This post is a bit late but I got it up before 2014 so that's something.
Many thanks to all who made my 2012 Big Year possible. There were countless people across Ontario who either alerted me to birds I still needed for the year, encouraged me along the way, inspired me w/ their own Big Years, gave me tips and advice for where I should visit and in what month to reach my goal of 300, or simply listened to me gripe about the birds I was missing without punching me in the face. Thanks to each and every one of you.
I have to especially thank 3 people:
Mark Field, who was my traveling partner, co-conspirator, and confidant throughout the year...well, until I left Toronto and only got to 305 while he made it 311 and moved 1 place ahead of me in the eBird final standings...but who's keeping track? But seriously, the year would have sucked without you, Mark.
Matt Timpf (Mr. Canada Big Year 2013!), who helped me find many of my early year birds and continuously boosted my confidence along the way, which is actually quite a feat considering my confidence is usually somewhere between 0.01 and flatline...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
And Marianne, who always texted or called me to see how my year was going while I was away and eventually helped me get to 305 once I returned to Leamington even though I was ready to call it a day when I hit 300 (so happy you were there to share the experience of me reaching my goal with Red Phalarope).
Here is my final list for 2012 in Ontario, more or less in chronological order (unfortunately I did not keep track of when I saw each individual species on a specific day so the numbers do not always correspond with the exact order in which I saw each species, but rather in taxonomic order on the date I first saw them):
January 1 - family farm, Staples
1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Ring-billed Gull
January 2 - train from Chatham to Toronto (story here)
3. Tundra Swan
4. Wild Turkey
5. Rock Pigeon
6. American Kestrel
7. American Crow
8. Horned Lark
9. European Starling
10. House Sparrow
January 10 - Concession 1 - Puslinch
11. Canada Goose
12. Mourning Dove
13. Red-bellied Woodpecker
14. Hairy Woodpecker
15. Blue Jay
16. Black-capped Chickadee
17. White-breasted Nuthatch
18. Mountain Bluebird (lifer)
19. Dark-eyed Junco
20. House Finch
21. American Goldfinch
22. American Robin
January 10 - Mounstberg Conservation Area, Hamilton
23. Rough-legged Hawk
24. Downy Woodpecker
25. American Tree Sparrow
26. Northern Cardinal
27. Pine Siskin
January 10 - Marilynn Bell Park, Toronto
28. Mute Swan
29. Gadwall
30. American Wigeon
31. American Black Duck
32. Mallard
33. Redhead
34. Bufflehead
35. Common Merganser
36. Red-breasted Merganser
37. Herring Gull
January 25 - High Park, Toronto
38. Northern Pintail
39. Cooper's Hawk
40. Red-breasted Nuthatch
41. Gray Catbird
42. Common Grackle
January 25 - Sunnyside Beach, Toronto
43. Greater Scaup
44. Long-tailed Duck
45. Common Goldeneye
46. Ruddy Duck
47. American Coot
48. Glaucous Gull
49. Great Black-backed Gull
January 31 - Point Pelee National Park
50. Northern Harrier
51. Sharp-shinned Hawk
52. Bald Eagle
53. Bonaparte's Gull
54. Eastern Screech-Owl
55. Northern Shrike
February 1 - Onion Fields, Leamington (story here)
56. Great Horned Owl
57. Snowy Owl
58. Long-eared Owl
59. Red-winged Blackbird
60. Rusty Blackbird
61. Brown-headed Cowbird
February 2 - family farm, Staples
62. Ring-necked Pheasant
February 7 - Thunder Bay
63. Common Raven
64. Brown Creeper
65. Harris's Sparrow
66. Common Redpoll
67. Pine Grosbeak (lifer)
68. Golden Eagle
69. Pileated Woodpecker
70. Red Crossbill (lifer)
February 8 - Longlac
71. Spotted Towhee
72. White-winged Crossbill
73. Evening Grosbeak (lifer)
74. Hoary Redpoll (lifer)
February 8 - Beardmore
75. Common Redpoll
February 8 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay
76. Ruffed Grouse
February 9 - Rocky Bay
77. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (lifer)
78. Purple Finch
February 9 - Wishart Conservation Area, Thunder Bay
79. American Three-toed Woodpecker (lifer)
February 14 - Whitby Harbour
80. Trumpeter Swan
81. Hooded Merganser
82. Northern Mockingbird
February 15 - Adam Beck, Niagara
83. Thayer's Gull
84. Iceland Gull
February 15 - Fort Erie
85. Canvasback
86. White-winged Scoter
87. Fish Crow (Ontario lifer)
88. American Pipit
February 15 - Niagara Falls - upper falls
89. Lesser Black-backed Gull
February 15 - Queenston Heights overlook, Niagara
90. Double-crested Cormorant
91. Black Vulture
92. Turkey Vulture
93. Little Gull
94. Tufted Titmouse
February 15 - LaSalle Marina, Burlington
95. Lesser Scaup
96. King Eider
February 16 - Whitby Harbour
97. Greater White-fronted Goose (story here)
February 16 - Oshawa Second Marsh
98. Northern Saw-whet Owl
February 16 - Professor's Lake, Brampton
99. Wood Duck
100. Merlin
February 17 - Toronto
101. Peregrine Falcon
February 23 - Spencer Smith Park, Burlington
102. Surf Scoter
February 23 - 10th Road East, Stoney Creek
103. Short-eared Owl
February 28 - Elgin County
104. Eastern Bluebird
February 28 - Port Burwell
105. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
106. Field Sparrow
107. Song Sparrow
February 28 - Norfolk County
108. Northern Flicker
February 28 - Long Point area
109. Ring-necked Duck
110. Sandhill Crane
111. Swamp Sparrow
112. Great Blue Heron
113. Belted Kingfisher
March 7 - Leamington
114. Eastern Meadowlark
115. Killdeer
March 10 - Point Pelee National Park
116. Northern Shoveler
117. Green-winged Teal
118. Eastern Phoebe
119. Hermit Thrush
120. Yellow-rumped Warbler
121. Eastern Towhee
122. Fox Sparrow
March 10 - Onion Fields, Leamington
123. Ross's Goose (lifer)
March 17 - Long Point area
124. Horned Grebe
125. Golden-crowned Kinglet
126. Tree Swallow
127. Pied-billed Grebe
128. American Woodcock
March 18 - Long Point area
129. Winter Wren
130. White-throated Sparrow
March 18 - Townsend Sewage Lagoons
131. Snow Goose
March 22 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
132. Red-necked Grebe
March 22 - Rattray March, Mississauga
133. Carolina Wren
March 22 - High Park, Toronto
134. Virginia Rail
March 26 - Prince Edward Park
135. Bohemian Waxwing (lifer)
136. Cedar Waxwing
March 26 - Russel Road, Bourget
137. Cackling Goose
March 26 - Ottawa area
138. Wilson's Snipe
March 27 - Algonquin Provincial Park
139. Spruce Grouse (lifer)
140. Black-backed Woodpecker (lifer)
141. Boreal Chickadee
March 27 - Carden Alvar
142. Loggerhead Shrike
March 27 - Townsend Sewage Lagoon
143. Eurasian Wigeon
144. Greater Yellowlegs
March 31 - High Park, Toronto
145. Black-crowned Night-Heron
146. Chipping Sparrow
April 6 - Leslie Street Spit, Toronto
147. Great Egret
148. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
149. Barn Swallow
150. Pine Warbler
April 7 - Norfolk County
151. Common Loon
152. Vesper Sparrow
153. Savannah Sparrow
154. Lesser Yellowlegs
April 7 - Long Point area
155. Purple Martin
156. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
157. Forster's Tern
April 7 - Cootes Paradise, Hamilton
158. Caspian Tern
April 7 - Peterborough
159. Osprey
April 14 - Gairloch Gardens, Oakville
160. Harlequin Duck
April 16 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
161. Blue-winged Teal
162. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
April 17 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay
163. Sharp-tailed Grouse (lifer)
April 17 - Hurkett Cove Conservation Area, Thunder Bay
164. American White Pelican
April 17 - Thunder Bay
165. Lapland Longspur
April 22 - Rondeau Provincial Park
166. Chimney Swift
167. White-eyed Vireo
168. House Wren
169. Brown Thrasher
170. Blackburnian Warbler
171. Yellow-throated Warbler
April 22 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
172. Sora
173. Pectoral Sandpiper
174. Dunlin
April 27 - High Park, Toronto
175. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
176. Nashville Warbler
177. Palm Warbler
April 28 - Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
178. Piping Plover
April 28 - Bruce Peninsula
179. Western Tanager (lifer)
180. Brewer's Blackbird (lifer)
April 30 - Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
181. Cerulean Warbler
May 5 - Toronto Islands
182. Spotted Sandpiper
183. Common Tern
184. Great Crested Flycatcher
185. Eastern Kingbird
186. Blue-headed Vireo
187. Warbling Vireo
188. Bank Swallow
189. Cliff Swallow
190. Northern Waterthrush
191. Black-and-white Warbler
192. Cape May Warbler
193. Northern Parula
194. Magnolia Warbler
195. Yellow Warbler
196. Chestnut-sided Warbler
197. Black-throated Blue Warbler
198. Black-throated Green Warbler
199. White-crowned Sparrow
200. Orchard Oriole
201. Baltimore Oriole
May 7 - Rattray March, Mississauga
202. Least Flycatcher
May 7 - Townsed Sewage Lagoon
203. Semipalmated Plover
204. Least Sandpiper
May 7 - Aylmer Sewage Lagoons
205. Bobolink
May 7 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
206. Black-bellied Plover
207. American Avocet
208. Short-billed Dowitcher
209. Common Yellowthroat
May 8 - Point Pelee National Park
210. Eastern Whip-poor-will
211. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
212. Red-headed Woodpecker
213. Eastern Wood-Pewee
214. Yellow-throated Vireo
215. Red-eyed Vireo
216. Sedge Wren
217. Veery
218. Swainson's Thrush
219. Wood Thrush
220. Ovenbird
221. Golden-winged Warbler
222. Tennessee Warbler
223. American Redstart
224. Bay-breasted Warbler
225. Wilson's Warbler
226. Lincoln's Sparrow
227. Scarlet Tanager
228. Indigo Bunting
May 9 - Point Pelee National Park
229. Black Tern
230. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
231. Marsh Wren
232. Prothonotary Warbler
233. Canada Warbler
May 10 - Point Pelee National Park
234. Broad-winged Hawk
235. Black-billed Cuckoo
May 10 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
236. Cattle Egret
237. Marbled Godwit
238. Ruddy Turnstone
May 10 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge
239. Common Gallinule
