There have been repeated sightings of an mature bald eagle in Port Credit in the past few days.
There are some discussion of whether there are one or two eagles.
More as sightings are noticed.
Best viwing places are either Hiawatha Park, Hiawatha Parkway south off Lakeshore in the centre of the East Village or the Adamson Estate which is accessed by Enola Ave which is between the Beer Store and the Sunoco Station off Lakeshore in the east end of Port Credit.
In Reply to: Re: American Kestrel at Sam Smith posted by Tom Cudzilo on December 29, 2005 at 06:56:10:
Superb picture! Thanks for sending it to me.
In Reply to: American Kestrel at Sam Smith posted by John on December 28, 2005 at 16:05:53:
Yea the Kestrel was there... there actually is two of them there... and the Herons are still in that tree.. I think they will be staying there for a while.
Also there I saw a Northern Mockingbird and the usual water fowl. For photos see attached link.
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/683390/8
In Reply to: Humber Bay.E. posted by BIGFRANK on December 28, 2005 at 03:10:57:
That's a pretty bleak place, especially when the wind's up ... any sign of a mocker? There was one in the area a few years back, and they usually hang on to winter territory and defend it.
Regards
In Reply to: Leslie Street Spit posted by Norm Murr on December 27, 2005 at 17:47:33:
LESLIE STREET SPIT (TOMMY THOMPSON PARK) IN TORONTO
To get to "The Spit" from Queen & Yonge Sts. Take the Queen Street Car #501 east to Leslie St. and walk south (about 2 km) or as far as you can go on Leslie St. at Unwin Ave. and you will see the gate and signage. You may also catch the Jones Bus #83 at the Donlands Subway Station or transfer to it at Queen St. and Jones Ave. and take it to Leslie St. And Commissioner St. (on Saturday only). By automobile you may drive to Lakeshore Blvd and Leslie St. then south to The Spit.
You can park either on Leslie St. or Unwin Ave., the parking lot inside the gate is closed for the Winter it seems.
NOTE:- The spit is only open on the weekends and on holidays, at other times you will not be able to access the area. This area is extensive, 7 km to the tip, but be prepared to walk more than that. The "SPIT" is only open on the weekend as they are still building it.
PS
This week and this week only The Spit is accesable until Jan.1st then it is back to the above schedule. It is not open on Monday, Jan. 2nd
Norm Murr
Always birding by car, while returning from christmas gift returns, my girlfriend pointed out a stoic coopers hawk perched tree-top behind Witsend restaraunt next to the intersection of Richmond and Fanshawe in London. Slaty back and light rufous chest, and I swear I caught a clean white rim of the folded tail in comparsion to the narrower dirtier terminal band of a sharpie. Good size, probably female.
Good birding to all,
Ethan Huner & Shannon Queen
Dave and I saw an American Kestrel (male), consuming a mouse (he started at the head) on Tuesday early afternoon Dec. 27. We saw him at Sam Smith in a small bare tree on the north side of the main trail that leads east from the cul-de-sac. He let us watch him as long as we cared to (1/3 of the mouse)
There was a harlequin duck this afternoon at approximately 4:00pm just off the northeastern-most point of the park today. It was approximately 30 feet offshore in the heavy waves. The head markings were obviously harlequin, but the white marks on the body were missing. I checked on the internet and saw a number of photos of immature birds and this was certainly it. I was able to follow and observe it for a couple of minutes, until it flew off. It was pretty cool!
I also saw two immature black crowned night herons. I saw one there in the same tree a couple of days ago, so it seems to be a regular roost for them. If any one is interested, here is the location:
1) west of Park Lawn on Lakeshore 2) Small plaza with a Rabba on north side, just across the Mimico creek 3) on south side of Lakeshore, directly acroos from Rabba there are several willows 4) night herons were in the easternmost tree, closest to the creek
Steve
In Reply to: Leslie Street Spit posted by Norm Murr on December 27, 2005 at 17:47:33:
I would like to know where is the Leslie Street Spit
In Reply to: Leslie Street Spit posted by Norm Murr on December 27, 2005 at 17:47:33:
Will this place be opened on Monday after the New Years ? It is a holyday of sorts :)
Anyone know?
In Reply to: Leslie Spit/ Humber Bay.E. posted by Ron Luft on December 27, 2005 at 16:23:59:
Same day also saw a Brown Creeper,Shovellors and a Horned Grebe,all 3 Mergansers.The Harlequin was seen yesterday,though not by me. It was near the mouth of the Humber,near the big white bridge beyond the newish condos(east of Humber Bay East Park.
Good evening birders.
Today Margaret Liubavicius and I went down to The Spit and for once it was a relatively windless day, a rarity lately and for you 905ers it was an almost snow free environment.
The day started off with close up fly past of a beautiful adult Northern Goshawk and further out we found 2 Common Loons and a Red-necked Grebe and then a close up in your face adult male Coyote that came within 30 feet of us before I let him know we were there. Further along we spotted some Horned Larks and with them was a Lapland Longspur and not far away an adult female Peregrine Falcon perched on a stump.
We checked the bays for waterfowl and came up with 14 species with nothing special but there was a noticeable lack of Gulls (for this time of year) on or around The Spit.
Later Margaret spotted some Common Redpolls in a Birch tree and to our delight a Hoary Redpoll was one of them.
Not many birds but quality.
Walked the base and and first half of Spit. Were rewarded with a Great Horned Owl, Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Tree Sparrows. Lake produced usual suspects of Scaups (both), Long Tails, Buffles, Red Br. Mergs, C.Goldeneye. Humber area added Wood Duck, Red-Headed Duck, Hooded Merg., Trumpeter Swans, N. Shrike. No Harlequin found.
For those keeping track of this duck, it is at the mouth of the Humber river, feeding along the east shore where the river opens into the lake. It tends to be around a small group of buffleheads, though does go off on its own. Last year the duck (? same one) fed regularly in this location.
In Reply to: Re: 3 Peregrines, no Harlequin - Humber Bay East posted by Norm Bates on December 26, 2005 at 07:33:18:
hey norm, would aunt margaret be Marge Kelvin?
neo
In Reply to: 3 Peregrines, no Harlequin - Humber Bay East posted by Iain Fleming on December 25, 2005 at 11:47:53:
Interesting you should bring that up .... I remember dropping by that spot about 10 years ago, to see a Gyrfalcon (my son, who's good, but still can't get the tonals like the old guy--pretty good with the 'noises,'still --, accompanied me on 31 Dec 119?). There were a number of avian enthusiasts at the site (Bathurst & Lake Ontario, and they politely let us view the dingy, immature creature rigidly positioned against the stairwell/wall,it being evening and all ...
I'm (obviously) a fairly old fellow now, but I still remember racing to Rodney, ON to see my first Fulvous Whistling-duck, and racing from Pelee to catch a glimpse of the Spotted Redshank with "Big Al" Wormington out near Peterborough.
Now I'm a bit old for all that ... Aunt Margaret takes care of me now.
Happy Holidays!
In Reply to: Re: RFI Humber Bay Park-Night Heron posted by Steve on December 25, 2005 at 08:56:31:
No the hawk I did not see. However today there were two herons roosting on that tree. My God that looks so out of place and funny hehehe :)
Went out to find the Harlequin in Humber Bay East park on a dreary Christmas day and instead found a trio of squabbling Peregrines. The Falcons came flying over the eastern-most point of the park (from east to west). Two continued west while one broke off from the aerial wrestling match and perched on a cable tower over the Gardiner. Plenty of the usual winter ducks around.
PS. If anyone locates a Harlequin in the GTA, I would greatly appreciate an email about it.
Happy Holidays
In Reply to: Just a question? posted by Jean-Francois on December 25, 2005 at 08:58:16:
Your downy was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had a bluejay that met the same fate.
Al
In Reply to: Re: RFI is this bird I've seen an Eastern Blue Bird posted by BIGFRANK on December 25, 2005 at 00:44:01:
Thankyou BIGFRANK.. Shouldn't these little guys be long gone..It has been quite consistently cold since the middle of November..Yet they they are still here. I did notice today with the above zero temp's that the activity level at my feeder has increased from 0 in two weeks to an abundace of a variety of birds. Napper..
Hello. I would like to know a bit more about birds of prey. I had in my garden 4 Downy Woodpeckers and a Sharp-shinned hawk in the neighbourhood. The result is 1-0. Are Downy Woodpeckers the easiest prey around or am I (are they) unlucky!!!
In Reply to: Re: RFI Humber Bay Park-Night Heron posted by Tom Cudzilo on December 25, 2005 at 08:19:31:
Thanks for the photo! This looks exactly like what I saw. Did you happen to see/identify the hawk that was across the creek?
In Reply to: RFI Humber Bay Park-Night Heron posted by Steve on December 24, 2005 at 18:48:49:
I saw that guy as well. Only a juvenile.
In Reply to: Re: RFI is this bird I've seen an Eastern Blue Bird posted by Napper on December 24, 2005 at 20:44:33:
You got it napper. Thats an Eastern Bluebird.
In Reply to: Re: RFI is this bird I've seen an Eastern Blue Bird posted by Napper on December 24, 2005 at 20:42:02:
here is another
Thanx in advance..
In Reply to: RFI is this bird I've seen an Eastern Blue Bird posted by Napper on December 24, 2005 at 20:38:18:
Here it is. Taken 3:30 ish Port Colborne, Ontario, Cement rd. The colour blue does not show well in this image..napper
Was visiting my parents today Dec 24, Took My Camera out to look for some Redtails. I Snapped four shots of a colourful little bird. I like to use the site below as a comparison to what I see and sometimes image. "http://ontfin.com/SpeciesTable.htm"
I will try to post the images Napper..
I was looking around Humber Bay Park this afternoon and saw what I think was juvenile black-crowned night heron. It was near the Mimico Creek bridge on Lakeshore (across from the plaza with the Rabba) in a willow tree. I'd seen a hawk in a tree on the other side of the creek and was trying to get a better look, when I noticed the night heron(?) about 10 feet from me. I was able to get a very close look at him. The most distinctive features were the yellowish green legs and the orange eyes. It seemed to be about the length of my arm from elbow to finger tip, but I'm not a very experienced judge. Does anyone more experienced have any thoughts whether this was likely a night heron?
I think the hawk was a red tailed hawk, based on the brown colouration and the white patches on it's back. The tail didn't appear very red, however. Again, I would appreciate any feedback or thoughts even though the supplied details are quite sparse!
I also saw a Northern Mockingbird, some northern shovelers, buffleheads, long tailed ducks and a lesser scaup.
Thanks in advance for the help!
In Reply to: Re: Flock of robins - Dec 20-21 ??? posted by David Shilman on December 23, 2005 at 17:00:24:
Not only are robins always recorded on the Toronto CBC, but usually in high numbers too. This year the total count was 930, making them the 11th most abundant species out of the 91 observed! They have been as high as 10th place when we had a record count of 1467 in 1998, and are routinely in the top 15. The majority of them are found in sheltered ravines, especially around concentrations of buckthorn and other fruit-bearing shrubs and trees.
In Reply to: Flock of robins - Dec 20-21 ??? posted by paul w on December 23, 2005 at 11:25:58:
Paul, we've had several flock of robins here in Whitchurch-Stouffville. They've been feeding on residual berries and apples that are still clinging to the trees. Al
In Reply to: Re: Kestrel trapped.. this is a strange one..happened today posted by dirk on December 23, 2005 at 11:35:03:
That was quite the Christmas story! :-)
David
In Reply to: Flock of robins - Dec 20-21 ??? posted by paul w on December 23, 2005 at 11:25:58:
Berries and fruit and stuff. Some robins stay all winter...I think they're always recorded on the Toronto CBC.
David
Seen roosting today in ravine near Don Valley Parkway and Don Mills Road. Also saw a possible male Goshawk (for sure a large accipiter) but couldn't get a close enough look to absolutely identify it.
In Reply to: Re: Are we seeing things? posted by Norm Bates on December 23, 2005 at 11:05:14:
Thanks for the reply, Norm. When you're a novice and you see a bird that isn't supposed to be there it's easy to doubt your eyes.
Cheers!
Excuse my spelling and Grammar, I am Dyslexic thank you.
There wear some great birds seen today at Humber Bay Park East first was the Purple sandpiper seen by many of the fare east point , just to the north from their was the male Harlequin duck and right over by the foot bridge was a male Wood duck.
Also seen 2 mocking birds ,1 N Shrike and 1 cold great blue heron.
Best of best for the holidays to all
Craig & Bev McLauchlan
Thanks to Anne Anthony for the derkshons
Humber Bay Park East is located in the west end of Toronto south of Lakeshore at the foot of Park Lawn. There is an exit off the Garder Expressway. Go south to the lake on Park Lawn and continue straight into The park.. In the park, turn right at the first drive. The drive to the lot isn't plowed well (speed bumps) but the parking lot is.
Craig & Bev McLauchlan
Toronto, Ont, Canada, the World, Proud member of TTPBC
In Reply to: Re: Kestrel trapped.. this is a strange one..happened today posted by Napper on December 23, 2005 at 11:03:04:
Well,perhaps this is a bit tangential re "Trapped," but it brings to mind another Christmas-time tale, which, again, is somewhat obliquely related, but I remember, patchily, that in the Yuletide season of 1958 or '59, I had been experiencing sleep disruptions which I finally deduced were caused by noises in the attic which began around 4:30 a.m. every night for over two weeks.
I investigated. Armed with a flashlight and a "Louisville Slugger," I ascended to the attic and threw open the door. At this point, some 20,000 or so starlings bolted toward the door, the deafening shrieking and whirring of sturnid wings paralysing me for the critical second when I might have avoided severe impalement on their (very) pointed bills.
Fortunately, my Aunt Margaret noticed the dripping blood two floors down at about 7 a.m.,the wall-to-wall carpet matted with the price of my near-exsanguination, and alerted the paramedics.
And a Happy Holiday To All!
It was either Tues 12/20 or Wed 12/21 am around 9:30 - in Port Credit E of Hurontario and north of the GO tracks (bout 1/2 mile N. of the lake)
I was just leaving for work and in 3 or 4 trees and on the ground around my townhouse were about 20 robins - looked like the large 'newfoundland' robins I used to see in late fall in Cape Breton - but they were probably just puffed up against the cold. They were silent - just sitting, looking at me.
What are they doing here? - All the insect eaters are long gone - the ground has been frozen for weeks - What are they doing for sustenance?
In Reply to: Are we seeing things? posted by Paul Bremner on December 18, 2005 at 19:36:20:
Well, it would be nice if someone had the courtesy to reply ... too many "listers" and wanna-be ornithologists at this site.
