created in the spring sunshine as well as the strong updrafts created by the escarpment.
For #FlickrFriday theme of #Catching
Have a great day! :-)
Some information from the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch website located in nearby Grimsby, if you are interested
Migrating birds in spring have a purpose – to get where they are going in the shortest time possible. In order to achieve the fastest rate of travel and conserve energy, they seek out rising air. Along the Niagara Escarpment, strong updrafts are created by winds being deflected upwards as they blow against this limestone cliff. Migrant hawks take advantage of the redirected winds and glide on set wings above the tree tops. At Hamilton, the end of Lake Ontario, they drift northward, with many seeking out the escarpment again and others spreading out elsewhere.
These birds also drift high in the sky by “catching a thermal”, a column of rising hot air created by the spring sunshine warming the ground. Circling inside this thermal, the birds will rise until they are mere specks, and at the top of the thermal they glide forward for long distances without moving a feather.
Because the cold waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie do not produce thermals, almost all birds of prey migrating north into Ontario must go around these two large bodies of water. The configuration of the two lakes creates a funneling effect, with the result that large numbers of birds of prey fly directly over the Niagara Peninsula.
Turkey Vulture Migrating North And Catching Thermals
Catching thermals...
Catching a glimpse of the Toronto skyline...
Catching some spring warmth...
From my vantage point along the Niagara Escarpment overlooking the farmland of Niagara On The Lake below, I can see Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline in the distance. The spring migration has begun. This area along the edge of the escarpment is an important flyway for many birds heading north. In this image a turkey vulture is catching the thermals created in the spring sunshine as well as the strong updrafts created by the escarpment.
For #FlickrFriday theme of #Catching
Have a great day! :-)
Some information from the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch website located in nearby Grimsby, if you are interested
Migrating birds in spring have a purpose – to get where they are going in the shortest time possible. In order to achieve the fastest rate of travel and conserve energy, they seek out rising air. Along the Niagara Escarpment, strong updrafts are created by winds being deflected upwards as they blow against this limestone cliff. Migrant hawks take advantage of the redirected winds and glide on set wings above the tree tops. At Hamilton, the end of Lake Ontario, they drift northward, with many seeking out the escarpment again and others spreading out elsewhere.
These birds also drift high in the sky by “catching a thermal”, a column of rising hot air created by the spring sunshine warming the ground. Circling inside this thermal, the birds will rise until they are mere specks, and at the top of the thermal they glide forward for long distances without moving a feather.
Because the cold waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie do not produce thermals, almost all birds of prey migrating north into Ontario must go around these two large bodies of water. The configuration of the two lakes creates a funneling effect, with the result that large numbers of birds of prey fly directly over the Niagara Peninsula.