May 11 - Point Pelee National Park
240. Gray-cheeked Thrush
241. Worm-eating Warbler
242. Blackpoll Warbler
May 11 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge
243. American Bittern
244. Least Bittern
245. Green Heron
246. White-faced Ibis
247. Yellow-headed Blackbird
May 12 - Point Pelee National Park
248. Black Scoter
May 12 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
249. American Golden-Plover
250. Willow Flycatcher
May 13 - Point Pelee National Park
251. Red-throated Loon (lifer)
May 14 - Rondeau Provincial Park
252. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
May 14 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
253. Stilt Sandpiper
May 15 - Point Pelee National Park
254. Hooded Warbler
May 15 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
255. Semipalmated Sanpdiper
May 16 - Point Pelee National Park
256. Mourning Warbler
May 16 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
257. Clay-colored Sparrow
May 16 - Wheatley Provincial Park
258. Solitary Sandpiper
May 17 - Point Pelee National Park
259. Olive-sided Flycatcher
260. Philadelphia Vireo
261. Blue-winged Warbler
262. Orange-crowned Warbler
263. Connecticut Warbler
May 18 - Pelee Island
264. Yellow-breasted Chat
May 19 - Point Pelee National Park
265. California Gull (lifer)
May 19 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
266. Red-necked Phalarope
May 20 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
267. White-rumped Sandpiper
May 21 - Backus Wood Conservation Area, Long Point area
268. Acadian Flycatcher
269. Louisiana Waterthrush
May 21 - East Quarter Line, Norfolk
270. Grasshopper Sparrow
May 21 - St. Williams Forest, Long Point area
271. Northern Goshawk
May 21 -Haldimand County
272. Snowy Egret
273. Laughing Gull
May 22 - Carden Alvar
274. Upland Sandpiper
275. Common Nighthawk
May 24 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
276. Whimbrel
May 26 - Carden Alvar
277. Alder Flycatcher
May 31 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park
278. Brant
279. Barred Owl
June 4 - Westover Tract, Flamborough
280. Prairie Warbler
June 6 - Parry Sound
281. Red-shoulder Hawk
June 8 - Rainy River District (story here and here)
282. Black-billed Magpie (lifer)
283. Le Conte's Sparrow
June 9 - Rainy River Sewage Lagoon
284. Wilson's Phalarope
June 9 - Rainy River District
285. Western Meadowlark
June 9 - Lake of the Woods - Windy Point, Rainy River District
286. Franklin's Gull (lifer)
June 11 - Rainy River District
287. Dickcissel
June 13 - Wawa Sewage Lagoons
288. Eared Grebe
July 3 - Rondeau Provincial Park area
289. Magnificent Frigatebird (lifer)
July 25 - Rock Point Provincial Park
290. Sanderling
291. Baird's Sandpiper
July 25 - Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Amherstburg
292. Little Blue Heron
July 26 - Walpole Island
293. King Rail
August 12 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
294. Long-billed Dowitcher (story here)
August 25 - Onion Fields, Leamington
295. Buff-breasted Sandpiper
August 29 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park
296. Thick-billed Kingbird (lifer)
August 31 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay (story here)
297. Red Knot
September 1 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay
298. Hudsonian Godwit
September 2 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay
299. Nelson's Sparrow
September 23 - Point Pelee National Park
300. Red Phalarope (story here)
October 30 - Point Edward Lighthouse, Sarnia (story here)
301. Black-legged Kittiwake
302. Sabine's Gull (lifer)
November 1 - Pelee Days Inn / Sturgeon Creek, Leamington
303. Snow Bunting (story here)
November 24 - Point Pelee National Park
304. Cave Swallow (lifer) (story here)
December 31 - Point Pelee National Park
305. Purple Sandpiper (story here)
Showing posts with label High Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High Park. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2013
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
High Park - January 12, 2010
My camera is on the fritz. Considering its price, however, and being my last purchase from Wal-Mart before I boycotted that chain 3 years ago, I have to admit, it's been a faithful little piece of technology. It now lays useless and collecting dust somewhere behind my computer but it served its purpose.
My cellphone camera can hardly be considered a camera at all, its pictures reminding us of the year 1814 when Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the first ever photographic image, requiring 8 hours of light exposure. The photo later faded.
Therefore, I do not have a picture from today's journey through High Park, a shame since the ducks along the creek north of Grenadier Pond were close enough to get decent shots, regardless of zoom lenses. So instead, here are a few silly photos of a Tasneem and I enjoying lunch in the park in a much more comfortable time of year...a time of year I am currently yearning for what with the lack of suitable winter attire. If you have seen me in the last few months, you'll also notice a shocking absence of long hair in these photos!
Today was simply a beautiful day for a walk. The wind lowered the temperature a few too many degrees but once in the comfort of the trees-as-wind-barriers, I was able to enjoy the quiet, lonely moments when a chickadee feeds a few feet away from your head, a cardinal makes its aggressive-sounding call notes from a nearby bush, a distant drum of a tree trunk indicates a Downy Woodpecker, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch descends a branch high above. The highlight was the aforementioned creek full of marsh ducks, though.
Being one of the few areas of open water in the park, the creek attracts a number of Mallards, both wild-types and freak-shows, strangely bred birds doubled in size, with off-colours, and deep bellies. There are 3 birds, in fact, that I recognized from last year in the park, all year residents that have become familiar enough to me that I search them out whenever I visit.
However, my target bird was a single Northern Pintail drake, which I eventually found after a thorough search from various vantage points. For most of my visit, he had his head tucked into his mantle but on the occasion that a leash-restrained dog barked or a pair of gorgeous horses clomped by carrying mounted police, he would become alert and provide great views. The Pintail was joined by a Wood Duck drake, the only two species apart from Mallard.
I'm now in the warmth of my apartment dealing with canceled credit card matters and furrowing my brows over overcharged internet access but on my next day off, I'm hoping to get down to the waterfront. I unfortunately had to miss the Waterfowl Inventory this year so I want to make up for it with a nice, long walk along Lake Ontario (probably in the Humber Bay East/West area).
In other news, my ordered book arrived in the mail last week! Where to Birdwatch in Scotland by Mike Madders. It looks great so far, with detailed descriptions of specific areas to bird as well as a calendar of dates marking the best times to see specific species. I have some time before my trip, which isn't until the end of August, but I want to be prepared once I'm there. Princeton Guides is supposed to be coming out with a new edition of their guide to the birds of Europe so I plan to buy that one as well once it comes out.
My cellphone camera can hardly be considered a camera at all, its pictures reminding us of the year 1814 when Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the first ever photographic image, requiring 8 hours of light exposure. The photo later faded.
Therefore, I do not have a picture from today's journey through High Park, a shame since the ducks along the creek north of Grenadier Pond were close enough to get decent shots, regardless of zoom lenses. So instead, here are a few silly photos of a Tasneem and I enjoying lunch in the park in a much more comfortable time of year...a time of year I am currently yearning for what with the lack of suitable winter attire. If you have seen me in the last few months, you'll also notice a shocking absence of long hair in these photos!
Today was simply a beautiful day for a walk. The wind lowered the temperature a few too many degrees but once in the comfort of the trees-as-wind-barriers, I was able to enjoy the quiet, lonely moments when a chickadee feeds a few feet away from your head, a cardinal makes its aggressive-sounding call notes from a nearby bush, a distant drum of a tree trunk indicates a Downy Woodpecker, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch descends a branch high above. The highlight was the aforementioned creek full of marsh ducks, though.
Being one of the few areas of open water in the park, the creek attracts a number of Mallards, both wild-types and freak-shows, strangely bred birds doubled in size, with off-colours, and deep bellies. There are 3 birds, in fact, that I recognized from last year in the park, all year residents that have become familiar enough to me that I search them out whenever I visit.
However, my target bird was a single Northern Pintail drake, which I eventually found after a thorough search from various vantage points. For most of my visit, he had his head tucked into his mantle but on the occasion that a leash-restrained dog barked or a pair of gorgeous horses clomped by carrying mounted police, he would become alert and provide great views. The Pintail was joined by a Wood Duck drake, the only two species apart from Mallard.
I'm now in the warmth of my apartment dealing with canceled credit card matters and furrowing my brows over overcharged internet access but on my next day off, I'm hoping to get down to the waterfront. I unfortunately had to miss the Waterfowl Inventory this year so I want to make up for it with a nice, long walk along Lake Ontario (probably in the Humber Bay East/West area).