Certainly sounds like it (egret); in fact your description prett-well cinches it.
Some herons(=egrets) stick around for the winter -- especially around water that doesn't freeze over (esp. spots like the Pickering Nuclear Terror), but I honestly don't know how they manage. Don't think like a bird, I guess.
Regards
In Reply to: Re: Kestrel trapped.. this is a strange one..happened today posted by Mike on December 22, 2005 at 23:21:50:
It appears that the kestrel was succesful in leaving the building. My Friend it turns out is quite the birding enthusiast. He reports a "goshawk" is terrorzing the birds at his feeders. He lives Somewhere in Caledon East, I have made arrangements to visit. Napper
In Reply to: Red-Tail Hawks in St. Jamestown?? posted by BIGDADDY on December 22, 2005 at 11:39:01:
Yes I saw a red-tailed hawk in the same general area, around Sherbourne and Richmond, on Dec. 20.
In Reply to: Kestrel trapped.. this is a strange one..happened today posted by Napper on December 22, 2005 at 16:00:39:
When it's dark if you leave the door open and its bright outside most birds will fly out. Of course I've never tested with a Kestral before.
In Reply to: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Dan on December 21, 2005 at 21:41:02:
I can't comment on the Queen's Park sighting but on 3 occasions (late afternoons this past September), I spotted a Peregrine (I believe an immature one)circling two apartment buildings south of Broadview and Danforth scaring up roosting pigeons. The call was very distinct.
Hello all.. I have to do a slight lead in to this story. I work at a very large facility a Downsview airport. We have many large aircraft bays with large doors. There is a population of wild life inside these bays which include Sparrows, cats and this year for the first time racoons inside the ceilings of some of the offices. This is the story a friend told me. He was taking his seat in his second floor office when he noticed a "sparrow hawk" looking back at him through the office window. This bird was perched high above the shop floor on some scaffolding say 30 feet in the air. I just happend to have my newly aquired from ebay "1987" "Peterson's guide to Hawk's" handy. I showed him the plate of the "American Kestrel" and he said yes that's it!. Apparently this little raptor flew around inside the bay for quite some time. At 9:30am I, being Napper left my building to go on a break. As I exited to the outside a Kestrel appeared, flying to a perch atop of the bay I work in. It nestled itself between two exterior pieces of sheet metal near a gap in the siding if I can call it that. When I was leaving work It was still there..Napper...I haven't yet found out the if the one I saw was the trapped one.....Napper
In Reply to: Re: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Glenn Coady on December 22, 2005 at 11:52:53:
I agree - though Peregrine Falcons can cover large territories, the downtown pairs haven't frequented that area in quite a while, and outside of the period immediately after fledging when the juveniles occasionally reach the ground, they hardly ever perch that low. The description does sound much more like a Red-tailed Hawk in any case.
It is a common misconception that young raptors are smaller than adults. In fact, by the time they first take flight, Peregrine Falcons are both larger and heavier than their parents.
In Reply to: Red-Tail Hawks in St. Jamestown?? posted by BIGDADDY on December 22, 2005 at 11:39:01:
There has been a pair in that area for many years. I've never seen them hunting either, but have heard from others who have seen them eating pigeons.
In Reply to: Re: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Glenn Coady on December 22, 2005 at 11:52:53:
I work on the 18th floor at the corner of yonge and queen's quay and often see peregrines at that level, the two that i usually see have a nest on king street just east of yonge.
In Reply to: Re: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Kin Lau on December 22, 2005 at 09:52:02:
The downtown Peregrine Falcon territories are not particularly near Queen's Park and I seldom see them away from the aeries or below 100-150 feet. In addition, the description matches Red-tailed Hawk much better than it does Peregrine Falcon. The downtown Peregrine Falcons are seldom seen perched in trees, whereas Red-tailed Hawks routinely are. In addition, I saw a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in virtually EXACTLY the same location on the same date (probably within the hour).
I would say it is highly probable this was the same juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (which are the same size as adults at this date).
Hi, new to the board.. Wanted to know if anyone has ever seen the Red tail Hawks in St. Jamestown.(Block of apartments between Sherbourne and Parliment, south of Bloor) I've seen 1 - 2 DAILY,almost all day. When ever I go out for a smoke, I see them (1-2)circling, perching on buildings and flying around. I've yet to see them go after any prey(AS much as I"D LOVE TO!!!), but I'd think that they were going after the pigeons. Usually when the hawks are in the air the pigeons start going nutz..lol I almost think that they might take a squirrel if they have a change b/c I see enough of them running around the buildings. But with the high human traffic on the ground it might not happen. Has anyone else seen these birds? Am I incorrect to think that they would be feeding on pigeons?? Any input is welcome.
THANKS
BIG DADDY
In Reply to: Re: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Dan on December 22, 2005 at 09:16:43:
A Red-Tail, Juv or Adult would still be larger than a Peregrine.
Peregrine's are known to wander (that's where they get their name), and there are actually at least 2 nesting pairs near Queen's Park.
In Reply to: Re: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Glenn Coady on December 22, 2005 at 06:53:11:
But isn't a juvenile red-talied hawk small?
In Reply to: snowy, barred and great horned owl on spit posted by Dan on December 17, 2005 at 15:06:58:
Got some pics of a long eared owl along the fence on Sunday. I'm surprized it wasn't included in the bird count. Lots of birders saw it there.
Bill
In Reply to: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Dan on December 21, 2005 at 21:41:02:
Dan,
At that same location yesterday I saw a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk terrorizing the local Gray Squirrels. Perhaps this is what you saw as well.
GC
In Reply to: Peregrine at Queen's Park? posted by Dan on December 21, 2005 at 21:41:02:
I work at 1 yonge and I see 2 peregrines regularly. As far as I know, there are 2 nesting pair right in the downtoen area, most likely you saw one of them. A great website to check out is the canadian peregrine foundation.
Hi,
Today I saw at the north-west corner of Queen's Park (just over Queen's Park Crescent W. and Hoskin a raptor I thin is a peregrine falcon. It was whitish in the front and grey-brown at the back, a bit bigger than a crow. It was flying a bit from Trinity College area and then resting on a tree. I think I saw a similar one (maybe the same one) a few months ago at Queen's Park (north side), being harassed by crows. Are Peregrines typical to this area?
Hi,
Today I saw at the north-west corner of Queen's Park (just over Queen's Park Crescent W. and Hoskin a raptor I thin is a peregrine falcon. It was whitish in the front and grey-brown at the back, a bit bigger than a crow. It was flying a bit from Trinity College area and then resting on a tree. I think I saw a similar one (maybe the same one) a few months ago at Queen's Park (north side), being harassed by crows. Are Peregrines typical to this area?
We were out looking for great horned owls in the second marsh area on the east end of oshawa. We didnt find any and were about to leave when a guy who stopped to chat, pointed out a saw-whet owl to us.It was just east of the bridge on Colonel Sam drive. I have posted a shot on my website for those interested.
http://art-mcleod.fotopic.net/
http://art-mcleod.fotopic.net/p24092491.html
In Reply to: Snowy at Sam Smith posted by Ed Boucher on December 21, 2005 at 07:03:03:
A good sign that we may have a good Snowy Owl season as the bird found by Ed is a different bird than the one I found a week ago as mine was an adult bird.
Norm
In Reply to: Snowy at Sam Smith posted by Ed Boucher on December 21, 2005 at 07:03:03:
The heavely mottled (young?) bird was still there at 12:30 noon. It had moved a little South to the ice at the end of the boat slip on the East side.
Observed at 9:30 this morning.
Eating while sitting on the ice in the marina basin just to the east of the vacated boat slips along a row of poles now frozen into the ice. He was still there after completing his meal as I left.
In Reply to: Re: harlequin duck on humber posted by Kin Lau on December 20, 2005 at 13:43:43:
He was there as well. I just forgot I did not yet add photos to my gallery. Sorry about the confusion.
In Reply to: Re: harlequin duck on humber posted by Tom Cudzilo on December 20, 2005 at 12:22:19:
That's a Wood Duck.
This is the Harlequin... I took this last March. There's quite a few pics of him on the www.ofo.ca/photos page.
In Reply to: Re: harlequin duck on humber posted by BIGFRANK on December 19, 2005 at 11:08:12:
It was there but very difficult to spot him amond 100s of mallards :) also there were mail and female Greater Scaups
for photos please see...
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/683390/7/48971507
Click on the photos for larger view.
In Reply to: harlequin duck on humber posted by paul on December 19, 2005 at 06:37:34:
I cant vouch for exactly where at Humber Bay Park East,but as recently as Sunday its been seen.It was seen during the Christmas Bird Count. Good Luck.
just wondering if anyone has seen that guy back again this year.
My wife and I are novice birders, but we're pretty sure we saw a Great Egret at the Leslie Spit this weekend. I know its way out of season, but I can't think of what else it could be. It flew over our heads, then veered right so we had 2-3 seconds of clear view. It was snow white (no markings at all), and its neck was held in a kind of S-shape as it flew. It had long legs. Long pointy yellow beak. Thoughts?
Birded the Leslie Street Spit today and had a great outing.
A Barred Owl was roosting in a tree near the heron colony
A Snowy Owl was on the ice and could be seen from the bridge.
A Great Horned Owl was in the area of the sailing club.
Also saw 2 kestrels and a male nothern harrier. A cold, but very enjoyable day.
After meeting at the Kipling Spit early this AM and NOT finding a Snowy Owl after a quick inspection, Len Jacobs and I headed north on the 400 towards Ravenshoe Road. We exited at Canal Road after not finding a Snowy near there that had been reported on the Simcoe Birding Board earlier in the week. We worked our way east from there and eventually got to Ravenshoe.
At 945am Len located a "dark, heavily mottled" Snowy Owl (only the face was pure white) on the dead-end extension of Yonge St. south from the western terminus of Ravenshoe. As you head south on Yonge, it was about 100 meters east of two adjacent barns (a little more than halfway down) found on the west side of the road. It was sitting on the ground on the edge of a shallow ridge extending east from the road at that point. A small flock of Snow Buntings and a Kestrel were also seen in the general area.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
Last week I saw three black crowned night herons, all immatures along the Don River, near Queen Street, - where a group have been wintering for several years now. I just wanted to bring this to the attention of people dealing with this area tomorrow on the bird count.
Don Baxter
Port Credit residential area, near lake. Carried prey (small bird) to tree and perched to devour. White necklace-like patches across back feathers. 12"- 15" in length. sharp-shinned hawk/goshawk/cooper's hawk/?
In Reply to: Re: Humber Bay and Col. Sam Parks posted by Norm Murr on December 14, 2005 at 05:15:38:
Between 11am-12pm, about a dozen birders were out there in a less than nice day but could not find the Snowy. No one braved the winds to go out further into the park to check.
In Reply to: Humber Bay and Col. Sam Parks posted by Norm Murr on December 13, 2005 at 13:29:22:
Good morning
I must have thought I was on The Spit yesterday and I forgot to mention that there is a Snowy Owl on the Yacht Club docks at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke.
Norm Murr
Good Afternoon
What a beautiful day to be out birding, cool at firs but for once, no wind to speak of.
I went down to Humber Bay Park at first light and besides hundreds of the usual Waterfowl I also found a Canvasback, many Redheads, all 3 Mergansers but no Harlequin Duck this time. Also seen here were N. Shrike, N. Mockingbird and 2 Killdeer almost under the Lakeshore Bridge over Mimico Creek and 6 Trumpeter swans.
At Col. Sam Park I found a first winter Lesser black-backed Gull with several Greater black-backed Gulls and also seen were 2 Red-necked Grebes, 2 Trumpeter Swans and not much else but it sure was a nice day and the lake was like a mirror and the lake colours (blue-gray-blue-gray and silver) were something to see.
Norm Murr
brant seen in field nw of whitby harbor, seems to be small problem under the bill , seen a t park in field , though it has been reported in ice off pringles creek by harbor,
also saturday observed a pileated flying south of ellesmere on morningside park , seen on 3 occasions now approx times 900 am
has fun
seen flying nw along lawrence ave just west of mcowan this morning while driving wife to work approx at 845 , lil early for him to be on wing eh
first of the winter , always nice to see!
seen flying nw along lawrence ave just west of mcowan this morning while driving wife to work approx at 845 , lil early for him to be on wing eh
first of the winter , always nice to see!
A note to all interested that the Toronto Ornithological Club is organizing the 81st Toronto Christmas Bird Count, to be held next Sunday, December 18. Advance registration is required so that we can ensure all sectors are properly covered; e-mail me if you are interested in participating.
I'd especially like to encourage everyone to keep an eye out for potential "Count Week" species, seen between Thurs Dec 15 and Wed Dec 21, inclusive (no formal registration required for this!). These are species occurring within the count circle that are missed on the day of the count itself. Of course it's impossible to know in advance what will be missed, but any seasonally or regionally rare species during the period should be noted just in case. I'll try to post the results of the count here on Dec 19, and will point out "probable" count week species that are yet to be reported.
In recent years, species that have often proven difficult to find on count day, yet are often somewhere in the area, include: Common Loon, Red-necked and Horned Grebe, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Coot, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Goshawk, and any blackbirds.
For more about the count, including a map of the count circle, please visit the Toronto Ornithological Club website (www.torontobirding.ca) and look for Christmas Bird Counts on the Events page.
Marcel
Good evening.
Today was another windy day on The Spit but there were a few goodies out there despite the non appearance of any Winter Gulls and the rough Lake waters.
Seen today were 1 juvenile Peregrine, 1 adult female Peregrine and 2 adult male Peregrines. These birds were seen in pairs in several different places out there and they were very vocal and did a lot of aerial jousting among themselves. Close up and hovering in the wind views of these beautiful birds.
Also seen were a male N. Harrier hunting thru-out and a migrating Rough-legged Hawk otherwise it was a fairly quiet (bird wise) outing but worth it for the Peregrine show.
The Snowy Owl seems to have departed.
Norm
In Reply to: Humber Bay Park & High Park posted by Norm Murr on December 07, 2005 at 15:52:27:
At any time, this is a nice walk and usually gives one a few good
sightings. I would also keep an eye out for a peregrine falcon. I
occasionaly see one fly by the condos at the mouth of the river and
right now he/ she is perched on the top of the walking bridge over the
river.
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Gardens:Hunting Raptors posted by BIGFRANK on December 09, 2005 at 07:55:14:
I have a duck. His name is Quackie. He hurt my cat, but I love Quackie.
Thank you.
