My second trip to Humber Bay East (November 20) was just as exciting as the first. This time around, I had all the same duck species and more. Long-tailed Duck still outnumbers all others (it's amazing how common they are on Lake Ontario compared to the western basin of Lake Erie where I'm used to). There are also good numbers of Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers and Bufflehead. However, Scaup numbers in the vicinity are low (I only saw 3 Lesser), and Scoters are virtually absent (the single White-winged Scoter female is still present in one of the marshes). Only 1 Common Loon was present again today.
In terms of marsh ducks, Mallards are very common while Gadwall, American Black Duck, American Wigeon, and Green-winged Teal are also present but in fewer numbers.
Somewhat surprisingly, I still had not seen a Red-necked Grebe until today so I was very excited to see a nonbreeding individual at close range, its yellow bill and buffy crescent quite distinctive. I believe this species is much more common on Lake Ontario but I'm not sure of its status in the eastern basin of Lake Erie (any comments here on its abundance on Lake Ontario versus Erie would be greatly appreciated). The Toronto Ornithological Club's status forms has peak numbers in the triple digits.
Inland, I had a single Mockingbird, both Kinglet species, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a lot of Dark-eyed Juncos and Chickadees, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Tree Sparrow, and a few migrating Goldfinches. Also present in the estuary were Killdeer, a Great Black-backed Gull, and a large group of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
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