In other news, my ordered book arrived in the mail last week! Where to Birdwatch in Scotland by Mike Madders. It looks great so far, with detailed descriptions of specific areas to bird as well as a calendar of dates marking the best times to see specific species. I have some time before my trip, which isn't until the end of August, but I want to be prepared once I'm there. Princeton Guides is supposed to be coming out with a new edition of their guide to the birds of Europe so I plan to buy that one as well once it comes out.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
And I start to complain that there's no rain
I started this Saturday evening desperately attempting to make plans, any plans, but eventually just gave up and decided to go for an evening walk through High Park. It was quite beautiful really; a light mist falling, the vegetation glistening with water droplets, and the leaves of trees drooping forlornly with the heaviness of moisture. Overhead, Chimney Swifts chattered away as silhouettes of small birds flew by (almost certainly Chickadees).
Later, as the evening turned to night, I started to hear Common Nighthawks 'meep'ing above me, out of sight from my umbrella. I was also lucky enough to see a passing skunk near the main road, ambling along and (thankfully) minding its own business. It's so darn peaceful in there on nights like this.
As I was walking, I started to think about missing the Carden Alvar trip through the TOC and how disappointing it is that I wasn't able to attend. Everyone who went gushed about how wonderful the area is and the reports coming from there are excellent (especially the latest post on Ontbirds by Bob Cumming, who looks to have had a spectacular day there despite the rain). It's a trip that I must, must, must, must take.
The other outing I'm hopefully going on, particularly now that I have Saturdays off, is the Toronto Butterfly Count. To this day, I have never been on a single butterfly count in any area and I really want to learn how the Toronto area differs both in species and abundance from the Pelee Circle.
Later, as the evening turned to night, I started to hear Common Nighthawks 'meep'ing above me, out of sight from my umbrella. I was also lucky enough to see a passing skunk near the main road, ambling along and (thankfully) minding its own business. It's so darn peaceful in there on nights like this.
As I was walking, I started to think about missing the Carden Alvar trip through the TOC and how disappointing it is that I wasn't able to attend. Everyone who went gushed about how wonderful the area is and the reports coming from there are excellent (especially the latest post on Ontbirds by Bob Cumming, who looks to have had a spectacular day there despite the rain). It's a trip that I must, must, must, must take.
The other outing I'm hopefully going on, particularly now that I have Saturdays off, is the Toronto Butterfly Count. To this day, I have never been on a single butterfly count in any area and I really want to learn how the Toronto area differs both in species and abundance from the Pelee Circle.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Missed! Western Grebe
My second attempt at getting the Western Grebe that has been hanging out in Lake Ontario off of the southeastern tip of Ashbridges Bay Park ended in what can only be described as an epic fail.
O.K., it wasn't that bad but still...I was disappointed. The bird has been hanging out for a couple of months now and I had went to look for it earlier when it was originally sighted but to no avail. It takes some planning to get to Ashbridges Bay, though. Sometimes (at all times?), it sucks birding without wheels. The park is in the east end of Toronto and takes a good hour and a half to get to by transit. It requires a subway ride followed by a transfer onto the longest Streetcar route in Toronto, the 501. Admittedly, it's a relaxing ride, but it's LONG. By the time you get out to Coxswell where you need to get off, you're feeling the pressure of time. Most of the parks I visit for birding require similar planning (besides High Park, which is basically my backyard!).
Ashbridges Bay is a nice walk. It's quite similar in size and shape to Humber Bay East but without the marshy areas (at Ashbridges, there is a marina for small boats instead). From the park, you get a beautiful view of downtown Toronto as well as a full view of the Leslie Street Spit, closed through the week due to construction. I made my second visit to Ashbridges on Monday, March 23 in hopes that by some chance, the Western Grebe would be close enough to shore to see with my binoculars. The bird was either gone or too far out for me to see. Most posts on Ontbirds suggest bringing a scope but my loaned scope (thanks, Marianne!) is still in my room back home in Leamington. It's not easy to transport it on the Greyhound! So, I went hoping there would be another birder there with a scope but no luck.
I'll try again, or at least visit the park again. Other birds seen on Monday included a good number of Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, a sing White-winged Scoter, and Lesser Scaup. Red-winged Blackbirds are out along with many robins, and a few Killdeer in an open field just north of the park.
O.K., it wasn't that bad but still...I was disappointed. The bird has been hanging out for a couple of months now and I had went to look for it earlier when it was originally sighted but to no avail. It takes some planning to get to Ashbridges Bay, though. Sometimes (at all times?), it sucks birding without wheels. The park is in the east end of Toronto and takes a good hour and a half to get to by transit. It requires a subway ride followed by a transfer onto the longest Streetcar route in Toronto, the 501. Admittedly, it's a relaxing ride, but it's LONG. By the time you get out to Coxswell where you need to get off, you're feeling the pressure of time. Most of the parks I visit for birding require similar planning (besides High Park, which is basically my backyard!).
Ashbridges Bay is a nice walk. It's quite similar in size and shape to Humber Bay East but without the marshy areas (at Ashbridges, there is a marina for small boats instead). From the park, you get a beautiful view of downtown Toronto as well as a full view of the Leslie Street Spit, closed through the week due to construction. I made my second visit to Ashbridges on Monday, March 23 in hopes that by some chance, the Western Grebe would be close enough to shore to see with my binoculars. The bird was either gone or too far out for me to see. Most posts on Ontbirds suggest bringing a scope but my loaned scope (thanks, Marianne!) is still in my room back home in Leamington. It's not easy to transport it on the Greyhound! So, I went hoping there would be another birder there with a scope but no luck.
I'll try again, or at least visit the park again. Other birds seen on Monday included a good number of Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, a sing White-winged Scoter, and Lesser Scaup. Red-winged Blackbirds are out along with many robins, and a few Killdeer in an open field just north of the park.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Waterfowl Inventory 2009
Some members of the Toronto Ornithological Club who were kind enough to offer me a ride to the waterfront this morning picked me up at 8am to start our group's section of the waterfowl inventory. It's a count done each winter to get an estimate of waterfowl populations on Lake Ontario along the GTA waterfront from the east to west end.
We had a great section to cover from Humber Bay East all the way to the Keating Channel (east of Ontario Place) and including High Park (for Mallards that overwinter on Grenadier Pond where it doesn't freeze over in the north end). I used to live within walking distance of this section of the Toronto waterfront and it's a wonderful place to birdwatch. There are good numbers of duck rafts, many Mute Swans, and a chance for a some uncommon gull species (Glaucous, Iceland in particular). A breakwall along the shore creates shifting ice patches that almost always have good numbers of gulls to look at.
Weather: the temperature, though frigid, was not as bad as it could have been due to very low winds. Had there been winds, it would have been a miserable day. Fortunately, the sun shone bright, there was no fog and little haze, and visibility was high.
Our team consisted of Margaret Kelch, Doug Woods, Celia Harte, Mark Field, Harvey, Josh, and Zoe (I didn't get the last 3 members' last names). What we would often do when we encountered a large group of ducks (the Keating Channel proved the most difficult), would be to assign a species to each birder to count. It made the task much quicker and much easier. I was the official Redhead counter, which was fun but also a challenge...of all the waterfowl we tallied, Redhead had the highest numbers! There was also the issue of distant birds looking superficially similar to Scaups, which were also present in fair numbers. We had one scope in the group so Doug would often be our official distant-raft tallier and just count each species himself while we tallied the closer birds.
Obviously, as birders do, we also looked for other species as well. Some species of note include 3 Common Redpoll at Sunnyside Park, a single Iceland Gull at Keating Channel (LIFER), and an adult Bald Eagle that flew directly over our heads at Ontario Place. Yes, yes, I know...it took me this long to see an Iceland Gull?! Interesting, too, that I got Thayer's before Iceland. It was one of those species that always just seemed to be out of reach for me. I tried hard last year but was unsuccessful (got 2 Glaucous though) so it was a pleasure to get one so close and easily identifiable on this trip (it flew next to a Herring Gull for size comparison and Glaucous Gull was immediately eliminated).
Our numbers for the day were as follows:
Mallard .................. 229
American Black Duck ...... 2
Redhead .................. 1017
Gadwall .................. 16
American Widgeon ......... 8
Greater scaup ............ 576
Lesser scaup ............. 11
Ring-necked Duck ......... 1
Common Goldeneye ......... 128
Bufflehead ............... 49
LongTail ................. 932
Common Merganser ......... 40
Red-breasted Merganser ... 37
Hooded Merganser ......... 11
Mute Swan ................ 23
Tundra Swan .............. 4
Canada Goose ............. 115
The count for American Black Duck is an error. We had more than 2 birds at our first location so I don't know what happened to the final tally. We had closer to 10 birds for the day. Four species that were expected but missed include Trumpeter Swan, Harlequin Duck, Northern Shoveler, and American Coot (more likely in the interior of Humber Bay where we didn't cover).
Day list:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull *lifer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Redpoll - 3
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 33
Duration: 8:30am-12:30pm
We had a great section to cover from Humber Bay East all the way to the Keating Channel (east of Ontario Place) and including High Park (for Mallards that overwinter on Grenadier Pond where it doesn't freeze over in the north end). I used to live within walking distance of this section of the Toronto waterfront and it's a wonderful place to birdwatch. There are good numbers of duck rafts, many Mute Swans, and a chance for a some uncommon gull species (Glaucous, Iceland in particular). A breakwall along the shore creates shifting ice patches that almost always have good numbers of gulls to look at.
Weather: the temperature, though frigid, was not as bad as it could have been due to very low winds. Had there been winds, it would have been a miserable day. Fortunately, the sun shone bright, there was no fog and little haze, and visibility was high.