If anyone cares,U can almost set your watch at least 2 raptors,4 isnt unusual at Rosetta McClain Gardens. There is a local juvenile Redtail thats been around since September,Ive named Hunter. She generally hunts the park 11-1pm and can be seen perched,making dives at various squirrels and birds and also putting on a brillian airshow along the side of the bluffs. There is also an adult Redtail which is pretty consistant. Yesterday I spotted for the 3rd time recently a beautiful adult SharpShinned Hawk,perched looking to dive on some unsuspecting sparrow or junco. Tons of Chickadees,a few White-breasted Nuthatches,Downy Woodpeckers and often some winter ducks down on the lake. A nice way to spend a few hours on a bright winter day. Note that paths ARE NOT cleared all winter.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,just east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount(1 light).
In Reply to: Re: Goshawk in East York? posted by Al Johnston on December 08, 2005 at 06:47:43:
I've seen Goshawks previously along the West Don River around Eglinton during the Toronto Christmas Bird Count. Far from a common sight in the city at any time of year, but they do occur.
In Reply to: Banded Starling? posted by Gail Christoff on December 07, 2005 at 18:25:57:
It certainly doesn't sound like any kind of normal banding, which is usually limited to unobtrusive complete rings around the leg. Other markers are used occasionally though, and perhaps this is part of a specific study. That being said, as European Starlings are a non-native species, they are not subject to the same regulations as native birds, and the possibility exists that such markers have not been formally approved. Nonetheless, your best bet would be to look up the Bird Banding Office in Ottawa, who have on file all approved colour marking schemes.
In Reply to: Re: Unidentified Gull posted by BIGFRANK on December 08, 2005 at 14:54:52:
Looks like I should have consulted the 'Big' Sibley's and not just the Eastern 'Small' Sibley's before posting. Positively a 3rd winter Great Black-backed. Thanks for the input and I apologize for the unnecessary post.
Iain
In Reply to: Unidentified Gull posted by Iain Fleming on December 08, 2005 at 13:58:31:
Not preclaiming to be a gull expert,am going by your photo and my National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds Of North America. How about a 3rd winter Great Black-backed Gull.
Hi,
I birded Humber Bay Park East today for about an hour and found a gull I could not identify off of the eastern-most point. At first glance I assumed it was a Great Black-backed, however its ringed bill confused me. Its back was very dark and it was far too large to be a Ring-billed. Have there ever been records of hybridization between gull species that would produce a gull like this? Here is a low-quality picture showing its ringed bill and dark back, unfortunately nothing for scale but it was large enough to be a Great Black-backed.
http://groups.msn.com/FlemingPhotography/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4
Any suggestion as to what species it is would be greatly appreciated.
There were also four Trumpeter Swans (two adults with tags 799 and 768 along with two juveniles) as well as the usual suspects by way of waterfowl.
Thanks, Iain
In Reply to: Goshawk in East York? posted by Ed on December 07, 2005 at 09:35:59:
Sure sounds like one, Ed. The underside of a mature Gos is actually pale, finely barred, gray but this might not have been obvious in your "quick look". Nice sighting. I've had them prey on the mallards in our pond here in Whitchurch-Stouffville. Al
I have recently spotted two starlings at my birdfeeder (Cawthra & Lakeshore), each with a long plastic tie on their leg. One tie is red the other is yellow. The ties are long(5in?) This seems very cruel if it is some kind of banding. Does anyone know of this? Another birder in my bird club has seen a red and a black tie and asked about it in our newletter and since have I seen this, I thought I would send it out to more birders.
Good evening people.
This morning I decided to bird part of the Toronto waterfront and it was an interesting day (if you are a Winter Lister).
Humber Bay Park was cold and windy but it was really a beautiful day to be birding (instead of working).
Some of the birds I found were Red-necked Grebes, Trumpeter Swans, Iceland Gull, Common Loon, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Shrike, Northern Mockingbird and thousands of the usual Waterfowl including good numbers of Mute Swans, N. Shovelers, Redheads, and all 3 Mergansers.
I then went off to the mouth of the Humber river where again I found some Hooded Mergansers before moving on to Sunnyside Beach where Redheads, and Hooded Mergansers were again present and then it was off to High Park.
First thing (almost) that I did was go up to the Grenedier Restaurant and grab a coffee and take it behind Hawk Hill to sit and sip in hopes of a late migrating Rough-legged Hawk, no luck, but as I drank my coffee I was surprised to see an adult male Northern Goshawk, and adult Red-shouldered Hawk and 5 adult Red-tailed Hawks migrating west, all of these were low. The sky cleared and I moved on and shortly found 4 White-throated Sparrows and also got into an argument with a dog owner (it was off leash and grabbed my glove), I was told in the argument if I didn't like dogs I should leave the park (I like dogs), not some owners.
Around 10:30 this morning a large hawk landed on the garage roof in the backyard. Dark bluegrey back and a perfectly white breast. Underside of long tail heavily banded with three or four bands. Only got a quick look before it flew off--is it possible this was a goshawk?
In Reply to: Re: Snowy on the Spit posted by Marina on December 05, 2005 at 15:23:16:
Here are directions from a Norm Murr post to Ontbirds (I hope he doesn't mind) and a link to a map on the Friends of the Spit website (Pipit Point is at the bottom of the map as per Norm's directions):
http://www.interlog.com/~fos/Getto.Spit.html
"Pipit Point is the extreme left hand (southwest) point. When walking out towards the lighthouse you will come to a road going off to the left (at the Quonset hut or tin shed). Follow this road along the outer arm as far as it goes and at the T junction where the paved road goes off to the right continue straight onto the dirt road and you will end up on Pipit Point. NOTE:- This is a dead end road. ------------------------------------------------------ NOTE:- The spit is only open on the weekends and on holidays, at other times you will not be able to access the area. This area is extensive, 7 km to the tip, but be prepared to walk more than that. There is a van available after 9 am from Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving Day weekend that will take you out or back. The "SPIT" is only open on the weekend as they are still building it." by Norm Murr
_______________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Snowy on the Spit posted by John Ashton on December 04, 2005 at 08:44:35:
I'm sure that was a great sight to see. Where exactly is Pipit point on the Spit? I always see it mentioned in the postings, but am not sure which area it is. Thanks.
Just returned from a beautiful Sunday morning on the Spit. The highlight was a snowy owl sitting on the steel pole at the end of Pipit. As the TV ads say "priceless". John Ashton
In Reply to: Re: Barred Owl posted by Sedona on December 03, 2005 at 09:38:14:
No problem. I'm glad you liked them and for anyone else who visited my website, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by. Come again. http://art-mcleod.fotopic.net/
Good evening
Went to The Spit today and did find some goodies that may interest you Winter Listers as well as others.
Beside Pipit Point was a Red-necked Grebe and a hunting Northern Harrier nearby. In other areas were found Great Blue Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk hunting, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Flickers (2nd week in a row), American Pipits (most just past the second gate), Common Redpolls, and a couple of late Rusty Blackbirds.
There are plenty of Waterfowl out there but probably none that cannot be found elsewhere and the Gull numbers are slow in rising with the majority still being Herring Gulls.
Good luck to the Listers.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Re: Barred Owl posted by Art on December 02, 2005 at 14:27:12:
tks for sharing that is lovely
.. Sedona
In Reply to: Re: Barred Owl posted by Kin Lau on December 02, 2005 at 09:25:20:
It's nice to see more than one of this species can be approached. I had a similar encounter north east of Newcastle last winter. Evidence of people not abusing them, and them looking at us the same way they would look at a deer. Not threatened by us. Gotta love it.
Makes for great photo ops.
Excuse my spelling and Grammar, I am Dyslexic thank you.
Today will out enjoying some fringed winter birding I had the luck to ree find the Juv. N Gannet off of Port Credit Harbour in lake Ont.
I watched from 11:30 to 12:15 as the Gannet was feeding with 350 to 400 other gulls in a massive frenzy that stretched almost ½ mile just to the east of the mouth of the brake wall.
In all the years I have birded this is my 10 record from 8 deferent birds and my first December record for Ontario .Cool (really)
Port Credit Harbour is found by going south on Hurontario st from the QEW once past the Lakeshore rd drive through the new housing development and look for the gazebo OR the gulls feeding out in the lake .
Craig
Craig & Bev McLauchlan Toronto, Ont, Canada the World
In Reply to: Barred Owl posted by Art on December 02, 2005 at 06:06:02:
Hmmm, a light coloured, people friendly Barred Owl. Sounds almost like "Cookie", the friendly Barred Owl that stayed in Cranberry Marsh most of the winter last year.
I saw this barred owl east of Bowmanville on concession road. It allowed me to get very close. I approached very slowly. Here is the link to one of the pictures I took for those interested.
http://art-mcleod.fotopic.net/p23413137.html
Hi gang,I had an incredibly sucessful fall raptor count. I was able to more then double last years count. I believe this was a result of increased hours of observation,improved spotting skills and having more help on some of the big days. I will get something more official printed up,but for my internet friends,I thought Ud like to hear the final results.
Im going quite bleary eyed from checking sheets and notes,so the best I can do today is say someplace between 3042-3044 raptors in total. Consisting of 372 Turkey Vultures(Colin and I counted 88 in one large kettle one day),59 Osprey(a handful fewer then last season but I did get 7 in a day 2 times),25 Bald Eagles(10 in one day),129 Northern Harriers,an amazing total of Sharpshinned Hawks-1618, Coopers Hawks-95,Northern Goshawks 19(great views of one that stayed around the park several days),5 Red-shouldered Hawks,14 Broad-winged Hawks, Redtailed Hawks-326(brilliant views of many),6 Rough-legged Hawks(saw none last season),5 Golden Eagles(3 in one day),294 American Kestrels,an incredible 25 Merlins and 40 Peregrine Falcons(2 playing together for at least 10minutes as Colin and I watched in amazement).
Other great sightings were 40+ Great Blue Herons,3 Great Egrets,a Great Horned Owl,3 Eastern Bluebirds,thousands of Blue Jays and Chickadees,7 Tundra Swans,a Common Raven and an American White Pelican.
10x40 (R.Prisms) Leitz Trinovids green rubber armoured for sale asking $600,00 Mint - other than slight surface scratch on left objective lens.
contact Greg 4116-661-6600 ext 5668 for more info.
In Reply to: Re: Modified Mallards? posted by Mary Ellen on November 29, 2005 at 04:54:09:
I suspect that what you have there is a variant (one of many) of the Mallard/domestic duck back-cross. Some of the more common breeds of white farm ducks are originally derived from Mallards; when they escape and breed with the wild-type, the result is often a Mallard-like plumage with a white breast.
Peter
Kitchener, Ont.
In Reply to: Re: Modified Mallards? posted by gerard on November 28, 2005 at 14:57:27:
Quite possible, but they weren't "shovelling" and had yellow bills, white on the front only (not the sides) and curly tail feathers (like a Mallard).
Saw a Northern Mockingbird on Chudleigh St. in the Yonge and Lawrence area this morning at around 8:00am. It flew from one wire across the street to another and then past the houses into a backyard.
In Reply to: Modified Mallards? posted by Mary Ellen on November 28, 2005 at 04:56:18:
Sound like Shovelers. Nice!
At East Humber Bay, we saw 2 ducks that looked like Mallards but both had white fronts and the male was brown on the sides, not grey. They were in the pond area by the parking lot.
Northern shovelers are still around. A least two flocks of cedar waxwings with the robins. A red tailed hawk has been around for at least the past three weeks around grenadier pond and the soccer field.
In Reply to: Re: Leslie Street Spit posted by Elle (Markham) on November 15, 2005 at 17:55:03:
Thank you Elle. I will go this weekend again and spend more time there maybe I can get closer to the Hooded Mergasners.
thanx
In Reply to: Re: Leslie Street Spit posted by Tom Cudzilo on November 15, 2005 at 07:05:49:
Great photos, Tom C. !! :-)
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by David Shilman on November 14, 2005 at 18:39:57:
Great to hear that, David ! Thank you ! :-)
In Reply to: Re: loggerhead shrike near Bobcaygeon posted by Mark Cranford on November 13, 2005 at 14:15:43:
Thanks for replying Mark. I checked out the site you suggested and it said that Northerns in the fall have barred chests. This bird appeared fairly white with no barring. It also said that Northers prefer taller trees and this bird was diving between shrubs. Either way, it was a first for me and quite a thrill.
Interesting side note. I drove by yesterday to try and catch a glimpse of it again - of course I had no luck. A few miles further south on Hwy 24, however, we pulled over when I noticed a bird darting across the road. I pulled out the binocs to observe what was a red breasted nuthatch. My friend wondered what I was doing, because at the bottom half of the same tree was a pilleated woodpecker. He stayed on the tree for a good minute or two before taking off across the road where we could also observe him for another minute before he flew off into the woods. Very exciting indeed!
In Reply to: Re: Leslie Street Spit posted by BIGFRANK on November 12, 2005 at 15:54:48:
I also went there Sat. and saw plenty of birds. But because I dont know most of their names I will point you guys to my gallery where you can view the photos and maybe help me out by naming them for me.
As someone there said to me.... "Ohhh you are only a photographer not a birder, nevermind." Which made me laugh hehehe.
From Leslie spit - http://crazyravr.smugmug.com/gallery/968020
Other birds I need help IDing - http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/683390
SO if someone has the time please go thru the gallery and name them for me in the "comments" section.
Thank you.
PS
BigFrank I think I saw you there resting on a rock around 1:30pm talking to another man.
With decent winds I went to Rosetta again today,and was rewarded with 22 raptors including 16 Redtailed Hawks(many quite high),3 Sharp-shinned Hawks,2 Northern Goshawks(both reasonably low and obvious) and a distant Peregrine Falcon. Many Cedar Waxwings,Chickadees,Common Goldeneye and a surprise Great Egret passed by as well.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is still at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount.
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by Elle (Markham) on November 14, 2005 at 12:30:47:
No possible way. There is a fence around it, for one thing. And it's really not a park, it's a "gardens".
Have fun!
David
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by David Shilman on November 10, 2005 at 05:42:20:
Let's say if I go by myself, there's no way I can get lost in this park?
In Reply to: loggerhead shrike near Bobcaygeon posted by Mary Gilkinson on November 13, 2005 at 06:29:39:
Hi Mary
Thanks for sharing your sighting. Loggerhead Shrike is an endangered species in Ontario which happens to nest quite close to Bobcaygeon. However even with the warm weather it is pretty late in the season to find one still in Ontario. At this time of year Northern Shrike is the more likely bird to see in Ontario. Separating Loggerhead Shrike from Northern Shrike can be tricky. Have a look at Ron Pittaway's article about Shrikes at the Ontario Field Ornithologists' web site at http://www.ofo.ca/shrike.htm . You could still be right.
Mark
The buffleheads are back iin Port Credit.
