Frank Butson - 1965 - 2013. Photo Credit: Ann Brokelman Photography
There are more than a few heavy hearts in Birch Cliff, and indeed around the world, following the unexpected death last week of 47-year old Frank Butson, founder of the Raptor Watch at Rosetta McClain Gardens.
Butson was a birder extraordinaire who dedicated the last ten years of his life to watching and documenting migrating raptors – also known as birds of prey – with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose that were infectious.
Arrived at Rosetta McClain before sunrise
Butson was a fixture at Rosetta McClain Gardens, where he would show up before sunrise every single day from the beginning of August until mid-November in order to count and photograph the thousands of hawks, eagles and osprey that flew overhead.
American Kestrel. Credit: Ann Brokelman Photography
Wildlife photographer Ann Brokelman spent many a day with Butson and says he changed her life:
“I’m extremely sad. I’ve lost a really good friend. I’ve lost a mentor. I’ve lost a buddy. I’ve lost a comrade I used to go birding with on a regular basis. I have wonderful memories. I’m going to miss him. It’s really really sad.”
Discovered raptor migration path
Butson discovered the raptor migration path over Rosetta McClain in 2004 and reported statistics along with his personal observations on a popular birding blog.
Photo Credit: Ann Brokelman Photography
Last year, his group counted a record 7,267 raptors. His summation of 2012 starts off “What a year gang!” and is written with typical Butson enthusiasm:
“October brought Turkey Vultures…boy did it ever!! We saw an incredible 1750 Turkey Vultures on October 12th, a new one day record, part of a one day record of 2066 raptors that day! Everyone left that day jaw dropped. October saw us rack up Golden Eagle sightings and set us up for our best season ever. Record numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks thrilled everyone too as we crushed our season record.”
A “friend to all”
By his side most days was Walter Fisher, who first met Butson in 2008 and says people used to joke that they lived at Rosetta McClain.
Fisher says on May 22nd, when he learned of Butson’s death, he was in total shock.
Raptor Watch friends including Frank Butson, Ann Brokelman and Walter Fisher
“Amongst so many other things, Frank has left us with one very close-knit community of friends. From the birder to the photographer, from the gardener to the grass cutter and from the park walker to the jogger – we are all friends now. None of us would have ever met if it wasn’t for Frank Butson…a friend to all.”
Love of birding began in Africa
Butson was a Birch Cliff native who attended Blantyre Public School.
Fisher says Butson’s love of birding started shortly after two life-changing trips to South Africa in the early 2000s. It was there that he first developed an interest in animals and their habits.
Butson’s influence in the birding world was international in scope as can be seen by the condolence book, which has been signed by people from all over the world who knew Butson online as “Big Frank”.
One entry, by Peter Gundlach of South Africa, reads as follows: “Never met him in real life but a person that has a huge presence in our African Lives. To Frank’s Family and friends – find peace in what this great man has done and the lives of people and the work with birds that he has done. We pray for you and our humblest condolences.”
“After reading them all, I’m quite taken by just how many lives around the world Frank and his endless ‘willingness to help’ have affected,” writes Fisher in an email. “I had no idea that he had such a large presence and connected with so many via chatrooms over the internet. It’s just wonderful to know that he shared so much with so many. If I could sum it up for everyone, I’d say that all our lives have been deeply enriched by just knowing Frank. The world lost a truly great person on the day he passed.”
Cared for baby peregrine falcons
In addition to the Raptor Watch, Butson was also a dedicated volunteer with the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.
For up to six weeks every summer, he would go to a building in Etobicoke to guard the babies of Jack and O’Connor, two adult peregrine falcons who’ve been nesting there for years.
If one of the babies happened to fall while learning to fly, Frank would return the baby to the nest ledge.
Fisher says he’s learned that one of the young peregrine Falcon chicks that was banded there this week has been named “Big Frank”.
Funeral service Saturday
A memorial bench and plaque in Butson’s honour will be installed in the Birch Cliff park that was such a big part of his life. Fisher says it’s being organized by “the Rosetta gang and countless friends from around the globe”.
A funeral service for Frank Butson will be held on Saturday, June 1st from 11:00am – noon at Giffen-Mack Funeral Home at 2570 Danforth Avenue. Visitation is from 10am – 11.
rest in peace Frank.
Thanks for this article on Frank.
He and I *met* on a chat site associated with the webcams which gave us a view into the African bush. A little while later he and his sister and about 30 other *cammers* met at Niagara Falls for lunch. Then Frank went to South Africa for a couple of vacations. He and I chatted about his trips and after that Frank and I used to bird together in Toronto. I always told him that I was a *fair weather birder* and not to expect me outside in the dead of winter. One year I was on vacation part of December and January and on my return Frank told me he had been out birding on a day when the low was the equivalent of minus 30 degrees. I told him he was crazy and he actually agreed!
We walked the spit (Tommy Thomson park) in the summer, High Park, Humber bay, Col Sam and a park way east of where he lived. He had read about raptor watches in the fall, from Hawk hill in High Park and we visited one day. Another raptor enthusiast was born that day!! Frank was hooked.
He was on the lookout for owls and had read someone’s report of seeing them in the centre of the city. He also read of a Red-tailed Hawk nest and he went searching for that and found it. He and I spent the best part of two or three summers observing their nesting, incubating, feeding and fledging of the eyases. He had also discovered CPF by this time and his summer times were spent at Peregrine Falcon fledge watches, leaving me to keep tabs on the Red-tailed hawks.
During this early period he discovered Rosetta McClain Gardens near where he lived and to his great surprise, and joy, he found that it was on a raptor migration route in the fall. He was in his element. Typical of Frank, he engaged the people who passed through the park, showed them the raptors when he could, told them about the migration and how to identify the different birds. Very soon he had a strong following in the park and it mattered not whether they were old or young, he talked to them all. He particularly liked to help the children identify the birds, believing that if they were *hooked young, they were hooked for life*.He enjoyed the social aspect of birding as much as the birding itself.
His interests were not restricted to birds which flew over Rosetta. In the slow times his eyes and curiosity wandered to the flower beds and the denizens therein. He found and photographed myriad butterflies, bugs and insects and I believe that he and Walter discovered that some of those were rarities in the city. He even found a tagged butterfly! Who knew that they could be tagged???
He discovered a fox den near the park and for at least a couple of years he watched the kits growing up, agonised over the main road they had to cross and was proud as punch when they made it. He also saw white tail deer in the park!
Through the years he read about opossum sightings in various parts of the city and vowed to camp on the doorsteps or fences of people who reported the sightings. As it turned out he had no need to do that. Just this past spring, he and Walter found an opossum, or two, of their very own, at Rosetta McClain Gardens. He was so chuffed at that!! A fitting sighting which finally came his way!
Every night when we were both in the city Frank would call and we chatted. We had an agreement not to talk politics because we had very differing views. I read the news paper and Frank heard the news on TV or read it online and we would find some common ground to discuss and from that we would set the world to rights. Every night it was a different topic but we each night we had the answers.