Our team consisted of Margaret Kelch, Doug Woods, Celia Harte, Mark Field, Harvey, Josh, and Zoe (I didn't get the last 3 members' last names). What we would often do when we encountered a large group of ducks (the Keating Channel proved the most difficult), would be to assign a species to each birder to count. It made the task much quicker and much easier. I was the official Redhead counter, which was fun but also a challenge...of all the waterfowl we tallied, Redhead had the highest numbers! There was also the issue of distant birds looking superficially similar to Scaups, which were also present in fair numbers. We had one scope in the group so Doug would often be our official distant-raft tallier and just count each species himself while we tallied the closer birds.
Obviously, as birders do, we also looked for other species as well. Some species of note include 3 Common Redpoll at Sunnyside Park, a single Iceland Gull at Keating Channel (LIFER), and an adult Bald Eagle that flew directly over our heads at Ontario Place. Yes, yes, I know...it took me this long to see an Iceland Gull?! Interesting, too, that I got Thayer's before Iceland. It was one of those species that always just seemed to be out of reach for me. I tried hard last year but was unsuccessful (got 2 Glaucous though) so it was a pleasure to get one so close and easily identifiable on this trip (it flew next to a Herring Gull for size comparison and Glaucous Gull was immediately eliminated).
Our numbers for the day were as follows:
Mallard .................. 229
American Black Duck ...... 2
Redhead .................. 1017
Gadwall .................. 16
American Widgeon ......... 8
Greater scaup ............ 576
Lesser scaup ............. 11
Ring-necked Duck ......... 1
Common Goldeneye ......... 128
Bufflehead ............... 49
LongTail ................. 932
Common Merganser ......... 40
Red-breasted Merganser ... 37
Hooded Merganser ......... 11
Mute Swan ................ 23
Tundra Swan .............. 4
Canada Goose ............. 115
The count for American Black Duck is an error. We had more than 2 birds at our first location so I don't know what happened to the final tally. We had closer to 10 birds for the day. Four species that were expected but missed include Trumpeter Swan, Harlequin Duck, Northern Shoveler, and American Coot (more likely in the interior of Humber Bay where we didn't cover).
Day list:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull *lifer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Redpoll - 3
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 33
Duration: 8:30am-12:30pm
Monday, July 07, 2008
Lifer! White Admiral
On June 28, the day I went on a retreat with the Toronto Ornithological Club to Barrie (more on this soon), Hugh Currie and I decided to take a short birding trip after the retreat. We took a detour to a marshy area where there was rumoured to be a pair of Wilson's Phalaropes but didn't have much luck in the birding department. However, I did get to see a new butterfly for my list: White Admiral. It's one heck of a beautiful insect and reminded me that summer can be good for birds, but it's great for butterflies. I hope to get over to High Park a few more times to check out some of the areas that are good for butterflies there. Last summer, I found a couple new species and tallied a good list for the park.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Humber Bay East/West and High Park OFO Trip
On Sunday, December 9, David Milsom lead an OFO trip to Humber Bay, Colonel Sam Smith Park (southwest of Humber Bay), and High Park. All in all, it was a great trip lasting from 9:00am to 4:30pm with a total of 56 species, good for a day of birding in December.
I personally knew I was in for a good day within minutes as the first birds we saw walking away from the parking lot in Humber Bay East were a group of Trumpeter Swans in the small ponds adjacent to the bay. There were 2 adults and 2 juvenile birds, all trumpeting a few meters away from the group (32 people total to start). This was a lifer for me, as the species is now considered countable after enough years post-reintroduction. This is one of many lifers I've gotten this fall, probably due to being on Lake Ontario versus Lake Erie where some of the species that are difficult to find in my hometown are quite easily found here. Other waterfowl (and waterbirds) present in the ponds and also at Humber Bay East/West included Common Loon (3), Horned Grebe (1), American Coot, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, American Black Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Redhead (good numbers mixed in with large rafts of Scaup), Greater and Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck (numerous), singles of Black and White-winged Scoter (each only seen by a few members of the group), Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded, Red-breasted, and Common Merganser, and a single, nonbreeding male Ruddy Duck.
Landbirds were few and far between but in Humber Bay East/West we saw Northern Shrike, American Tree Sparrow, Chickadees, 2 Northern Mockingbirds, and a Killdeer at the warm-water outlet near the white archway connecting Humber Bay East and West.
We then headed to Colonel Sam Smith Park (at the foot of Kipling Avenue), which was a new area to bird for me and it produced some good birds. There we had 8 Snow Buntings, an American Kestrel, an American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, a single Winter Wren, and 4 Red-necked Grebes. At this point, it began to snow a bit more intensely so visibility was low. There was also the trouble with ice; two members slipped and fell leaving us with a knee and ankle injury.
Those brave enough to stay out in the snowfall then drove to High Park to visit the north end of Grenadier Pond where open water is still available. Here there were Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, 3 Swamp Sparrows, and the highlight for the day, a secretive Virginia Rail found by Chris Escott. In this area, we also picked up American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, and a few other passerine species.
The trip proved that winter birding can be a great time, especially when some of our common species produce the most excitement. Unfortunately, no white-winged gulls were present.
I personally knew I was in for a good day within minutes as the first birds we saw walking away from the parking lot in Humber Bay East were a group of Trumpeter Swans in the small ponds adjacent to the bay. There were 2 adults and 2 juvenile birds, all trumpeting a few meters away from the group (32 people total to start). This was a lifer for me, as the species is now considered countable after enough years post-reintroduction. This is one of many lifers I've gotten this fall, probably due to being on Lake Ontario versus Lake Erie where some of the species that are difficult to find in my hometown are quite easily found here. Other waterfowl (and waterbirds) present in the ponds and also at Humber Bay East/West included Common Loon (3), Horned Grebe (1), American Coot, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, American Black Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Redhead (good numbers mixed in with large rafts of Scaup), Greater and Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck (numerous), singles of Black and White-winged Scoter (each only seen by a few members of the group), Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded, Red-breasted, and Common Merganser, and a single, nonbreeding male Ruddy Duck.
Landbirds were few and far between but in Humber Bay East/West we saw Northern Shrike, American Tree Sparrow, Chickadees, 2 Northern Mockingbirds, and a Killdeer at the warm-water outlet near the white archway connecting Humber Bay East and West.
We then headed to Colonel Sam Smith Park (at the foot of Kipling Avenue), which was a new area to bird for me and it produced some good birds. There we had 8 Snow Buntings, an American Kestrel, an American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, a single Winter Wren, and 4 Red-necked Grebes. At this point, it began to snow a bit more intensely so visibility was low. There was also the trouble with ice; two members slipped and fell leaving us with a knee and ankle injury.
Those brave enough to stay out in the snowfall then drove to High Park to visit the north end of Grenadier Pond where open water is still available. Here there were Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, 3 Swamp Sparrows, and the highlight for the day, a secretive Virginia Rail found by Chris Escott. In this area, we also picked up American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, and a few other passerine species.
The trip proved that winter birding can be a great time, especially when some of our common species produce the most excitement. Unfortunately, no white-winged gulls were present.
Monday, November 26, 2007
High Park - Saturday
Just a quick update on my trip to High Park last Saturday. The weather was really great, cold but not bone-chilling and bird activity was decent. Immediately upon entering the park, I heard Robins and Chickadees singing as well as an abundance of Starlings (always present in large numbers). Just north of Colborne Lodge, I had Downy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and White-breasted Nuthatch. There is an area just around the bend from the first parking lot in the park where someone puts out seed for the local birds and this keeps a number of the species just mentioned close-by (White-breasted Nuthatches always look like they're about to land on me and then turn in flight at the last second). In this spot, there were a lot of White-throated Sparrows feeding, a few Juncos, and a lot of House Sparrows. Overhead I heard a few flocks of Goldfinches. As I walked past this location, I saw an owl fly off in the distance (being harassed by songbirds). By its size, I would say Great Horned or Barred but I couldn't be sure. Still a nice sighting.
Later, I decided to check Grenadier Pond. There are still good numbers of Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, and Mallard. This time, I counted 5 Domestic Mallard types versus the three I've had consistently in the past. Only 1 pair of Mute Swan is present right now. Lastly, I had a single female Ruddy Duck on the pond. She actually swam right up to the shore into the shallows and preened for a while right in front of me. Sometimes I hate not having a camera.
Later on, on some trails, I had a flock of Common Redpoll fly over me while I was looking at a large group of Robins and Juncos (in another area where birds are often fed seed). In this location, I also had an interesting Junco that showed slight white wing-bars; not to the extent shown in Sibley's but not far off. I don't recall ever seeing this before.
Lastly, I have to report a Rufous Hummingbird right in Kingsville that has been hanging out at a feeder there for about a week now. Once again, a significantly rare bird is within short driving distance of my Leamington home and I can't go to see it! Although I was successful with my last chases, Northern Wheatear and White-faced Ibis, this bird is definitely going to go unseen by me. Oh well, there will be others!
Later, I decided to check Grenadier Pond. There are still good numbers of Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, and Mallard. This time, I counted 5 Domestic Mallard types versus the three I've had consistently in the past. Only 1 pair of Mute Swan is present right now. Lastly, I had a single female Ruddy Duck on the pond. She actually swam right up to the shore into the shallows and preened for a while right in front of me. Sometimes I hate not having a camera.
Later on, on some trails, I had a flock of Common Redpoll fly over me while I was looking at a large group of Robins and Juncos (in another area where birds are often fed seed). In this location, I also had an interesting Junco that showed slight white wing-bars; not to the extent shown in Sibley's but not far off. I don't recall ever seeing this before.
Lastly, I have to report a Rufous Hummingbird right in Kingsville that has been hanging out at a feeder there for about a week now. Once again, a significantly rare bird is within short driving distance of my Leamington home and I can't go to see it! Although I was successful with my last chases, Northern Wheatear and White-faced Ibis, this bird is definitely going to go unseen by me. Oh well, there will be others!