I first saw them on November 11 which is three weeks later than the past two years
While scouting the countryside outside of Bobcaygeon for some dogwood branches yesterday, November 12th (for an outside christmas display - hey the weather was good!) I noticed a bird I was unfamiliar with. Luckily my binoculars were at hand as well as my Peterson's Field Guide. Without a doubt, I identified it as a Loggerhead Shrike. The bird was seen near the entrance to Birch Point - about a mile or two south of Bobcaygeon on Hwy 24 in a scrubby field moving from shrub to shrub. This was a first for me!
In Reply to: Re: Leslie Street Spit posted by Marina on November 12, 2005 at 15:38:47:
Just to add to above reports,I saw one of the Peregrine Falcons alarm call and dive 2 times at the Great Horned Owl. Each time the owl moved,before finally flying away from continued annoyance. Also saw a Northern Harrier,Belted Kingfisher,a couple of Great Blue Herons and a somewhat late Yellow-rumped Warbler.
In Reply to: Leslie Street Spit posted by Norm Murr on November 12, 2005 at 14:25:32:
Saw most of what Norm saw, except for the Tundra Swan, coots and loons, but also saw a Great Horned Owl, and a lone red-winged black bird (seems a bit late to be seeing any more of these). Great day for a walk.
Good evening
Today The Spit was fairly quiet as far as Passerines were concerned, a few Chickdees and a couple of flocks of Snow Buntings but the Waterfowl numbers are increasing with thousands of Greater Scaup and Long-tailed Ducks.
There were a total of 24 Waterfowl species seen today on The Spit including Tundra Swan, Horned Grebe, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, A. Wigeon, both Scaup, all 3 Mergansers (I counted 101 Hooded Mergansers), Redheads, White-winged Scoters, Common Loons and A. Coots.
Also on The Spit were 3 Falcon species, A. Kestrel, Merlin and 2 Peregrine Falcons, all well seen.
It was a beautiful day to be out there but hard to know what to wear as it started with frost and fog and ended with 14 degree temperatures. If you plan to do a lake watch dress fowarmly but as you head in to the land side you will want to shed clothing, not too much though or you may get arrested or admired.
Norm
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by Tom Cudzilo on November 08, 2005 at 06:56:57:
There is parking right there. It's a very tiny "park"...but location is everything.
David
In Reply to: Re: Toronto Islands posted by Scott on November 09, 2005 at 14:19:54:
Scott
All except the Scaup were in very close. The boardwalk should be done in the early morning before people traffic and the lagoons should be checked as the birds in them are always close if you approach with caution.
Norm
In Reply to: Toronto Islands posted by Norm Murr on November 08, 2005 at 16:44:30:
Hi Norm, how close are you getting to the water fowl? I like to photograph them and if they are in quite close I might take a trip out there..I use a 500mm lens.
Scott
Good evening all.
I did what may be my last trip to the Islands this fall untill at least February and it was an interesting day.
I started at Wards Island as usual and here I found a flock of Cedar Waxwings and the first 16 of 191 Black-capped Chickadees, most moving west. As I walked the boardwalk I found a female Black Scoter among the Long-tailed Ducks and Bufflehead plus a couple of D-C Cormaorants and Common Loons.
I ended the day with 7000+ Long-tailed Ducks and 285 Bufflehead, 201 of these were off Gibralter Point.
All in all it was a beautiful day to be birding and the following are some of my other highlights.
Pied-billed Grebe - 2, G. Scaup -250+, Hooded Merganser - 8, Short-eared and Long-eared Owls, Cooper's Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, 2 Carolina Wrens (they breed on the Islands), 5 winter Wrens (they do not), 3 Hermit Thrushes (late), 1 late Common Yellowthroat, A. Tree Sparrows, 3 Fox Sparrows, 12 N. Cardinals, 10 E. Meadowlarks together, and 41 A. Goldfinch migrating thru.
It was a quiet (except for the airplane noise) and I had most of the Islands to myself so was able to take my time and enjoy the day. I did end up with 46 species which is not so bad.
Some good days are still ahead on the Islands for those who may want to visit. The winter fiches are still to come.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by BIGFRANK on November 08, 2005 at 02:54:58:
BIGFRANK, you always have the best days, maybe you should host a bird watching day, I would love to join you...
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Raptors:Golden Days of Autumn posted by BIGFRANK on November 08, 2005 at 02:54:58:
I have to make it out to that place this saturday. I will have to be up around 6am that day so instead of going back to bed I might as well drive for a bit and see that park and the birds. If everything fails going to Leslie Pits wont be far away. And maybe I get to meet this BIGFRANK person hehehe :)
Where is the best way to park in the area? Is there parking right in the park?
thanx
Finally after all the southerly breezes and poor potential migration days,a day with predominently North-west winds produced some great birds. 10:05am I had a juvenile Golden Eagle pass over me very close,only tree top high,and no more then 30ft out off the bluffs. Around 10:35am I found another Golden Eagle flying over Kingston Rd(more or less).It circled briefly and carried on.As I excitedly started to write down this sighting,I noticed a 2nd Golden Eagle on exactly the same flight path as the first.
In the end I saw 26 raptors,including 3 Golden Eagles,2 Northern Goshawks(one local one which sent all birds in the area into a frenzy),3 Sharp-shinned Hawks,2 Coopers Hawks(one perched at the end of the park),one Kestrel(stopped very briefly in a pine tree),a Merlin(scattered Morning Doves),9 Redtailed Hawks and 4 Northern Harriers(one male). All were seen very well,quite low and reasonably close.
Other birds seen were Robins,Jays,Chickadees,White-breasted Nuthatch,a few flocks of Cedar Waxwings,3 Swallows(poor lighting..best guess was Tree Swallows),Juncos and several distant rafts of Long-tailed Ducks.
Tuesday could be very good viewing across the GTA.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is found at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount Avenue.
In Reply to: Short visit to Toronto area posted by Barry Walker on November 06, 2005 at 15:22:57:
http://www.torontobirding.ca/hotspots.html gives a great overview of good spots;
http://www.virtualbirder.com/bmail/ontbirds/latest.html lists more postings of recent sightings, many of which are within easy reach of Mississauga.
Good luck and enjoy.
I will be in Toronto area - specifically Mississauga Nov 16th-20th and would like some info on half day to a few hour localities for birding and what special birds I might expect - Note special is basically anything! as I am based in South America, I am particularly interested in arctic wintering birds. Ducks etc
sincerely
Barry Walker
Good evening.
Today I again went down to The Spit to see if I could get lucky again and I did in spades.
After a long walk and some fine birds I started back towards the city and after crossing the footbridge I paused to take a break after 5 hrs of walking. I turned and noticed a Herring Gull flying towards me but quickly realized that this bird wasn't flying like a Herring Gull but appeared to be a Raptor and indeed it was. I quickly put up my binoculars as the bird sailed pass me not 50 or 60 feet away and as it passed it turned it's head and gave me a dirty look (I think) and I was looking at an adult Gray Phase Gyrfalcon. Even his pale moustache was visible it was so close. This bird without much effort continued on (without any wing noticeable movement) in the direction of the base. I lost site of it as it dipped below tree level again so I do not know where it went or if it turned back somewhere.
I post this not so some one can head for The Spit tomorrow but as a heads up to birders along the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Other birds on The spit of some interest were T. Vulture, A. Wigeon, N. Pintail, Green-Winged Teal in numbers, good numbers of Hooded Mergansers, Common Loons, B-C Chickadees still moving thru (88), lots of A. Pipits (137), Snow Buntings, E. Meadowlark, and Fox Sparrows.
There are 15,000+ Long-tailed Ducks on the lake and 3000+ L. Scaup in the bays.
Directions
LESLIE STREET SPIT (TOMMY THOMPSON PARK) IN TORONTO
To get to "The Spit" from Queen & Yonge Sts. Take the Queen Street Car #501 east to Leslie St. and walk south (about 2 km) or as far as you can go on Leslie St. at Unwin Ave. and you will see the gate and signage. You may also catch the Jones Bus #83 at the Donlands Subway Station or transfer to it at Queen St. and Jones Ave. and take it to Leslie St. And Commissioner St. (on Saturday only). By automobile you may drive to Lakeshore Blvd and Leslie St. then south to The Spit.
If before 9 am you can park either on Leslie St. or Unwin Ave., after 9 am the parking lot inside the gate is open, be sure to note the closing time (4:30 PM) as your car will be locked in at that time.
NOTE:- The spit is only open on the weekends and on holidays, at other times you will not be able to access the area. This area is extensive, 7 km to the tip, but be prepared to walk more than that. There is a van available after 9 am from Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving Day weekend that will take you out or back. The "SPIT" is only open on the weekend as they are still building it.
I know bluebirds are not extremely rare, but it is nice to see them so close to the city. I spotted a small flock, about 10 birds, in a meadow, on the west side of Marie Curtis Park, just south of the watertower that can be seen from the Lakeshore, on the Mississauga side.
10:00Am Sat.
Excuse my spelling and Grammar, I am Dyslexic thank you.
The Lark Sparrow which Norm Murr found last weekend out on Pipit Point in Tommy Tompson Park (LESLIE STREET SPIT) was still present today. I saw the bird with WT Sparrows , WC Sparrows, Juncos they spent most of their time feeding on the bank’s on the west side of the point .
Their was also a Swallow speeches seen from the point fling to the east it went by to fast to get a 100 % ID on.
Again as Norm pointed out their wear lots of "winter" birds!!! Still 100’s Snow Buntings,4 A. Pipits, Long T Duck 500+ C Loons 3 (one juv. With a vary up turned bill)
Tommy Tompson Park is found south of the Lake shore Blvd. south on Leslie st , the park is open to the public only on weekends and holidays ..
Craig & Bev McLauchlan
Toronto, Ont, Canada, the World
Proud member of TTPBC
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
Hello all. I really don't have much say in all of this but a few months ago after posting using my original name and email. I started receiving some very odd emails. A number of times I received automated responses from this site with a couple of hundred links to various nasty web sites. The crap is hidden in the auto response and is unseen by most. Napper
In Reply to: Help me identifiy big raptor posted by Lawrence Pick on October 30, 2005 at 15:28:10:
From where it was and the description,Id say it was a Redtailed Hawk.Your size description is almost perfect for Redtailed Hawk averages.There is a resident pair of Redtailed Hawks in Mt Pleasant Cemetary. The white chest can often standout. There are other Redtailed Hawks in the area also. Having said that,with it being migration time,its possible it was something else. Mt Pleasant Cemetary can have a few kinds of raptors in it,as well as Owls in the winter sometimes.
I live just south of Mount Pleasant cemetary beside a ravine. Yesterday, Nov 29, a very large raptor flew out of the cemetary into a tall black locust tree on my property, about 40 feet off the ground. The chest was white/beige, head was brown/aubourn. About 20inches from talons to top of head. Broad winged, with bands, perhaps 4 feet tip to tip. A band on the bottom of its tail as it flew away.
I need help in identifying this magificent bird. Is it a red tailed hawk? What struck and puzzled me was the white chest and great size, all of which I vizualized well under binoculars.
In Reply to: Re: Fox Sparrows posted by John Teshima on October 30, 2005 at 13:48:10:
I live in a subdivision in Scarborough & get the occasional Fox Sparrow at my feeder in spring & fall. They prefer to scratch around on the ground for the seeds & there are bushes for cover nearby. But this fall has been remarkable. I've had upwards of 8 of them throughout the past two weeks. I wondered if there has been an influx of them to this area. They normally have a rather narrow migration period.
I can't beleive it. I saw a pink seagull flying over the corner of Winston Churchill and Eglington (Just near the 403). It was about 30 feet high and no mistak'n it. it was a PINK SEAGULL.
Is there such a specifies seen in Metro Toronto. I have read about it being on the Red Hat book of off rare birds but only in Russia through Italy.
or is it a bird that was dyed for some tracking purpose?
Eight keen birders met early in the predawn darkness at Humber Bay but no owls were spotted coming in to roost. One of the reasons may have been all of the pruning of the evergreen trees that had recently taken place there, reducing their density and thus cover for roosting
owls. We did find some good birds here, including our first of two Eastern Phoebes for the day, but the best one had to be the Northern Shrike. It was extremely vocal and drew our initial attention by its frequent calls, which is an unusual way to find a bird that is usually first seen
perched high in somewhat open habitat. We did not find any
shorebirds in this area but we did get good looks at a displaying male Hooded Merganser and a small raft of both Redheads and Buffleheads while here.
We moved on to the Kipling Spit, after a short stop at Birds and Beans, where we found a lone Snow Bunting on the large rocks just off of the trail that leads to the tip. It posed for a few photos before taking off which enabled us to study it in flight and learn its flight call. We also had Yellow-rumped Warbler, both Ruby-cr. and Golden-cr. Kinglets, migrating Black-capped Chickadees, and our first Tree Sparrows of the winter(or should I say late fall?). We added a few more waterfowl species including Lesser Scaup, American Widgeon, Gadwall, a female Red-br. Merganser, and a few more Hooded Mergansers before heading on to Rattray Marsh.
At Rattray we found the remains of a Barred Owl along the shoreline, and did not find many waterfowl in the marsh itself. We did find what we decided was likely a Cackling Goose in the SW corner based on its "jizz" and it swam close to a pair of Mallards for a good size comparison. Andrew spotted a Blue-headed Vireo which came in close to give us great views of its brilliant, fresh-looking plumage from about six feet away. We heard a Carolina Wren and Bill spotted a Marsh Wren as well from the boardwalk. There were quite a few Red-necked Grebes visible out in the lake from the SW corner near the outflow area of the marsh. A flying Northern Harrier was spotted as we were leaving the area.
After a lunch stop in Burlington, we drove by the Tollgate Ponds and Pier 25 where we saw many more scaup and also added Northern Shoveler to the day list. A Red-tailed Hawk was also seen soaring around the grounds of the research facility just below the skyway bridge. While waiting in line at the lift bridge for a boat to clear, a sharp-eyed birder in the group spotted a Peregrine Falcon sitting on the top of the bridge. It never moved while the bridge lowered back to the road level, why fly to Wonderland when you can get free rides here? Van Wagner's beach had nice weather, thus no intriguing birds, so we walked along its rail trail where we spotted several flying Black-cr. Night Herons in addition to a solitary Great Blue Heron in the pond across the road.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
I'd rather not have to register. This board has generally been fine and I don't think the occasional problem will be prevented through a registration process. I'm on other boards with lots of registration procedures and they have if anything more problems.
-John
In Reply to: Fox Sparrows posted by Dave on October 29, 2005 at 06:46:00:
We just saw our first one in our backyard today. I'd be interested to hear if they are commonly seen outside of more natural areas.
-John
Good evening
Today I did a long and tiring stroll on the spit and as well as the multitude of other birds seen I found an adult Lark Sparrow on Pipit Point in the morning. This bird was well seen and did not flush and fly off but went back to ground and I suspect kept on feeding as I really didn't disturb this bird too much. It was with Song, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows.
Also in this area was a late Lincoln's Sparrow and in other places among the 9 Sparrow species were 7 Fox Sparrows. Also seen was a juvenile Merlin, and a good number of N. Shovelers, A. Wigeons and Hooded Mergansers.
There are lots of "winter" birds appearing now including 100's of Snow Buntings, many A. Pipits, 100's of Bufflehead and 1000's of Long-tailed Ducks.
Norm
Is this an usual year for Fox Sparrows? I usually get one at my feeder in spring & fall if I'm lucky. For the past two weeks I've had six to eight of them.
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
I'm pretty aware of the ups & downs of managing forums, and I can say that while I understand wanting to force registration, it truly definitely will reduce postings in here, by a great percent.
Also, on many forums I surf, spammers selling totally unrelated products DO go to the effort of registering to post their crap, so that won't stop.
I don't like the fact that my email can be grabbed on this site, but it's not the first place someone can find it and won't be the last.
My word is I like the site as it is, it welcomes newbies to post quick spottings or questions, and is quick & easy to use.
Hi,
Saw a red-tailed hawk yesterday at St. Clair and Warden. Flew up from a small ravine and perched on the wire. Beautiful bird with a very red tail! Very exciting to see from a car in the heart of Scarborough!
In Reply to: Re: Board format posted by Craig McLauchlan on October 27, 2005 at 06:48:58:
I'd leave it like it is. Registration won't stop trolls or spammers, neither of which are a big problem on this list.
David
In Reply to: Re: Board format posted by Brian Bailey on October 27, 2005 at 17:39:01:
Brian has very ably described many important considerations with respect to format. I would agree with his comments here.
Also, speaking of "skimmers", many of you may not know that Daniel Borden (or whoever) has sent out unsolicited spam e-mail to many of us on this topic, prior to its appearance on this forum.
GC
Today I saw only 14 raptors,but the quality made up for lack of quantity. A single low Northern Harrier gave terrific views,a Coopers Hawk,7 Redtailed Hawks(some high some low),2 Rough-legged Hawks(one dark one light),2 Northern Goshawks were seen(one is semi-local) and a single Bald Eagle. The eagle circled with a local Redtailed Hawk,giving a wonderful size contrast. They circled close and reasonably low,offering amazing views.
In addition to raptors,in the morning while it was slow,I spotted many Ruby Crowned Kinglets,Robins and Redwinged Blackbirds migrating,Blue Jays in smaller numbers,a Gray-cheeked Thrush in a Mountain Ash tree,many Juncos.10 Common Loons,a Belted Kingfisher,many Cedar Waxwings,White-throated and Chipping Sparrows.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount.
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
Personally Id rather not register,I like the informal nature of the board,that people new to birding right through to experts can post,whether often or once to answer a question they may have. For as often as there has been a problem(I read the board several times a day sometimes) I dont think anything other then the board being truncated at times is necessary. Having said that I may not know the full extent of the problem,and if its a process deemed necessary because I value the information and opportunity to share sightings,Id continue to take part. Registration may however make what is sometimes an underused resource,even less used.
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
This is a difficult problem. I'm sure you will upset some people no matter what you do. (That includes doing nothing.)
Newcomers might resist registration because they will be unsure of your motives. Having watched this board for several years, I have no qualms about your intentions.
Any kind of registration would have to include some way to prevent "bots" from registering. Even that won't stop determined abusers though. Any blacklisted user could still re-register under a different name and e-mail.
One advantage to registration would be that posters wouldn't have to worry about using their real addresses when they post since they could be shielded from "skimmers". (I'm interested in the feathered kind, not the spamming kind.)
Maybe I'm not visiting often enough to notice, but from what I've seen, the problem is still pretty minimal. If you can find a simple and effective solution, that's great, but don't knock yourself out tackling it yet.
BB
In Reply to: big year posted by christie on October 27, 2005 at 07:46:29:
Was this down by 1 person or a group??
My big year in Ont I saw 319 speeches I drove over 10.000 K and spent over $3000.00 in gas and over night stays, it might also have bin the reason for a lost marriage!!!
In hind sight it was a blast and worth every mint and bird I saw !!!
Craig
does anyone know about the big year, month, or day and if there has been one for Ontario. I just read a book on it and it seems interesting.
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Craig McLauchlan on October 27, 2005 at 07:00:54:
I awoke from my deep dream of peace and found Andy at home. He said he was working under the moonlight. We talked quite a bit. He wasn't happy with how my vector thing came across but he apologized for not getting back to me.
He said maybe the whole thing could have been avoided. What an understanding gentleman I found him to be and he seemed so committed to the cause. He said he did't like some of the others rules that were being broken.
He mentioned he was compiling a list of members and I asked if my name appeared. He said NO. I said I am really sorry Andy but please remember through all of this I still a great appreciation and love for the birds and all living creatures.
He said, in his soft voice, "Well that is what I like to hear" and he "by the way don't go away so quickly, let us get back on track with our website and maybe give us some of your ideas later."
Thanks Andy! I really think you have got a wonderful thing going here.
Daniel
In Reply to: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 22, 2005 at 23:00:18:
Hi I still think that this is a good Idea and bravo for you standing up and submitting it !!
With the claps of the Ont $20 dollar a year phone cercal and the loss of the TOC Rear bird phone line , I think something ells is need.
BUT if all that is going to be sent is the OFO's Ontbirds list ( and you might want to check with them first weather you are allowed to do it ) witch I can get on a black beery already this is just doubling up my info .
Still I think you are heading in the right way , the united kingdom has had a pager system like this for some time , we just need to make it work hear .
Craig
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
Hi Andy, I for one would rather not register, but then I'm one of those people whose tired of having my info stored and catalogued, of having to remember passwords, etc. For security sake I tend to keep cookies off and all the usual protections.
It seems to me that you have a good policy that clearly says not to advertise and few people break this policy. I like how you've handled similar situations in the past by removing the inappropriate e-mails right off the top and I would rather go for that then registration. There's also no guarantee that a registered member won't intentionally or inadvertently post a message he/she shouldn't.
So that's my two cents worth. How about we remove the whole chain of messages that got the board off track and get back to bird reports?
Theresa
In Reply to: Board format posted by Andy on October 27, 2005 at 05:40:38:
I am for any thing that will make YOUR life easer!
Is this the way to do it and will it hamper thoue’s with "foot in mouth" dieses from posting their insults ?? I don’t see how that can be stopet!!
But if you think so I say do it .
Craig
There have been inappropriate/offensive posts (Daniel, this is *not* directed at you) made here and the only solution is to require users to register before they are allowed to submit postings. This will require a different format. But before I spend time setting it up, I'd like to get some feedback from you. Do any of you object to going with a registration-required board?
In Reply to: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 22, 2005 at 23:00:18:
This is, as noted below by others, a commercial post, something that is not welcome here. I won't comment on the dubious merit of such a service, but I somehow find the idea of capitalizing on bird sightings not at all in keeping with what birding is all about. Sharing information is one thing, selling it is quite another...
Daniel, you mention below that you sent me emails about this. I had deleted both of them as they were flagged as spam. Perhaps your email address had something to do with it. I seem to recall something like "patrolomation" or something similar with a birding subject line.
Anyway, I will leave this thread here for the moment in case others want to comment. Deleting it, and some of the other inappropriate posts below, is very unwieldly on the server we are using. I apologise for that.
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 25, 2005 at 15:59:55:
Well, I hope you're proud of yourself, Daniel. Your little gag has got some of the "serious birders" all upset. You can tell when they're upset: They get real huffy and demand that their imaginary pal "Andy" remove anything posted that doesn't suit their method of running up big lists and winning the "I've Got A Bigger List Than You Do" trophy. Something a little disturbing about that concept, but I won't go there ... all this running around apparently has something to do with field ornithology, I guess. Personally, I've found that my telepathic powers are more than sufficient to locate the real biggies. My portable hyperbaric chamber is particularly useful during peak migration times, but for real results, my "mind-meld" with the Hubble Telescope has bagged some exrtalimitals that would reduce these fellows to tears.
Anyone interested in ticking off, say, a Carolina Parakeet or Labrador Duck is welcome to come for a spin in my recently-completed time machine. For a small donation. Major credit cards welcome.
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 26, 2005 at 17:02:39:
This is a blatant commercial venture that is ill conceived, poorly designed, and will certainly fail.
Quick response to the appearance of rare birds in Ontario, is not, should not, and never will if I can help it, be contingent on anyone sending even a dime to you.
You do not have a viable market for this service - perhaps you could divert your creative attention to some other form of internet spam like on-line sales of Viagra or a psychic hotline.
Glenn Coady
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Norm Murr on October 26, 2005 at 16:13:17:
Sighter to Sightee in less than 1 minute! It occurred to me that 'turn around' time might be an item with these sightings. This system would allow the participating sighter to speed dial the toll free number,enter the 4-digit vector code and voice very brief details of the sighting.
It would be important to be quite brief because it is the very second that the call is ended that 1,000 other motoring-Torontonians could be on their way to the general area with the vector and species being named via the ZIM group text message.
Furthermore, while the others are enroute the sighter and/or a Call Centre would have the option to add a secondary message(s)(without disturbing the primary) to fill in some details.
The responding birders could hear these secondary messages while enroute or whenever they felt safe to do so.
If your system is doing this or if this kind of 911 response time is not warranted then I truly do apologize.
In Reply to: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 22, 2005 at 23:00:18:
I supply the very same service for FREE on Ontbirds (do now and have for a number of years) and the cost for the Ontbirds service is also FREE.
My FREE service includes very good directions, the date, time and added notes where required and goes out to 1000+ interested birders at NO COST.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Glenn Coady on October 25, 2005 at 17:48:34:
My motivation was to have mobile Toronto birders locate birds with this vector thing.
An email had been sent to Andy before all of this happened and another is on his screen now.
Sorry everyone if I have stepped on any toes out there!
In Reply to: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 22, 2005 at 23:00:18:
This entire thread is wholly inappropriate to appear here as Andy clearly does not welcome solicitations or commercial posts as stated right at the top of this web page. Simply ignoring that request is deplorable.
Besides, why in heaven's name would anyone be monumentally foolish enough to open-endedly pay for an undefined volume of text messages, only to be bombarded by the same deluge of costly nuisance text messages that they are already mostly ignoring at no cost as ONTBIRDS emails.
Any group of 20 motivated birders with more than two functional neurons to rub together and an ability to dial a phone of any kind can set up their own phone-based hotline for next to no cost, which would be much more user friendly and effective than this poorly thought out venture.
This is technology providing an expensive solution for a problem that does not exist, to a potential market of half-wits who cannot see either the invisible hand of Adam Smith raiding their wallets or the Pandora's box being opened in terms of bogus sightings magically occurring once anyone has a 15 cent per text message per subscriber (plus additional costlier phone access cost) financial motivation to keep the rarities flowing.
Glenn Coady
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 25, 2005 at 08:14:42:
UPDATE: I will send you the text messages via the web. The mailbox company will cover your costs for a week or so. It will not cost you a cent and I will put together some test sightings as found on this site.
Possibly others will participate by calling in to the toll free reporting line to get some first hand test sightings.
I will hold off giving out the toll free number until you decide whether you are IN! Thanks, Daniel
In Reply to: Re: I.D help RFI posted by christie on October 18, 2005 at 06:03:09:
thankyou
In Reply to: Re: text messaging posted by Craig McLauchlan on October 25, 2005 at 05:34:02:
I think the best way is to have you and maybe 20 other birders send out a 20$ money order. Once receiving this, I will begin sending the text messages at cost.
It will be your option to listen to the mailbox messages at cost and it will be your decision to send in more money if you like what you see.
Text message: TOR * NE24 * PIPING PLOVER * SCARCE
1. Sighting reports will be sent out as text messages (10-15 cents each) .
2. The location code describes the general location using the direction (NE,SE etc) and the distance (km) from city hall (lighthouse).
3. With this same code (NE24 6324) you can dial a toll free number to hear sighting details (45 cents per listening minute).
4. You can receive a 2-minute credit for each sighting you report.
5. You can deactivate text messaging anytime by telephone.
6. You can query any combination of the 4 categories
In Reply to: text messaging posted by Daniel Borden on October 22, 2005 at 23:00:18:
this is a good Ideay but how dos one pay for it ??
Craig
Text messages available at cost:....Sample TEXT MESSAGE......TORONTO*NE14*Scarce*PIPING PLOVER.......Toronto is the originating Centre........NE14 is 14 kilometers North East of City Hall(Toronot hub)
Once receiving text message you have the option to hear particulars by speed dialing toll free number and entering NE14 to hear sighting details.
Today I spotted my first 2 Golden Eagles of the fall(adults). They circled above for a minute or 2 before moving on,oddly it was when there was very dark grey clouds above. 4 Nothern Harriers(2 pairs) went by almost together and very close. The Northern Goshawk thats been around the park lately(last 5 days) landed in a pine tree today briefly.The final total of 168,included 105 Sharpshinned Hawks,3 Coopers hawks,4 American Kestrels,a Peregrine Falcon,5 Northern Harriers,32 Redtailed hawks,16 Turkey Vultures and the 2 Golden Eagles.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is located at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest. One light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount,off of Kingston Rd.
In Reply to: Re: help with bird identification posted by gerard on October 14, 2005 at 08:35:45:
thanks so much gerard, i poured over bird books all weekend trying to identify the bird but to no avail.
Yesterday afternoon, at about 5:45 pm, my boyfriend and I were walking to the SRT, across the small empty field beside McCowan Station. A falcon swooped down and landed about 15 feet from us (and landed with quite a thud!), poked around the tall grass for a few seconds and produced a small black critter (a mouse, I think), swallowing it in a couple of gulps. It was such and amazing thing to witness - this bird was definitely on a mission and obviously spotted the prey from the air, and it did not show any concern that there were people so close by. I love seeing these huge, beautiful creatures in the city!
Michelle
In Reply to: Turkey Vulture posted by Bill on October 17, 2005 at 17:26:26:
As others have mentioned, they can be quite plentiful especially now in migration. I've seen kettles of 10 to 20 TV's in various parts of Toronto during the last month.
Otherwise, I see them all thru the summer outside the city, especially along the hwy's (lots of roadkill).
In Reply to: Re: I.D help RFI posted by Napper on October 17, 2005 at 17:04:42:
it sounds like a yellow rumped warbler, they are all over the city at this time of year.