Monday, November 12, 2007
TOC- Guatemala
Tonight I attended my first official meeting with the Toronto Ornithological Club as a guest of Don Barnett. Two more meetings and a short biography later, I'll be a member. Tonight's speaker was a woman who had just gotten back from a trip to Guatemala. Her presentation was excellent and she had many great photos of some fascinating birds as well as some Mayan temple ruins. There are some amazing birds from there including the Resplendent Quetzal, Pale-billed Woodpecker, and the Red-capped Manakin to name a few.
Here is a video she showed of the mating ritual of male Red-capped Manakins during the presentation that I have to share because it's just hilarious what this little guy can do.
The meeting was great and I look forward to the next outing. I also have a contact that might provide me a ride out to the Leslie Street Spit this winter so that would be a great experience. I've heard a lot of good things about this hotspot and I hope to get out there soon.
Also, just a quick update in terms of sightings: Sunday was an awful day for hawk migration (0 birds tallied), but I did get some good ducks on Grenadier Pond in High Park after a tip from some of the hawkwatchers. There were Hooded Mergansers (males doing their territorial displays), Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and Mallard. American Wigeon was also reported but I couldn't find them. Also of note were three domesticated Mallard varieties hanging out together near the shore where people often feed the ducks. All three were quite large compared to their wild counterparts. One was an all-white bird, another an all dark bird, and another mostly dark with a white patch on its head.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Lifer! Golden Eagle
After 12 years, I can finally say I've seen a Golden Eagle. 2 in fact. This marks my 306th species for my life list, which seems to be growing fast this year (most likely due to graduating and actually having time to go birding again!). Today at High Park, north winds and a clear sky brought 75 birds total through the area. The highlights included 2 Golden Eagles, 1 immature Bald Eagle, a few Red-shouldered Hawks, a couple of Sharpies and Cooper's Hawks, and a huge number of Red-tails.
The Golden Eagle, my target bird for this fall, is a stunning species. Its large size is palpable, even at a distance. The second bird was initially called out as a Turkey Vulture due to a noticeable dihedral but once it got closer, the group realized it was an eagle. On the first bird, the bulging primaries was quite obvious.
Other highlights at the count included a number of American Tree Sparrows, both species of nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and a drab Eastern Bluebird that was catching grasshoppers from the same perch for most of the day. Near the entrance to the park, I had a Blue-headed Vireo and I was told by other birders at the count that I'll probably have to fill out a report for the bird because it might be record late. All in all a great day of birding.
The Golden Eagle, my target bird for this fall, is a stunning species. Its large size is palpable, even at a distance. The second bird was initially called out as a Turkey Vulture due to a noticeable dihedral but once it got closer, the group realized it was an eagle. On the first bird, the bulging primaries was quite obvious.
Other highlights at the count included a number of American Tree Sparrows, both species of nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and a drab Eastern Bluebird that was catching grasshoppers from the same perch for most of the day. Near the entrance to the park, I had a Blue-headed Vireo and I was told by other birders at the count that I'll probably have to fill out a report for the bird because it might be record late. All in all a great day of birding.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Back from Panama City Beach!
After a week of warmth, sandy beaches, and palm trees, I'm back to the cold, drab days of November in Canada. Although I'm currently rushed because of work and getting everything back to normal in Toronto, updates are on their way. I ended up getting 4 lifers in the Panhandle, not bad considering the time of year and this trip being my third time to Florida. Obviously a ton of detail will follow each of my sightings. The highlight of the trip? Red-cockaded Woodpecker, which I will describe in great detail!
As with any trip, it's good to be back in Ontario and although it may not be everyone's favourite time of year, there are still a lot of good birds moving through the province. This includes Golden Eagle, my target species for November. There have been 13 birds tallied so far this fall at High Park so I can't wait to get back there. Before I forget, I also got the White-faced Ibis at Hillman Marsh! I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to get it almost a week after its initial finder. Blake and I had some good looks at it together and I'll be adding a post for that sighting as well.
As with any trip, it's good to be back in Ontario and although it may not be everyone's favourite time of year, there are still a lot of good birds moving through the province. This includes Golden Eagle, my target species for November. There have been 13 birds tallied so far this fall at High Park so I can't wait to get back there. Before I forget, I also got the White-faced Ibis at Hillman Marsh! I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to get it almost a week after its initial finder. Blake and I had some good looks at it together and I'll be adding a post for that sighting as well.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Potpourri
Just a quick update as to what will be happening around here for the next couple weeks. As I've been writing, my trip to Florida has arrived and I'm leaving soon to the Panhandle for a week. Obviously, many posts with many lists will follow. I wanted to get around updating the High Park hawk counts from this week but it's been another slow week for migrants (at least at this particular counts...according to reports from Holiday Beach and a few other locations, huge numbers are still going through; especially Turkey Vultures). Hopefully when I get back from Florida (November 7), there will still be some good hawk movement and I can get Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle, and Red-shouldered Hawk (at least the first and last should be easy).
I'm also VERY MUCH hoping that the White-faced Ibis is still in the vicinity of Hillman Marsh. Marianne just sent me an email telling me there are a lot of migrants of all kinds flying through the Pelee area right now so hopefully we can get a good day of birding in there before I hit the road to Florida.
A few highlights from my week: a great show from 2 Cooper's Hawks at High Park, chasing squirrels and pigeons. They were an adult (probably male by the size) and an immature bird. Another great sighting was on a rainy day when I watched a relatively late Osprey hunting in Grenadier Pond at High Park. I also had a domesticated Greylag Goose there, which was a first for the park (not that it's countable, just interesting). Grenadier Pond is very reliable for decent numbers of Northern Shovelers right now with 20 birds present the last day I visited. I have also seen at least 1 or 2 Pied-billed Grebes each time I've visited this week. Not much in terms of passerines, but good numbers flying over the hawk count including migrating Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Starlings, Robins, Goldfinches, and Cedar Waxwings. A few Eastern Bluebirds and Purple Finches have been flying through as well. On Thursday, we had a flock of White-winged Scoter fly over, many migrating Canada Geese (no Cackling), large numbers of Mergansers (probably Red-breasted), and Double-crested Cormorant. Definitely worth it to take a visit to High Park this time of year.
Lastly, the Cormorant Cull meeting regarding Middle Island was very interesting, a bit frustrating, but very informative. It really sounds like they're going through with the cull no matter what. The meetings may just be part of the environmental impact assessment so management can at least say they consulted the public. A lot of strong words about the cull were stated and my final thought is that there is too little strong scientific evidence to back up a management decision of this capacity, time-scale, and cost.
Well, I guess I'll sign off until I get back from my Florida trip.
Happy birding!
I'm also VERY MUCH hoping that the White-faced Ibis is still in the vicinity of Hillman Marsh. Marianne just sent me an email telling me there are a lot of migrants of all kinds flying through the Pelee area right now so hopefully we can get a good day of birding in there before I hit the road to Florida.
A few highlights from my week: a great show from 2 Cooper's Hawks at High Park, chasing squirrels and pigeons. They were an adult (probably male by the size) and an immature bird. Another great sighting was on a rainy day when I watched a relatively late Osprey hunting in Grenadier Pond at High Park. I also had a domesticated Greylag Goose there, which was a first for the park (not that it's countable, just interesting). Grenadier Pond is very reliable for decent numbers of Northern Shovelers right now with 20 birds present the last day I visited. I have also seen at least 1 or 2 Pied-billed Grebes each time I've visited this week. Not much in terms of passerines, but good numbers flying over the hawk count including migrating Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Starlings, Robins, Goldfinches, and Cedar Waxwings. A few Eastern Bluebirds and Purple Finches have been flying through as well. On Thursday, we had a flock of White-winged Scoter fly over, many migrating Canada Geese (no Cackling), large numbers of Mergansers (probably Red-breasted), and Double-crested Cormorant. Definitely worth it to take a visit to High Park this time of year.
Lastly, the Cormorant Cull meeting regarding Middle Island was very interesting, a bit frustrating, but very informative. It really sounds like they're going through with the cull no matter what. The meetings may just be part of the environmental impact assessment so management can at least say they consulted the public. A lot of strong words about the cull were stated and my final thought is that there is too little strong scientific evidence to back up a management decision of this capacity, time-scale, and cost.
Well, I guess I'll sign off until I get back from my Florida trip.
Happy birding!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Slow days for Hawks at Hawk Hill / Cormorant cull
Probably due to the stormy weather that Toronto had all week, or the strong southwest winds that blew on days when it wasn't raining, not many hawks flew through the area of High Park at all. Those of us at the hawk count envisage that a large number of Turkey Vultures probably fly through the area daily, but new tree growth on Hawk Hill has obstructed the view of the northern horizon where many birds likely fly by unnoticed. I was told that the weekend of OFO brought good hawk numbers including a single Golden Eagle (on this year's wish list) and a handful of Red-shouldered Hawks (which I have yet to see this year as well). So far, out of the annual raptors, I'm still missing Red-shouldered and Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Goshawk, and Golden Eagle. Fortunately, these are all late-season migratory species and I have a good chance to get every one of them. Of course, I'll have no trouble finding Rough-legged Hawks along highways in southern Ontario throughout the winter but I'd like to see a few in migration and study the fine details of their flight.
I was able to make it out Saturday and Sunday of this week and very little flew over; A moderate number of Sharp-shinned Hawks, a few Kestrels, and a handful of Red-tails (migrants and locals). Only a few Turkey Vultures are being reported even though other hawk counts along Lake Erie are getting huge numbers currently.