In Reply to: Re: Turkey Vulture posted by BIGFRANK on October 17, 2005 at 17:47:03:
We have Turkey Vultures here all of the "regular" seasons. Just the other day I spotted 8 in a tree in a farmers field just up the road from us. A very normal bird around here, (Willow Beach, south-east shore) Lake Simcoe, Southern Ontario. Lorena
In Reply to: Turkey Vulture posted by Bill on October 17, 2005 at 17:26:26:
Hi Bill.They are not common in the city usually. Outside the city there are thousands. This time of year is migration time,and they are moving in large numbers throughout Ontario. High Park recently set a one day record at their Raptor Watch of over 1000 in a day. Myself today I counted 142 going past the little lakeshore park I count from. I like U was amazed that such things were here..I always saw vultures in old cowboy movies in the desert or in Africa..but over Toronto?? Who knew.
I was in Edward's Gardens today taking photos of the Mallards in flight when I saw a hawk-like bird overhead. I only had a 150mm lens on the camera but I took several pictures anyway. I came home to check them out and compared the markings. They are identical to a turkey vulture I spotted on enature.com. I have seen these birds in the southern states of Georgia and Tenn. but never up here.
Are they common in this area?
thanks ... Bill
In Reply to: I.D help RFI posted by Napper on October 17, 2005 at 16:33:03:
I found this image of a yellow rumped warbler. still it doesn't quite match what I saw.. maybee winter plummage... checkout the site has great images from Ohio. napper..
warberlhttp://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/birds/ohio_birds/TOC.htmler
This afternoon I found a tiny little guy trapped in a bus shelter near the 401. The little fellow was trying to fly through the glass.I'm sure he would have been fine on his/her own butI coaxed him out slowly anyway . He/she had the appearance of a chirping sparrow on its wings and darker head greyish undersides, glossy black legs and a bright yellow spot on its rump... The blackness of its legs was interesting...I've looked through my guides can't find it. Thanx in advance..Napper.
The day started off slowly,it was much more overcast then the forecast called for. By 10am I had fewer then 30 raptors,it got slow after that until noon. There were many highlights today raptor and non-raptor. Non-raptorforward Colin and I saw hundreds of Black-capped Chickadees,they were buzzing all over the place. About 9am,I got a great surprise...3 Eastern Bluebirds. They landed in the park,coming to rest on a fence,and later a few of the lights that line a path. They were beautiful! Its the first time I had seen them at Rosetta McClain,and my first of the fall.
Raptor highlights were plentiful among the 216 that were recorded. One lone Red-shouldered Hawk gave us a real challenge to spot let alone ID. At 2:30pm I saw a beautiful,darkMORPH Rough-legged Hawk.I spotted it far off and it flew closer until almost right overhead. We saw Hunter the local Redtail,for the first time in a few days,which was nice. Later he put on one of his "air shows",kiting for all to see,causing quite a stir. He also cruised the bluffs hunting. At one point he went into a serious dive in the park,going after a recently fed squirrel. Next excitement was as cloud of Turkey Vultures. Colin and I watched 88(largest kettle of TVs Ive ever seen) Turkey Vultures circle together. It's brilliant to watch them float round and round. Right atop was one Redtailed Hawk. More excitement was 2 Goshawks. One was definetly a migrant as it came in highish,and circled above. A Sharpie joined it then 2 giving an incredible example of size difference. Lastly it would seem there is a local juvenile Northern Goshawk staying in the vicinity of Rosetta McClain Gardens. I saw it yesterday first being chased by crows,then a few hours later make a low pass through the park going east,away from me. I mentioned this to Colin and we hoped it would show itself again. It surely did. Hunter was doing some flying around,when a 2nd bird appeared. It flew along atop the bluffs very very close to us.(much as Hunter does Tim) We got incredible looks at it. Its a huge bird! Both Colin and I really enjoyed that one!
Final totals today...216 total raptors(putting me over 2500 and more then double last years count at Rosetta) Kestrels 3,Sharpies 48.Coopers hawk 3,Northern Goshawks 2,Redtails 13,a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Rough-legged hawk,Northern Harriers 3 and 142 Turkey Vultures! Tomorrow Hawk Cliff!
I will be in the Toronto area between 10/24 and 28. Any suggestions for owling, typical Toronto birds, migration are welcome. Thanks.
Went to High Park this morning, around the duck ponds in the southeast end. Got some really close up views of several pairs of wood ducks in the most southerly pond, as well as mute swans, Canada geese, mallards, and what looked like a hybrid of a black duck with a domestic breed. Plenty of chickadees, robins, and nuthatches about too. We also saw three rusty blackbirds feeding by the middle pond. These were our firsts (we're just beginners). They were shifting into their winter plumage.
Then in our backyard (near Gerrard and Broadview) we were treated to flocks of juncos, a few white-throated sparrows, a pair of cardinals, and a lone hermit thrush, which has hung about much of the day. This was also our first and not one we expected to see from our kitchen.
-John
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Gardens ...Sharpies Moving posted by BIGFRANK on October 15, 2005 at 13:14:26:
Hi Big Frank, I have never been to this location before and I am wondering if there are better spots for viewing when at this park? Are there any tips you could give to where you find most of your sightings and also where are the Nuthatches you have been seeing? Are they easy to find? Thanks,
Scott
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Gardens ...Sharpies Moving posted by Scott on October 15, 2005 at 18:56:29:
Hi Scott,generally I stand right at the fence along the top of the bluffs,about midway along.(Its quite a small park,but there can be plenty there to see.)From that spot there is a good view in many directions. Often the nuthatches also land right in the trees beside there. Recently there have been many Juncos,White Crowned and White-throated Sparrows,various Thrushes,plenty of Flickers,Downy Woodpecker and for several days at least 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Good luck if U come and if Im there Im hard to miss. Most of the raptors are in flight,though some occassionally land within the park.
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Gardens ...Sharpies Moving posted by BIGFRANK on October 15, 2005 at 13:14:26:
Hi Big Frank, I have never been to this location before and I am wondering if there is a particular area in this park where you get most of your sightings? I am a photographer and would love some birds of prey shots. Any tips? Also the Nuthatch`s are a favorite bird of mine, are they easy to find here? Thanks,
Scott
Well this is a first for me, I always have my eye out for raptors but this little guy could not be ignored.
http://www.gpphoto.ca/review/albinosparrow/index.asp
Geoff
After several days of very poor raptor migration weather,as soon as I arrived at the park,I started recording migrating Sharp-shinned Hawks. Between 830am and 10am I counted 140 Sharp-shinned Hawks.In the next hour I added 45 more raptors,after which time things slowed down. 2 Juvenile Northern Goshawks came through later in the day,one was very low through the park,giving fantastic views,albeight quick.
In the end I tallied 236 raptors including,204 Sharp-shinned Hawks,5 Cooper's Hawks,2 Nothern Goshawks(the first 2 this season),7 American Kestrels, one Merlin and one Peregrine Falcon,4 Redtailed Hawks,10 Northern Harriers and 2 Turkey Vultures. It was a very nice day for mid-October,and rain missed us completely. I noticed a very large number of Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatch today.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is located at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount.
In Reply to: help with bird identification posted by mc on October 11, 2005 at 06:35:38:
I had the same first impression of birds on leslie spit last weekend (white outer tail, white rump, flitting in tall weeds), but when I got the binocs on them they were washed-out fall yellow-rumped (myrtle) warblers. Maybe folks who bird High Park regularly have other suggestions for your birds? Goldfinches, maybe?
gerard
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta Raptors: 365 including 10 Bald Eagles posted by Jo-Anne on October 11, 2005 at 15:28:08:
Hi Jo-anne sorry I missed U ...thanksgiving and all. The young Redtail,has taken up living in the park lately,but has no nest. It hunts the park daily,and Ive been calling it Hunter. Ive seen it catch a couple of small rats or mice,and I believe today a squirrel. Feel free to email me at the above address,minus the AT and we can be sure U see me next time.Id be happy to show U the raptors,and any other birds that are around.
In Reply to: Rosetta Raptors: 365 including 10 Bald Eagles posted by BIGFRANK on October 08, 2005 at 14:29:29:
well i went down to Rosetta McClain Gardens yesterday hoping to meet this fellow Big Frank. people that i asked knew him but hadn’t seen him. maybe next time as, i realize it was a bad day for birding with overcast sky. i am a novice birder but totally in love with the creatures of the sky . while i was there a large hawk; someone said a red tailed, landed in a coniferous and upset the red squirrels terribly. another onlooker said it had been there for a couple of weeks. it looked like it was building a nest. is this possible? jo-anne
Today I was in the High Park area on business so I stopped in and birded the northeast area for just over an hour and in that time I found 11 Fox Sparrows (7 of them together).
Also seen were Eastern Towhee, Field, Lincoln's and Chipping Sparrows as well as a Purple Finch and 9 Palm Warblers and the usual suspects for a total of 41 species in a short time and in a small area.
Norm
hello,
yesterday i was walking in high park -- with dog, without bincos -- and i noticed some birds flitting about on the tall weeds/thistles. these birds appeared to have white rumps and white on the outside of their tails. at first i thought that they were juncos, but the white rump changed my mind. can someone help identify?
Happy Thanksgiving.
A funny thing happened on the way to the Leslie Street Spit, I ended up on the Islands instead (whimped out on the subway because of the forecast).
The abundant birds of Saturday have mostly gone now and in fact I was able to count Sparrows, Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers but I did notice that A. Crows are starting to move.
I found the Sharp-tailed Sparrow along the back (west side) of the airport fence along with 8 more Sparrow species, 2 E. Meadowlarks, 41 Palm Warblers (including 2 the Eastern species), as well as a hunting adult Merlin and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon.
I only birded Hanlans and Gibralter Points and some the other birds among the 60 species were Veery, Swainson's Thrush, 74 Hermit Thrushes, a Long-tailed Duck on the lake and an adult Peregrine Falcon perched on the old lighthouse.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Good stuff on Leslie St. Spit posted by Norm Murr on October 08, 2005 at 19:21:40:
On my Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow report on the Leslie Street Spit for yesterday, Sat., Oct. 8, 2005 - 117 Swaison's Thrushes should read 117 Hermit Thrushes.
Norm Murr
Hi birders
Today Andrew Jano and I found a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the west side of the base of the Leslie Street Spit (Tommy Thompson Park) this was almost the last bird that we saw as we left the spit. The bird was in grasses/goldenrods about 100 yards directly west of the parking lot.
This was just one of many good and common birds on the spit today. I headed out to Pipit Point first thing in the morning and on the way and at the point high overhead passed 300+ Double-crested Cormorants, 200+ Canada Geese and offshore in a half hour period I counted 52 Common Loons passing by (my hands got cold and I left Pipit Point). Also out here were 2 Northern Harriers, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregrine Falcon and overhead 2 Cooper's Hawks and a Rough-legged Hawk and a lot of Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Here and in other areas of the spit I also found 2 more Cooper's Hawks, another Merlin, 15 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 16 Eastern Phoebes, 117 Swainson's Thrushes, 200+ Ruby-crowned and 300+ Golden-crowned Kinglets, 77 American Pipits, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 1000+ Yellow-rumped Warblers, 22 Palm Warblers, 300+ White-crowned and 500+ White-throated Sparrows, 250+ Dark-eyed Juncos, and 61 Rusty Blackbirds. These and a good number of other species made for a very birdie day out there and tomorrow looks like it may be a repeat. Look for Fox, Lincoln's, Chipping and Swamp Sparrows as well as Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Eastern Towhee, Winter Wrens, Brown Creepers, and Belted Kingfishers.
I hooked up with Andrew who is a volunteer at the bird banding station in the afternoon and I was told that they banded many birds this morning even though they only employed a third of their nets. They banded Pine Warbler, Northern Parula, and 2 Scarlet Tanagers along with the more common birds.
Norm Murr
Today was another terrific day,though it started out overcast with raptors trying to find holes in the Ozone layer. Things picked up steadily,peaking in the 1-2pm hour when 184 raptors were recorded. 140 were Turkey Vultures,a few streams and a few kettles were great to see! 3 Bald Eagles circled the park as we alerted afew families with young children who enjoyed seeing them. Our final tally today included Northern Harriers 15,Peregrine Falcon 2,Broadwinged Hawk 1,American Kestrel 9,Red-shouldered Hawks 2,Osprey 3,Bald Eagle 10,Coopers Hawks 6,Sharpshinned Hawk 57,Red-tailed Hawks 84 and Turkey Vultures 176. Thanks to pals Terry and Tim for helping with spotting/IDing and just making the day more enjoyable.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is still at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Kingston Rd and Birchmount.
In Reply to: Toronto Islands - Good Stuff posted by Norm Murr on September 27, 2005 at 16:16:50:
tks for sharing that Norm I still have to get over there
It sounds great..
I did get your e mail but dont know if I could keep up with you..
S
Hi Birders,
I was somewhat surprised to spot 3 Chimney Swifts over Yonge and Davisville at 6.45pm this evening (Thu). I didn't think there would be any still here.
With Swifts in the air and these hot October days I can almost kid myself that Summer is still around....at least for a few more hours, anyway, until the cooler weather moves in on Friday!
Good Birding,
Bruce
I have to believe things have peaked,but one never knows. Hawk watch buddy Tim saw tons of raptor action and Charlie who often attends at Cranberry Marsh came by in the morning,and he was suitably impressed by Sharpies galore,Peregrine Falcon,Osprey and Kestrels. The count oh ya the count...over the course of the day from about 9-230pm Charlie,Tim and myself as well as many passersby,enjoyed viewing and counted 313 raptors!! The Sharpies just kept popping up over the big Poplar tree on the edge of the bluffs and going along the lakeshore. A Peregrine that passed very close whilst Charlie was there gave a great view.We also had an Osprey fly by very close along the bluffs. Charlie finally made his oft delayed exit with Sharpies still coming.Arrive Tim and Sharpies didnt stop!
Records...one hour 107 raptors!...279 Sharpies total for the day...final one day total 313.
It was a really incredible day! 279 Sharpshinned Hawks,23 American Kestrels,2 each of Northern Harrier/Coopers Hawk/Redtails and Peregrine Falcons,one each of Merlin,Turkey Vulture and an Osprey.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one block east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd.
After the last few days,of Sharpies ignoring weather and flying anyway,I knew Id see some.I went to Rosetta McClain Gardens and by 11am had seen 42 raptors.From 11-12 I saw more in an hour then ever,tallying 71. In the end I had spotted and ID'd 189 raptors,consisting of 160 Sharpshinned Hawks,16 American Kestrels,3 each of Coopers Hawks,Peregrine Falcons(2 gave fantastic views) and Merlins(2 were low and close) and pairs of Redtailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. Im sure I missed a few in the haze and blue sky but did the best I could. A terrific day!(note to prospective visitors:from last years notes very few Redtails and Vultures went past the park,so in the coming months for volume official Raptor Watches such as High Park or Cranberry Marsh may be preferred(I'll be visiting HP frequently myself).
Rosetta McClain Gardens is still at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,one light east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd in Scarborough.
In Reply to: Waders? posted by Jacques on October 04, 2005 at 13:29:17:
If age is a problem then I would not suggest The Leslie St Spit (Tommy Thompson Park).
May be a few at Grenedier Pond in High Park.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Waders? posted by Jacques on October 04, 2005 at 13:29:17:
Since you did mention Toronto, I won't go and suggest other places that are at least 2 hours away. You could give the Leslie St. spit (Tommy Thompson Park) a shot.
http://www.trca.on.ca/parks_and_culture/places_to_visit/tommy_thompson/
In Reply to: Waders? posted by Jacques on October 04, 2005 at 13:29:17:
No great spot here. Go to Long point or Presqu'ile.
I would like to know where is a good spot to find waders around Toronto (easy access because of my age!!!), specially at this time of the year. I'm from Montréal and I will be in town for the long week-end.
Thank you,
Jacques
Another excellent fall day greeted 10 PBCers as we headed east to bird at the Lynde Shores Conservation Area. We started out on the feeder trail where we had good views of mostly White-thr. Sparrows on the trail but there were also a few White-cr. as well. The foliage and canopy of the woods in the SE corner were alive with birds and we
knew that fall was progressing well as about half of all the birds that we identified here were kinglets, most were Ruby-cr. but a few were Golden-cr. After we spent much time straining to ID all the little moving things in the trees, we were finally able to come up with 9 species of warblers. Most were Nashville and a few more were Yellow-rumped, Common Yellowthroat and Black-thr. Green, but we also had
singles of American Redstart, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Black-thr. Blue, and Magnolia Warblers. We also got Veery and Gray-cheeked Thrush while here and there were many Blue Jays continuing their westward migration above us. We saw more Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers today than on any other day that we've been out, indicating that there was a large movement of them through this area on Saturday.
Perhaps the best bird found in this woodlot though was the Northern Shrike spotted while calling at the edge of the meadow. Only a smaller number of our group were fortunate enough to get to see this bird, good find Andrew!
At Cranberry Marsh itself we saw several species of waterfowl and a few migrating raptors as well. The ducks found included Gadwall, Wood Duck, American Widgeon, Black Ducks, Mallards, and Blue-winged Teal. We got to see an immature Cooper's Hawk make a feeble effort to catch a Mourning Dove and we also saw Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture and Sharp-shinned Hawk in this area. An Eastern Phoebe was spotted in the willows near the shoreline. From here we moved on to Corner Marsh in Pickering where we found a great variety of wading birds and waterfowl. In addition we had a lone Pectoral Sandpiper and a Lesser and several Greater Yellowlegs foraging along the shoreline of the main pond. There were quite a few Great Blue Herons but we also counted no less than 10 Great Egrets in this part of the Duffin Creek watershed. Other waterfowl seen here included Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Hooded and Common Mergansers. The best bird seen here was a low flying immature Bald Eagle, a very dark individual, being harassed by a Sharp-shinned Hawk as it flew west towards us. This is probably the same bird seen and reported at the Cranberry Marsh hawkwatch on the same day, likely a bit earlier in the morning than us.
After lunch we decided to visit Frenchman's Bay where we were able to not get too muddy wading in to access the extensive mudflats. We had a good look at a basic plumaged Black-bellied Plover and numerous Killdeer, but the best birds were the three also basic plumaged Dunlin bathing and foraging in the shallow water near the shore. This area deserves to get checked a few more times over the next several weeks in anticipation of either a Glossy Ibis or a Hudsonian Godwit showing up later in the month. While waiting for us Bill also spotted a Swainson's and a Hermit Thrush in the woods adjacent to the parking lot. All in all it was another great day of fall birding in southern Ontario.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
Despite winds that werent favorable again,I recorded a new record for raptors in a day there. I guess birds dont read weather reports. When Colin arrived at 11am,Id seen 15 raptors...by the end of the day Id counted a new record for the park of 119. Sharp-shinned Hawks kept coming,one hour 34 the next 36,in the end a total of 103 sharpies alone. 2 Merlins came through almost together,recognized thanks to Colins expertise,a Peregrine Falcon,a Redtailed Hawk,8 Kestrels,1 Northern Harrier and 3 Osprey. Im sure we missed some Sharpies that went abit over the lake in the haze,as they were just appearing out of the haze sometimes to be spotted. Only a few of the Sharpies were adults,so they are still yet to come.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,atop the western end of the Scarborough Bluffs overlooking Lake Ontario. One light east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd.
Good day all
Did the Spit again today and it was a beautiful day to be out there even though not too good migration wise except for Rusty Blackbirds.
Following are some of the birds I found today.
Redhead - 8, Lesser Scaup - 200+, Great Blue Heron - 7, Killdeer - 23, A. Golden Plover - 2, Blue Jay - 165, Yellow-rumped Warbler - 35, Palm Warbler - 14 (13 of them together), Rusty Blackbird - 182, Hooded Merganser - 20, White-crowned Sparrow - 96, White-throated Sparrow - 102, Song Sparrow - 71, Swamp Sparrow - 23, Savannah Sparrow - 7, Bulk of sparrows were on Pipit Point a place that will only get better this month, both on the point and on the lake. Tree Swallow - 13 flying west, Cooper's Hawk - 2, Plus Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed hawks and American Kestrels.
A nice day to be out there, same weather tomorrow.
Norm Murr
While this is not an official "count site",I do pass my numbers on. With the end of September,totals for this fall(Aug/Sept) are 886 total raptors,including 184 American Kestrels,9 Merlin,21 Peregrine Falcons,432 Sharpshinned Hawks,41 Coopers Hawks,68 Northern Harriers, 13 Broadwinged Hawks,41 Redtailed Hawks,1each of Roughlegged Hawk and Redshouldered Hawk,18 Turkey Vultures,49 Osprey and 9 Bald Eagles. While these totals arent impressive when held up against such localish sites as Cranberry Marsh or High Park,for a park 10minutes from my home they are brilliant. Im looking forward to a successful October. Non-raptor highlights included thousands of Blue Jays a day, a Common Raven,an American White Pelican and 2 Great Egrets this month. Ive enjoyed sharing and chatting with various visitors who have read postings here,and look forward to meeting more of U.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is at Glen Everest and Kingston Rd,one light east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd,atop the western end of the Scarborough Bluffs.(note no dogs or bike riding in the gardens)
In Reply to: Re: pictures posted by Brian Bailey on September 29, 2005 at 18:27:46:
Thank You for the info they are the same bird and i will rename them.
Rob
In Reply to: pictures posted by Robert Beeney on September 29, 2005 at 07:11:12:
Your Sanderlings are actually Spotted Sandpipers. I don't know if these are two shots of the same bird or two different individuals in the same location, but "Sanderling 1" appears to be a juvenile. "Sanderling 2" could be a juvenile or a winter plumaged adult.
Spotteds aren't spotted at this time of year!
BB
Hi There
Here is a link for some pictures of birds [and 2 butterflies,and chipmonks] that i have taken over the summer, I am not a professional by any means but the pics are still ok even after i photoshoped them to death. There are 2 pictures of birds from the sandpiper family that after looking at my birdbook i am thinking that they are Sanderlings but maybe not as i'm not an expert, so feel free to comment . I hope that the link works , if it does enjoy.
Rob
http://photos.yahoo.com/rockinbones@rogers.com
I have always wanted to go to Point Pelee. I have an opportunity to go between October 23 - 29 when I have a week off work! Is it unreasonable to expect to see a variety of birds moving south at that late date? If not, which types might be in the vicinity? Any advice offered will be very much appreciated.
Hi all
Today I went down to the Toronto Islands on a chance that there was a movement overnight and in this I was mildly disappointed.
BUT - I did come up with a few goodies that I will list below but first I must mention that I did have 4,000 plus Blue Jays streaming thru and the Mute Swan numbers have increased to 61 over there.
Now to the but part.
While walking along doing my thing I observed an adult Northern Goshawk slowly passing over me and shortly after that an adult Merlin zipped by. As I walked thru the Islands I found 7 Gray-cheeked Thrushes, a Carolina Wren, an American Pipit, an Orange-crowned Warbler and lots of both Kinglets but the best of the day was to come near the end of my walk beside and behind the south end of the Island Airport.
I decided to walk along the back (west side) of the airport fence and a good move it was. On the fence I counted 26 Eastern Phoebes, 6 Palm Warblers (including 1 Yellow Eastern Subspecies) but the best was still to come both on the fence and in the grasses/bushes along the fence.
In this area I had 9 Sparrow species including Fox, Savannah, and Clay-colored Sparrows on the fence and in the grasses and I flushed a Short-eared Owl, BUT the best was as I turned back to retrace my steps. From the grass I flushed a bird into a bush where I had a great 5 minute look at a juvenile Dickcissel.
Norm Murr
Richmond Hill, ON
In Reply to: Re: Directions to Hawk Hill posted by Norm Murr on September 19, 2005 at 15:42:28:
ooo
Hello..All..Yesterday (Sunday) Along Derry rd. near Tremaine in Milton (9:45 am) spotted a Coopers or Sharp shinned as it swooped in front of my vehicle across the road into a farm field. I thought that was interesting..Even more interesting at (around 11:00am) at MM Robinson high school (Burlington)while running out onto the Football field a Similar Hawk darted across the field (at chest level) then up into the trees adjacent to the school. As it approached the trees a number of doves scattered. I was in the middle of a game so i didn't have a chance to watch it further..Napper
I went to Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens today hoping that predicted west winds would have some of the north in them predicted earlier in the week. They did and despite clear blue skys,I was able to spot 116 raptors,my most ever at Rosetta. Sharp-shinned Hawks were most common being 77in total.2 Merlins,4 Northern Harriers,2 Coopers Hawks,7 Osprey,22 Kestrels and 2 Redtailed Hawks were all seen,and most reasonably low. All of the Ospreys gave good looks and one was very low through the park.A kettle of 13 was my largest this season,containing 9 Sharpies and 4 Kestrels,a Harrier and an Osprey were also in the general area at that time.I was very happy with the days total.
Thousands of Blue Jays passed by,I counted for 20minutes and hit 700 b4 losing interest in that.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is a small park at Kingston Rd and Gleneverest east of Birchmount off of Kingston Rd.
In Reply to: PBC Birding Trip on Sept. 17 to Toronto Island posted by B. Griffin on September 18, 2005 at 13:32:10:
Followed Brette to the Islands today and most of the birds seemed to have moved on even though I did find 15 Warblers species and lots of Swainson's Thrushes.
I also lucked out at the airport when I watched an A. Kestrel chase a Peregrine Falcon across the south runway but I was also surprised as after the Peregrine left not one but three Kestrels and a Merlin returned back towards me.
Wednesday could be another good day over there or you may opt to head for Hawk Hill as there will be a NW wind Wednesday after a rainy night tonight and bad winds tomorrow. Of course the Islands could be good tomorrow as well if the rains come in the iddle of the night tonight.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Any more trips to Island October kindly advise me.. posted by Sierra on September 19, 2005 at 12:37:57:
Sierra
I will be going to the Islands probably several times between now and the end of November if you care to tag along. Don't know the dates yet as I go by the weather and the expectation of bird movements.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Re: Raptor records for Toronto Hawk Watch posted by Jean-Guy Gagnon on September 19, 2005 at 07:19:20:
HAWK HILL IN HIGH PARK
High Park is located in the west end of Toronto and is bounded on the south by The Queensway, the north by Bloor Street and on the east by Parkside Drive. To reach High Park you can take the TTC Subway to the High Park Station or the Queen Street Streetcar #501 to either the Parkside Drive or the Colborne Lodge Drive streetcar stops or you may drive in from High Park Avenue at the north end of the park. Hawk Hill is east of or right beside the Algonquin Restaurant (about halfway into the park) which is south of the soccer field. If you can not find the hill for the trees then you can enquire at the restaurant as to the location as almost everyone is aware of the goings on up there now. There is always someone on the hill from Sep. 1st to around Nov. 30th. Best days are days with a good NW or N wind and if a cold front comes along with those winds after a rainy day then you should see lots of Raptors (No Guarantees).
Norm Murr
please any more trips to Island
October.. time.
could someone write me the dates
Thank you in advance.
Sierra
In Reply to: Re: Raptor records for Toronto Hawk Watch posted by Jean-Guy Gagnon on September 19, 2005 at 07:19:20:
This is a cut and paste from the official report: Click on the link at the bottom to see the official count site.
High Park Site Description
High Park is a 400 acre wooded park dominated by a Black Oak Savannah located just west of Downtown Toronto near Keele and Bloor. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department.
The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 metres above sea level and 38 metres above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8 seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the centre of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993.
The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs. More information including a summary of our past observations is available at:
http://www.torontobirding.ca/~gtrw/
In Reply to: Raptor records for Toronto Hawk Watch posted by Norm Murr on September 18, 2005 at 10:40:10:
Hi, could you tell me where exacly is Hawk Hill in High Park. I was there on Sunday and I fail to see any raptors. I am new at this. Thank you.
In Reply to: Raptor Watching Friends or Interested New Birders posted by BIGFRANK on September 06, 2005 at 18:53:02:
ll
Good afternoon all.
On a fanfreakingtastic weather day the guys and gals on Hawk Hill in High Park recorded a record (for 1 day) of 12 Bald Eagles, 22 Osprey and 9 Merlins among almost 600 Raptors.
Great going guys and gals.
Norm Murr
Richmond Hill, ON
I had a great look at a third year immature bald eagle soaring quite low over the spit yesterday. It circled overhead for almost fifteen minutes, close to the tip of the spit. It's the first time I've seen one in Toronto, though I know they aren't that uncommon.
In Reply to: Sand Banks bird kills posted by rob on September 09, 2005 at 09:23:21:
probably botulism - a seemingly growing problem in the great lakes annually - the cull at the park was not carried out this year to the best of my knowledge
In Reply to: Not Crazy posted by BIGFRANK on September 10, 2005 at 19:48:01:
Brovo - Brovo Big Frank this is one great bird for the GTA .