Tonight I'm attending a meeting on the proposed Double-crested Cormorant cull on Middle Island which should be very interesting. I am mostly against the proposal thinking there is too little evidence to support a cull of this size but I'll certainly be making a post soon to discuss this topic in more detail and also give my opinion. I can say that I worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2006 and never did another employee discuss Cormorant populations as a factor in the amount of fish stock in Lake Erie. I also think there are too many factors involved in the management of the population that haven't been investigated enough to allow such drastic decisions. My guess is that the proposal coincides with Canada's decision to buy the island and is an issue of economics and based on the concerns of specific stakeholders rather than an issue of conservation. If the ownership of the small land mass was still in dispute, would there be nearly as much heat over whether the Cormorant population is a problem at all? Apparently, slides demonstrating the damage done to 1/3 of the tree population on the island are to be shown as well as a presentation on why the cull has been deemed appropriate.
The following document is very informative and should be read by anyone concerned with the cull or looking for more information on the proposed plans. It is the AOU's full report on the proposed Cormorant cull including criticism, recommendations, and alternative solutions. You'll need Adobe Acrobat:
Review of the Double-crested Cormorant Management Plan, 2003: Final Report of the AOU Conservation Committee's Panel
I was able to make it out Saturday and Sunday of this week and very little flew over; A moderate number of Sharp-shinned Hawks, a few Kestrels, and a handful of Red-tails (migrants and locals). Only a few Turkey Vultures are being reported even though other hawk counts along Lake Erie are getting huge numbers currently.
Tonight I'm attending a meeting on the proposed Double-crested Cormorant cull on Middle Island which should be very interesting. I am mostly against the proposal thinking there is too little evidence to support a cull of this size but I'll certainly be making a post soon to discuss this topic in more detail and also give my opinion. I can say that I worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2006 and never did another employee discuss Cormorant populations as a factor in the amount of fish stock in Lake Erie. I also think there are too many factors involved in the management of the population that haven't been investigated enough to allow such drastic decisions. My guess is that the proposal coincides with Canada's decision to buy the island and is an issue of economics and based on the concerns of specific stakeholders rather than an issue of conservation. If the ownership of the small land mass was still in dispute, would there be nearly as much heat over whether the Cormorant population is a problem at all? Apparently, slides demonstrating the damage done to 1/3 of the tree population on the island are to be shown as well as a presentation on why the cull has been deemed appropriate.
The following document is very informative and should be read by anyone concerned with the cull or looking for more information on the proposed plans. It is the AOU's full report on the proposed Cormorant cull including criticism, recommendations, and alternative solutions. You'll need Adobe Acrobat:
Review of the Double-crested Cormorant Management Plan, 2003: Final Report of the AOU Conservation Committee's Panel
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Hawk Hill - October 10
Another relatively slow day for hawks today at High Park with only a handful of birds showing up including Sharp-shinned Hawks (most abundant hawk right now), a few local and migrant Red-tails, a local Cooper's, a Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, and a reported Merlin that I missed (flew behind Hawk Hill and was gone by the time I turned around). Winds were out of the SSW today and scattered showers also hindered migration (but did make for some beautiful cloud formations). However, at least the temperature is finally dropping. Saturday's record high temperature was awful and worrisome and I welcome some cooler temperatures over the next few weeks.
Other interesting sightings during the day include 2 Loon flyovers, a migrating Great Blue Heron, a large, scattered flock of Cormorants, migrating Blue Jays, Robins, and Blackbirds, a decent number of Monarchs fighting the wind, and as I was leaving the park, a flock of 6 White-winged Scoters flying south towards Lake Ontario.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to get out birding tomorrow because I have to pack for my trip home for the Ontario Field Ornithologists convention (25th) at Point Pelee. I can't wait to go birding this weekend with Marianne, and also visit with a large number of birders that I didn't see in the spring because of my move to Toronto.
Other interesting sightings during the day include 2 Loon flyovers, a migrating Great Blue Heron, a large, scattered flock of Cormorants, migrating Blue Jays, Robins, and Blackbirds, a decent number of Monarchs fighting the wind, and as I was leaving the park, a flock of 6 White-winged Scoters flying south towards Lake Ontario.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to get out birding tomorrow because I have to pack for my trip home for the Ontario Field Ornithologists convention (25th) at Point Pelee. I can't wait to go birding this weekend with Marianne, and also visit with a large number of birders that I didn't see in the spring because of my move to Toronto.
Monday, October 08, 2007
High Park Hawk Count - October 8
Another productive day at High Park, this time for hawks (I realize this is starting to turn into a High Park blog, but the place is just so conveniently located that I can get there everyday to bird...yep, I'll likely be there again Monday). I didn't waste any time with passerines today because I was late arriving and quickly walked straight to hawk hill; the result of sleeping in after staying up till 2am the night before watching Some Like it Hot. Anyway, the winds started out of WSW but ended up switching and coming out of the NW by noon and migration really picked up.
There was a good number of counters out today and we had large numbers of Sharpies, sometimes 5 or more in the sky at once. There were a decent number of Coop's mixed in as well as local and migrant Tails. Only one Harrier made an appearance and 2 Peregrine Falcons but Kestrel numbers were up. 2 Bald eagles gave a spectacular show by flying quite low over the hill and its so great how excited people get over the majestic species. A good amount of Turkey Vultures also made an appearance with one kettle containing 20 individual birds.
Here is the official count for October 8 as posted on Ontbirds. For some reason, the Harrier from today didn't get counted but this isn't too surprising as oftentimes, many different birds were being called out at once. The list also gives numbers from the week (October 1-8) as well as for the year.
_______________________________________________________________
Species Oct8 Oct 1-8 Year to Date
Turkey Vulture...........82...........130..............394
Osprey....................-.............1...............32
Bald Eagle................2.............3...............29
Northern Harrier..........-.............3...............82
Sharp-shinned Hawk......230...........369.............1541
Cooper's Hawk.............4............13...............98
Northern Goshawk..........-.............-................-
Red-shouldered Hawk.......-.............-................1
Broad-winged Hawk.........-.............1.............3757
Red-tailed Hawk..........25............35..............225
Rough-legged Hawk.........-.............-................-
Golden Eagle..............-.............-................-
American Kestrel.........20............28..............206
Merlin....................-.............-...............11
Peregrine Falcon..........2.............7...............19
-Unidentified.............-.............4...............45
Total...................365...........594.............6440*
There was a good number of counters out today and we had large numbers of Sharpies, sometimes 5 or more in the sky at once. There were a decent number of Coop's mixed in as well as local and migrant Tails. Only one Harrier made an appearance and 2 Peregrine Falcons but Kestrel numbers were up. 2 Bald eagles gave a spectacular show by flying quite low over the hill and its so great how excited people get over the majestic species. A good amount of Turkey Vultures also made an appearance with one kettle containing 20 individual birds.
Here is the official count for October 8 as posted on Ontbirds. For some reason, the Harrier from today didn't get counted but this isn't too surprising as oftentimes, many different birds were being called out at once. The list also gives numbers from the week (October 1-8) as well as for the year.
_______________________________________________________________
Species Oct8 Oct 1-8 Year to Date
Turkey Vulture...........82...........130..............394
Osprey....................-.............1...............32
Bald Eagle................2.............3...............29
Northern Harrier..........-.............3...............82
Sharp-shinned Hawk......230...........369.............1541
Cooper's Hawk.............4............13...............98
Northern Goshawk..........-.............-................-
Red-shouldered Hawk.......-.............-................1
Broad-winged Hawk.........-.............1.............3757
Red-tailed Hawk..........25............35..............225
Rough-legged Hawk.........-.............-................-
Golden Eagle..............-.............-................-
American Kestrel.........20............28..............206
Merlin....................-.............-...............11
Peregrine Falcon..........2.............7...............19
-Unidentified.............-.............4...............45
Total...................365...........594.............6440*
High Park - October 7
Another great day of birding at High Park, proving that poor weather isn't always a bad thing. Slight chance of rain, fog in the morning, overcast skies, and a lower temperature likely held back a lot of birds during their migration and High Park once again experienced a fallout of sorts. The most abundant species in the park was Yellow-rumped Warbler with hundreds of birds at the southern end. Pishing was also working extremely well and I could bring over 10 birds within a few meters within seconds. After seeing a Northern Mockingbird, I decided to post my sightings again onto Ontbirds, basically hoping get people out there to the park and witness the heavy songbird migration that's in full force.
Here is my Ontbirds post, followed by my list for the day along with further details on individual sightings:
_____________________________________________________________________
At noon on Sunday, October 7, I had a Northern Mockingbird at the south end of High Park, Toronto. The bird was about 50 meters west of Colborne Lodge drive, directly across from Grenadier Pond. It was perched on the hydro lines.
In addition, it was another excellent day of birding at High Park with large numbers of migrants, no doubt due to the weather conditions holding them in the park.
Warblers:
Yellow-rumped Warbler - I counted over 250 just at the south end of the park
Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 first fall female
Magnolia Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3 (2 females, 1 male)
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 5
Northern Waterthrush - 2
I also counted over 20 White-breasted Nuthatches (outnumbered Red-breasted), 3 Brown Creepers, had both Kinglet species, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, both White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, and decent numbers of migrating Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins, and Starlings. At Grenadier pond, I had 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 8 Northern Shoveler, and 1 Peregrine Falcon. Also, there were 8 Red-breasted Mergansers flying overhead.
In total I had 43 species in the span of 3.5 hours (10:00am - 1:30pm).
High Park is located at the west end of Toronto near Keele and Bloor. The main entrance is on the south side of Bloor, or you can access the park via the Queensway on its south end at Queensway and Colborne Drive. If you're getting there by transit, get off the Bloor subway line at High Park station and cross the street.
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I'm so glad to have High Park within a short streetcar ride away. It's very convenient and I've had some great birds there already. I wish the islands didn't require so much planning or else I would visit them more often to birdwatch as well because they sound like they're pretty active right now. However, the great aspect of High Park, at least right now during fall migration, is that if there aren't many songbirds about, you can always check out Hawk Hill and watch the hawk migration, something else I've been doing frequently this past month.
Here is my full list for the day:
Double-crested Cormorant – a few on Grenadier Pond
Great Blue Heron – 1
Mute Swan – 4 on Grenadier Pond
Canada Goose – a few migrants but mostly local birds
Wood Duck – 6
Mallard
Northern Shoveler – 8 on Grenadier Pond
Red-breasted Merganser – 8 migrants
Peregrine Falcon – 1 local bird
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Black-billed Cuckoo – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – around 20 birds
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay – only a few birds
Black-capped Chickadee – abundant
Red-breasted Nuthatch – fewer than usual
White-breasted Nuthatch – 20+ (some were being very tame and one landed on my hand)
Brown Creeper – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 10
American Robin – abundant
Northern Mockingbird – 1
European Starling – abundant
Orange-crowned Warbler – 2
Northern Parula – 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1 first fall female
Magnolia Warbler – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 200+
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
Blackpoll Warbler – 5
Northern Waterthrush – 2 late migrants
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow – 20+
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Red-winged Blackbird – a few migrants
Common Grackle – quite a few migrating
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 43 This number is up from other days, probably because I visited a variety of habitats and also spent more time exploring than restricting myself to the vicinity of Colborne Lodge. Also, no raptors at the hawk count. In fact, no hawkwatchers at the hawk count. The conditions were too poor for any raptor migration to occur.
Last thing: I'm uber-excited about birding my old stomping grounds, Point Pelee. The OFO convention is this coming weekend and I can't wait to get out there and bird the Pelee Birding Circle!
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UPDATE, 2008: It was brought to my attention that some of the counts that I made during my trips to High Park in the fall were probably overestimates. Most numbers are still accurate, however, Tennessee Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker numbers, in particular, were probably overestimates. I was counting by memory so a few counts might be high and I also made rough estimates with some species, which is why I added a '+' sign after many of the counts. I plan to be a lot more careful with reporting numbers in the future, making sure I write them down and not overestimate any numbers and provide a false impression of how many birds were present.
Here is my Ontbirds post, followed by my list for the day along with further details on individual sightings:
_____________________________________________________________________
At noon on Sunday, October 7, I had a Northern Mockingbird at the south end of High Park, Toronto. The bird was about 50 meters west of Colborne Lodge drive, directly across from Grenadier Pond. It was perched on the hydro lines.
In addition, it was another excellent day of birding at High Park with large numbers of migrants, no doubt due to the weather conditions holding them in the park.
Warblers:
Yellow-rumped Warbler - I counted over 250 just at the south end of the park
Orange-crowned Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 first fall female
Magnolia Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3 (2 females, 1 male)
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 5
Northern Waterthrush - 2
I also counted over 20 White-breasted Nuthatches (outnumbered Red-breasted), 3 Brown Creepers, had both Kinglet species, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, both White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, and decent numbers of migrating Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins, and Starlings. At Grenadier pond, I had 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 8 Northern Shoveler, and 1 Peregrine Falcon. Also, there were 8 Red-breasted Mergansers flying overhead.
In total I had 43 species in the span of 3.5 hours (10:00am - 1:30pm).
High Park is located at the west end of Toronto near Keele and Bloor. The main entrance is on the south side of Bloor, or you can access the park via the Queensway on its south end at Queensway and Colborne Drive. If you're getting there by transit, get off the Bloor subway line at High Park station and cross the street.
_________________________________________________________________
I'm so glad to have High Park within a short streetcar ride away. It's very convenient and I've had some great birds there already. I wish the islands didn't require so much planning or else I would visit them more often to birdwatch as well because they sound like they're pretty active right now. However, the great aspect of High Park, at least right now during fall migration, is that if there aren't many songbirds about, you can always check out Hawk Hill and watch the hawk migration, something else I've been doing frequently this past month.
Here is my full list for the day:
Double-crested Cormorant – a few on Grenadier Pond
Great Blue Heron – 1
Mute Swan – 4 on Grenadier Pond
Canada Goose – a few migrants but mostly local birds
Wood Duck – 6
Mallard
Northern Shoveler – 8 on Grenadier Pond
Red-breasted Merganser – 8 migrants
Peregrine Falcon – 1 local bird
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Black-billed Cuckoo – 1
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – around 20 birds
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay – only a few birds
Black-capped Chickadee – abundant
Red-breasted Nuthatch – fewer than usual
White-breasted Nuthatch – 20+ (some were being very tame and one landed on my hand)
Brown Creeper – 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 10
American Robin – abundant
Northern Mockingbird – 1
European Starling – abundant
Orange-crowned Warbler – 2
Northern Parula – 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1 first fall female
Magnolia Warbler – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 200+
Black-throated Green Warbler – 1
Blackpoll Warbler – 5
Northern Waterthrush – 2 late migrants
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow – 20+
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Red-winged Blackbird – a few migrants
Common Grackle – quite a few migrating
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 43 This number is up from other days, probably because I visited a variety of habitats and also spent more time exploring than restricting myself to the vicinity of Colborne Lodge. Also, no raptors at the hawk count. In fact, no hawkwatchers at the hawk count. The conditions were too poor for any raptor migration to occur.
Last thing: I'm uber-excited about birding my old stomping grounds, Point Pelee. The OFO convention is this coming weekend and I can't wait to get out there and bird the Pelee Birding Circle!
___________________________________________
UPDATE, 2008: It was brought to my attention that some of the counts that I made during my trips to High Park in the fall were probably overestimates. Most numbers are still accurate, however, Tennessee Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker numbers, in particular, were probably overestimates. I was counting by memory so a few counts might be high and I also made rough estimates with some species, which is why I added a '+' sign after many of the counts. I plan to be a lot more careful with reporting numbers in the future, making sure I write them down and not overestimate any numbers and provide a false impression of how many birds were present.
Friday, October 05, 2007
High Park - yet another good day
This time, for hawks. I started off the day in the vicinity of Colborne Lodge where I had so many migrants the day before but it looks like most of the birds flew through overnight. The heavy fog on Wednesday night probably held most of the birds in the park until Thursday morning when I had excellent numbers. However, Thursday night was quite clear. There were still a good number of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the area but other numbers were down significantly including Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, both Kinglet species, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Though there were probably a few present, I didn't see any Blackpoll or Tennesse Warblers this morning, or American Redstart.
Due to the the lower numbers, I decided to check out the hawk count around 10:30 and I wasn't disappointed. Don Barnett and I (along with a few others) had good raptor numbers today, particularly Sharp-shinned. During certain half-hour intervals, we were seeing more than 30 Sharpies in the sky, meaning 1 or more a minute. This kept things very exciting. Later in the day, Turkey Vultures started to appear and we had 2 separate kettles of about 20 birds. One Bald Eagle also flew over as well as 3 migrating Peregrine Falcons. Once again, the local Red-tails provided some entertainment, but a few juvenile and adult birds were definitive migrants. 3 Cooper's were counted, the rest being local birds and finally, a single, late Broad-winged Hawk migrated past, well beyond the peak time for this species. Also of interest was the number of Blue Jays migrating through. Many were seen during the hawk count, but I had just as many throughout the park.
Here is my list for the day:
Double-crested Cormorant - a few migrants over Hawk Hill
Great Blue Heron - one bird at Grenadier Pond
- no Mute Swans, but I'm sure they were somewhere on Grenadier Pond
Canada Goose - no migrants, all local birds
Mallard
Turkey Vulture - two groups of about 20 birds each
Bald Eagle - one adult
Northern Harrier - 2 birds
Sharp-shinned Hawk - I forget the total right now, but I believe we made it to over 100 birds. I'll have to check the Hawk Hill update on Sunday.
Cooper's Hawk - at least 3 migrants, as well as some local birds
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 late juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk - a few migrants and a few local birds (there is a local juvenile that hangs out around Hawk Hill, flying within close proximity to the hawkwatchers and providing spectacular views)
Peregrine Falcon - 3 birds, all in a row
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove - only 1 bird flying over Hawk Hill
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 juvenile
Downy Woodpecker - a few heard but numbers were far lower than the day before (and none landed on me this time!)
Northern Flicker - a few birds
Blue Jay - abundant, many birds migrating throughout the park and along the waterfront
Black-capped Chickadee - extremely abundant in the park right now
Red-breasted Nuthatch - fairly good numbers, but down from Thursday
White-breasted Nuthatch - only heard one singing
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
American Robin - abundant
European Starling - abundant
Yellow-rumped Warbler - numbers dropped significantly, but still the most abundant warbler in the park
Northern Cardinal
White-crowned Sparrow - a single bird, my first for the fall
House Finch - a few singing at the zoo within the park
American Goldfinch - a handful of migrants
House Sparrow
Total Species: 32 - my total species counts are always low because I don't specifically try for diversity and oftentimes, I'm not at the site long enough to get a decent list. On one of my days off, I'll probably see if I can get 60+ species in a day.
Due to the the lower numbers, I decided to check out the hawk count around 10:30 and I wasn't disappointed. Don Barnett and I (along with a few others) had good raptor numbers today, particularly Sharp-shinned. During certain half-hour intervals, we were seeing more than 30 Sharpies in the sky, meaning 1 or more a minute. This kept things very exciting. Later in the day, Turkey Vultures started to appear and we had 2 separate kettles of about 20 birds. One Bald Eagle also flew over as well as 3 migrating Peregrine Falcons. Once again, the local Red-tails provided some entertainment, but a few juvenile and adult birds were definitive migrants. 3 Cooper's were counted, the rest being local birds and finally, a single, late Broad-winged Hawk migrated past, well beyond the peak time for this species. Also of interest was the number of Blue Jays migrating through. Many were seen during the hawk count, but I had just as many throughout the park.
Here is my list for the day:
Double-crested Cormorant - a few migrants over Hawk Hill
Great Blue Heron - one bird at Grenadier Pond
- no Mute Swans, but I'm sure they were somewhere on Grenadier Pond
Canada Goose - no migrants, all local birds
Mallard
Turkey Vulture - two groups of about 20 birds each
Bald Eagle - one adult
Northern Harrier - 2 birds
Sharp-shinned Hawk - I forget the total right now, but I believe we made it to over 100 birds. I'll have to check the Hawk Hill update on Sunday.
Cooper's Hawk - at least 3 migrants, as well as some local birds
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 late juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk - a few migrants and a few local birds (there is a local juvenile that hangs out around Hawk Hill, flying within close proximity to the hawkwatchers and providing spectacular views)
Peregrine Falcon - 3 birds, all in a row
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove - only 1 bird flying over Hawk Hill
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 juvenile
Downy Woodpecker - a few heard but numbers were far lower than the day before (and none landed on me this time!)
Northern Flicker - a few birds
Blue Jay - abundant, many birds migrating throughout the park and along the waterfront
Black-capped Chickadee - extremely abundant in the park right now
Red-breasted Nuthatch - fairly good numbers, but down from Thursday
White-breasted Nuthatch - only heard one singing
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
American Robin - abundant
European Starling - abundant
Yellow-rumped Warbler - numbers dropped significantly, but still the most abundant warbler in the park
Northern Cardinal
White-crowned Sparrow - a single bird, my first for the fall
House Finch - a few singing at the zoo within the park
American Goldfinch - a handful of migrants
House Sparrow
Total Species: 32 - my total species counts are always low because I don't specifically try for diversity and oftentimes, I'm not at the site long enough to get a decent list. On one of my days off, I'll probably see if I can get 60+ species in a day.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Hawkless Hill
A quick update from Hawk Hill at High Park on October 1, 2007. Southeast winds, warm weather, and poor cloud cover resulted in very few birds being seen today. And by very few birds, I mean 4 in total over a period of 3 hours. However, it's given me a chance to talk to the other hawkwatchers. One of the topics of debate was the Double-crested Cormorant cull at Middle Island and other vicinities in Ontario. My opinion falls somewhere in the middle until I can hear some hard scientific justification for the cull. There is a meeting in Toronto that I plan to attend on October 22 at High Park Tennis Club that will discuss the issue. More on this soon.
So, I may as well tell you what the 4 birds were:
1 Cooper's Hawk
3 Turkey Vultures (all of which showed up minutes after a visiting school group left...they didn't see any migrants)
2 resident Red-tailed Hawks were also present again, one adult and a juvenile bird that sticks close to Hawk Hill and provides quite the entertainment for the counters. On Saturday, I witnessed 2 juvenile Red-tails harassing each other on the soccer field near the north entrance of the park and it was fantastic to watch. Also Saturday I saw my first Common Mergansers of the fall, a few migrating Goldfinches and Jays, as well as my first Golden-crowned Kinglets. Lastly, at the count location, we saw two Common Loons flying south. The Golden-crowned Kinglet starts to migrate mid-September with larger numbers throughout November and October.
So that's all for now. I won't be going tomorrow because rain is being predicted by Environment Canada for the morning (hawks do not migrate during rain). I hope to return Wednesday or Thursday though and help out once again.
So, I may as well tell you what the 4 birds were:
1 Cooper's Hawk
3 Turkey Vultures (all of which showed up minutes after a visiting school group left...they didn't see any migrants)
2 resident Red-tailed Hawks were also present again, one adult and a juvenile bird that sticks close to Hawk Hill and provides quite the entertainment for the counters. On Saturday, I witnessed 2 juvenile Red-tails harassing each other on the soccer field near the north entrance of the park and it was fantastic to watch. Also Saturday I saw my first Common Mergansers of the fall, a few migrating Goldfinches and Jays, as well as my first Golden-crowned Kinglets. Lastly, at the count location, we saw two Common Loons flying south. The Golden-crowned Kinglet starts to migrate mid-September with larger numbers throughout November and October.
So that's all for now. I won't be going tomorrow because rain is being predicted by Environment Canada for the morning (hawks do not migrate during rain). I hope to return Wednesday or Thursday though and help out once again.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
High Park - Hawk Hill
On my way to High Park to visit Hawk Hill for the High Park Hawk Count for the first time, I was concerned with the weather conditions. After a full-scan, I couldn’t see a single cloud in the sky, there were very low winds, and it looked like the temperature was on the rise. When I stepped off the subway at High Park station, I stepped in a fresh pile of dog excrement and figured the fates were trying to tell me something.
However, upon entering the park, I saw a cloud in the distance and once I finally found Hawk Hill (north of the restaurant, not south like I thought), my initial concerns were unfounded. It ended up being a great day.
At the hawk count, I met Don Barnett, the count leader who promised to sponsor me at the next Toronto Ornithological Club meeting so I could become a member. I also met a handful of other dedicated hawkers whose experience was immediately palpable. To start, we had individual sightings of Red-tails, or tails as they are called at hawk counts as well as a few isolated sightings of Sharp-shinned Hawks, short-form Sharpie. Once more eyes joined the group, we picked up a handful of late Broad-winged Hawks, a couple of Cooper’s Hawks (Coops for short), and a few more Sharpies. The real excitement began when the number of Bald Eagles gradually rose from 5 to 10, to a record-breaking 13 for the High Park count, which was great to be part of (I spotted bird 11). Also, a few Peregrine Falcons made appearances as well as a spattering of Kestrels, more Tails (many juvenile), and a large number of Turkey Vultures (TV’s) later in the day. Around noon, the winds started to shift out of the south and the TV numbers rose significantly while other hawk numbers dropped. While earlier in the day, birds were being pushed against the north shore of lake Ontario, as winds switched, the line of migrants now were flying much farther north and higher in the sky. Cloud cover remained decent throughout the day.
More details as I attend more counts (my next planned trip is Monday before work).
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Toronto Island plans and High Park list
So I just heard news that my trip to Center Island this Saturday might be affected by a music festival going on there over the weekend. Apparently it attracts hundreds of people but it is mostly restricted to the middle island, not Ward Island or those to the east where I plan to focus my attention. I'm also starting early and the festival doesn't start until 1 so hopefully I'm not drowned out by noise. The plan is to catch an early ferry ride across the bay to Ward Island around 7am and spend the morning and early afternoon birding. Hopefully I can get a decent amount of warbler species as well as some shorebirds on the beaches...mostly, I'll just be happy to get out and bird though. Thankfully the air show was last weekend or I would have been battling noise from the ground and the sky.
Since I didn't include it in my last post on High Park, I thought I'd put it in a new post instead of editing my old one (to create the illusion of almost-daily updates ;)
Great Blue Heron (3 - 2 adults and one first year juvenile)
Green Heron (1 first summer bird *note: greenish legs, dark green wings with no white spotting as in juvenile)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (4 adults)
Mute Swan (6 - 4 adults and 2 dark juveniles)
Canada Goose (many)
Wood Duck (many - mixture of adult males in eclipse, juveniles, and females)
Mallard (many - mixture of adult males in eclipse, juveniles, and females)
Red-tailed Hawk (1 adult)
Solitary Sandpiper (2)
Ring-billed Gull (many)
Rock Pigeon (many)
Chimney Swift (3)
Belted Kingfisher (2 heard)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Northern Flicker (1 heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1)
Warbling Vireo (1)
Black-capped Chickadee (many - outnumber any other woodland passerines)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (5)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1 singing male)
European Starling (many)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Black-and-white Warbler (2 females)
American Redstart (5 - 4 females and 1 first-year male)
Wilson's Warbler (2 males)
Common Grackle (many)
American Goldfinch (many - females and males in basic plumage)
House Sparrow (many)
Total Species: only 27 (granted, there are a few common species I may have forgotten)
Since I didn't include it in my last post on High Park, I thought I'd put it in a new post instead of editing my old one (to create the illusion of almost-daily updates ;)
Great Blue Heron (3 - 2 adults and one first year juvenile)
Green Heron (1 first summer bird *note: greenish legs, dark green wings with no white spotting as in juvenile)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (4 adults)
Mute Swan (6 - 4 adults and 2 dark juveniles)
Canada Goose (many)
Wood Duck (many - mixture of adult males in eclipse, juveniles, and females)
Mallard (many - mixture of adult males in eclipse, juveniles, and females)
Red-tailed Hawk (1 adult)
Solitary Sandpiper (2)
Ring-billed Gull (many)
Rock Pigeon (many)
Chimney Swift (3)
Belted Kingfisher (2 heard)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Northern Flicker (1 heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1)
Warbling Vireo (1)
Black-capped Chickadee (many - outnumber any other woodland passerines)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (5)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1 singing male)
European Starling (many)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Black-and-white Warbler (2 females)
American Redstart (5 - 4 females and 1 first-year male)
Wilson's Warbler (2 males)
Common Grackle (many)
American Goldfinch (many - females and males in basic plumage)
House Sparrow (many)
Total Species: only 27 (granted, there are a few common species I may have forgotten)
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