Craig
A glorious fall day greeted eight PBCers at Presqu’ile P.P. on Saturday. Our first visit was to Beach 4/Owen’s Point where we immediately spotted a Merlin sitting on the beach not far from the shoreline. We did not relocate the Willet that had been seen here earlier in the morning by one member of our group. The shorebird numbers were fairly low but we did manage to find 11 species including Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, Baird’s Sandpiper, and quite a few Sanderlings and Black-bellied Plovers. We also had Common and Caspian Terns at the point as well as Vesper Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco in the brushy areas near the viewing stations. Along the trail back from the point we encountered a few flocks of warblers including Northern Waterthrush which served to whet our appetites for more of them as we headed on to the lighthouse area of the park.
It did not take long to find many warblers working the trees around the parking lot near the lighthouse. They were initially in the trees NW of the lighthouse but eventually most if not all moved into the taller and thicker willows along the shoreline NE of the lighthouse where we picked our spots and valiantly tried to ID them all. Fortunately they had viewing areas complete with benches which were perfectly positioned for the task at hand and after some 2 hours of “warbler-necking” we were grateful to make use of them. The best part was that we could sit down and still look for and find warblers as they worked the willows. The relatively small amount of habitat here ensured that the birds stayed put for awhile as they cycled through the trees looking for food and often provided us several great looks at what were sometimes the very same birds on multiple occasions. While here we also got two thrushes (Wood and Swainson’s), Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a female Scarlet Tanager feeding on Mountain Ash fruit, Cedar Waxwings, Gray Catbird, several Ruby-thr. Hummingbirds and of course a Cooper’s and a Sharp-shinned Hawk trying to make off with a few migrants from the very birdy woodlot. In addition we had 4 vireo species (only missed the White-eyed), including very close views of a Philadelphia Vireo and a cooperative Great-crested Flycatcher as well.
At lunch we determined that we had seen 20 different species of warblers in about 3 hours of birding and realized that this had been one of our best warbler days of the year. In terms of species diversity, the numbers of warblers found here rivalled those found at some of the best birding spots in southwestern Ontario this past May. It was quite a day and we were very happy to complain about our sore neck muscles! A quick stop at the Calf Pasture netted a few waterfowl including Pie-billed Grebes but we also decided to make a stop at Jobe’s Woods. Those remaining in the group were rewarded with a very close-up view of a foraging Pileated Woodpecker and my Barred Owl call brought in Blue Jays, Northern Flickers and a few other birds. Just before we left we also heard a distant Barred Owl respond to my effort. We then realized that we had to leave since it was late in the afternoon even though no one really wanted to. The birding had been so intense that we did not have time to visit the Marsh Boardwalk much less revisit some of the good spots that we had already tried earlier. We ended up with about 87 bird species for the day but I guess we’ll just have to go back again soon for more!
___________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Not Crazy posted by BIGFRANK on September 10, 2005 at 19:48:01:
OK, BIGFRANK, We believe you now.
Al
In Reply to: Pelican Brief posted by BIGFRANK on September 09, 2005 at 12:13:57:
Originally part of Tom Flinn's posting to Ont Birds.....On Saturday, Sept. 10/05 I observed a single American White Pelican on the north side of Peninsula D of Tommy Thompson Park (Leslie Street Spit) in Toronto.
The bird was observed from 0745-0755 as I was preparing to do a census count
for the TTP Bird Research Station. It was first seen associating with a
group of Mute Swans. When the bird flew off at 0755 it was heading west and
did not return so the best places to look for it would likely be either at
the Toronto Islands or along the north shore of Lake Ontario from
Mississauga to Hamilton.
Today at noon,from Rosetta McClain Gardens looking east,I spotted a huge white(at first) bird over the lake,nearish Bluffers Park. I then saw black on the birds primaries as it started to flap and glide. Quickly I elminated a swan,and as it kept getting closer,my exclamations became louder and unsuitable for posting. It passed me within a very reasonable distance for my binoculars,giving me a terrific profile,making the huge bill obvious. It flew in the general direction of Burlington/Hamilton as it went out of site.100% an American White Pelican.
Hi folks,
I camped at SandBanks over the long weekend and our group noticed numerous dead birds along the beach. Most birds were either cormorants or some sort of darkish duck (definitely not mallards)
There were also a few gulls in the mix. We also noticed several dead fish - mostly freshwater drums and a few chinook salmon.
I would estimate the bird count at approx. 50 - 60 birds along a 3km stretch.. seems like a lot to me
are these possibly part of the culling operation off Presquille or disease??
thanks,
rob
While todays winds didnt hold up,and thunder and lightening didnt help things,I still managed 20 raptors today,17Sharp-shinned Hawks,often coming in pairs,2 Coopers Hawks(both local but still nice to watch) and a Kestrel. Just after the rain stopped around 930am I saw Common Yellow-throat,several female Palm Warblers(had me fooled for awhile) and a lone male Palm Warbler,a beautiful Black Throated Blue Warbler(male) Belted Kingfisher on a branch near the lake and 3 Sanderling that landed on the beach below briefly. At 240pm I saw what I believe was a Common Raven,I spotted it as large and dark in the distance,as it circled up. It began flapping and gliding. As it became obvious it wasnt a raptor,I briefly wrote it off as a crow,but its large size as it got closer made me look back. I remembered something was different about the tail from my books so was sure to concentrate on that and was definetly not a crows tail.."fingers" of wings seemed different too,and having seen the 4 local crows often enough I truely believe it was a Raven. Interested to know if maybe High Park saw one abit later on.
In Reply to: Re: Raptor Watching Friends or Interested New Birders posted by Robert on September 07, 2005 at 12:20:02:
Many hawks are _way_ up, but the occasional hawk has come in _very_ close. There was one last year that had observers ducking.
There's a fake owl on a pole which attracts the passing raptors. More than a few Merlins have taken a swipe at it.
BTW, bring your longest lense. I shoot with 400mm & 500mm lenses on a DSLR, and they're barely long enough. Mornings are also best.
In Reply to: Raptor Watching Friends or Interested New Birders posted by BIGFRANK on September 06, 2005 at 18:53:02:
Hi There
I may go over to Cranberry Marsh on Sunday and i'm just wondering if the hawks fly low enough to take a picture.
Rob
If anyone wants a good chance to see a reasonable number of raptors,keep an eye on Thursdays weather. Conditions seem favourable for a decent movement of raptors. Northwest winds are the best.If the rain holds off it could be a pretty good day.Its probably too early for a huge Broadwinged Hawk movement but still a worthwhile day likely. Around Toronto area High Park is a major count site,as well as Cranberry Marsh further east of Toronto. Good luck to all.
In Reply to: osprey and eagles posted by Frank Williams on August 30, 2005 at 06:47:46:
Hi There
I hear that the eagles are on Buckhorn Lake but you need a boat as the
nest is over water in an old osprey nest. i think its near Kawartha Lanes
or something like that.
Rob
Saturday was an enjoyable day to be out birding for seven PBCers as sunny but cool conditions prevailed for an early fall visit to the Long Point area. A quick stop at Mount Hope did not produce any shorebird species of significant interest so we headed for the Townsend lagoons. The best birds here may have been the juvenile and/or basic
plumaged Bobolinks that were feeding and flitting about the
peripheral regions of the first lagoon. We spent some time trying to come up with an appropriate description of the bright colors we observed that were displayed by the Bobolinks in this particular plumage but we were not able to do them justice. We had about 10 shorebird species here with the highlights being at least one White-rumped Sandpiper and three Stilt Sandpipers in winter plumage. In addition there was a very large flock of swallows (at least three species represented) that took flight for a few minutes while we were here as they continue to find an abundant supply of flying insects in the vicinity of the lagoons.
From here we moved on to the Long Point area via Port Dover where a quick stop at Silver Lake did not produce much of interest. The birding at the Old Cut woods was good as we found a Wood Thrush and a small flock of warblers that included Pine, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Tennessee, Magnolia, Black-thr. Green, Yellow-rumped, and American Redstart. In contrast the birding in the park itself was relatively quiet this time perhaps non-coincidentally a function of the busy Labor Day weekend activity but we did manage to get House Wren and a soaring Broad-winged Hawk while here. We had to pass on birding the normally productive overflow camping area as it was fully booked with campers. We then decided to visit the Backus Woods where Lucy found what was perhaps the bird of the day, a juvenile female Hooded Warbler as we stopped to check out some call notes heard beside the road. We also had Black-and-White and Nashville Warblers, both Nuthatch species, and several calling Red-eyed Vireos while we birded this location.
The next stop was the Wilson tract where Andrew found a Yellow-billed Cuckoo by the road when we stopped to look at a Spicebush butterfly. The bird foraged in full view for several minutes affording us exceptional viewing of all the diagnostic plumage characteristics of this "too often heard but not seen" species. This included a successful feeding attempt on a Walking Stick that we estimated to be about 4-5 inches long, the bird wrestled with it for a few minutes before flying deeper into the bush to finish it off. It was then joined by a second bird to double our viewing pleasure before we moved on to Concession A. No Screech Owls were found while we inspected the usual possible roosting places but we did get Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, and Wood Duck before we started to head back north-east late in the afternoon. Sharp-eyed Andrew also spotted a pair of Sandhill Cranes in a field close to the road as we headed out along Conc. A back towards Highway 59.
We ended the day with about 11 species of warblers and also managed 6 species of raptors as we drove around the area, the latter group included both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. In total we finished with about 80 species of birds for a well-rounded day of birding as we opted not to stop in at Turkey Point to try and add a few more species to the list. Once again, Long Point did not fail to provide us with yet another stimulating day of fall birding.
__________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Bird ID? posted by Carla on September 02, 2005 at 18:14:16:
Hey there
It sounds to me like a blue-gray gnatcatcher to me
In Reply to: Bird ID? posted by Carla on September 02, 2005 at 18:14:16:
here it is
Last evening about 7pm I saw 3 birds, about the size of a goldfinch, in the top of the birch trees. The sound they made was very high pitched - it reminded me of the sound a waxwing makes.
I'll post a pic in the reply.
I went to Rosetta McClain Gardens today,hoping to start my September off with some raptors.It was a good day,with a final tally of 38 raptors of 6 species. 17 American Kestrels,9 Sharp-shinned Hawks,2 Coopers Hawks,2 Northern Harriers,a Broadwing and the highlight for me,7 Osprey.Most birds were quite close,providing terrific views of them. Raptors passed beginning about 8am today,until today however it had been 10am before movement began. Conversely smaller birds seen are b4 10am. A pair of Eastern Kingbirds,Yellow-rumped and Canada Warbler and several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds zipped past. Some days there is a reasonable fallout of warblers,generally after inclimate weather. Looking forward to visiting Torontos big Raptor Watch site at High Park soon.
Rosetta McClain Gardens is a small park just east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd,at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest.It overlooks Lake Ontario,atop the western end of the Scarborough Bluffs.
In Reply to: unidentified shorebird (pics) posted by Iain Fleming on August 28, 2005 at 15:35:45:
Hello, my guess , after a carefull research, is an adult breeding female Black-bellied Plover, females average less black , no frosty crown like the male but nape and white belly region, not shown on American Golden (all black).The picture shows a larger bill than AG. The juvenile or winter is much grayer no black nape and mostly can be gold-speckled above.
Keep birding.
Dragos
Saw at least 4 nests of osprey on the north shore of Rice Lake this past week-end. Check out the roads around Beresford Bridge where the Otonabee enters Rice Lake.
I am told there are also eagle nests in the area. does anyone know where they can be spotted.
In Reply to: interesting writings about backyard feeders and squirrels posted by Napper on August 29, 2005 at 18:35:41:
easier to just click on the link..
p.s. I have a similar problem with squirrels. I just put seed out during the day and cover it at night.
You have to read this hilarious story about a bird feeder(s) and the ultimate nemisis. The Squirrel. sorry quotation marks don't seem to want to work on this new cheap keyboard.
Napper
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=barone/050829
In Reply to: unidentified shorebird (pics) posted by Iain Fleming on August 28, 2005 at 15:35:45:
I was at Rattray the same day as Iaian and I have attached a url for the best picture I could muster through digiscoping. It's a little out of focus. I hope you can see the golden sheen on the back which I understand either makes it an AMGP or a juvenile Black-bellied Plover. I'd also love to know which it is. Thanks so much. The link is below, just make sure you put it all in one line as an address and go to the website; hopefully all will work out fine.
Just make sure the link comes out in one line and paste it in to the address box and go there, if the URL link doesn't come out on your screen.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QaNWrZsxZvlA
Theresa
Today at Rattray Marsh I photographed this bird (http://groups.msn.com/flemingphotography/shoebox.msnw?Page=1). My guess is either American Golden or Black-Bellied Plover in molt. The dark blotches under the tail suggest that maybe it is the AMGP. Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks, Iain
In Reply to: Re: large heron-like birds RFI posted by Brian Bailey on August 24, 2005 at 19:35:58:
Thanks for the help! If I can trust my map reading skills, we would have been passing through one of the "probable breeding" squares.
gerard
In Reply to: Re: One for the believe it File..for posted by on August 24, 2005 at 08:31:47:
Or it got into a discarded bag of cheese puffs again.
In Reply to: Nighthawks posted by Claus on August 26, 2005 at 15:03:52:
Hey Claus, you can get more info on the Common Nighthawk Migration at the following URL:
http://members.localnet.com/~risinger/index.html
They also have survey forms to record observations and a listserve that you can join to maintain contact with other nighthawk watchers in the US(why not try it for Ontario?). Enjoy, Brete
Yesterday at 8 pm I saw some 50 common nighthawks in a loose flock over Toronto (Bloor/Spadina) heading towards the lake. I'm new to Canada so I don't know whether that is special but I found it pretty impressive.
In Reply to: Songbird Migration Rattray Marsh posted by Mark Cranford on August 23, 2005 at 14:44:22:
The great thing about late August is that if you look for the chickadees in pretty much any decent size park in the region, you stand a good chance of coming across a nice mix of warblers and others. It's not always the case (weather/migration influences chances of success of course), but often enough to make it worthwhile to always check, even in unlikely locations (I remember one day having 8 warbler species hanging out with the chickadees at Queen's Park!)
I finally got to experience a midweek birding adventure on Wednesday as Bill and I were able to coordinate an escape from urbanity to the Long Point area. Our first stop was the Sod Farm on Airport Road just east of Mount Hope. After spending about 30 minutes studying the dispersion pattern of Horned Larks and Killdeer in some tilled areas of the farm, a very helpful lady further delayed the start of her golf game by stopping to let us know where she had just found a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Sure enough, within 5 minutes of her giving us directions we were watching a BBSA foraging a few hundred meters out in a very green portion of the sod farm, it’s location precisely described as 0.4 km east of Upper James St. along Airport Road (on the south side). No Black-bellied or Golden Plovers were seen here on our visit.
From here we moved on to Old Cut where we arrived just in time to see the banding personnel furl the nets at noon. The woods here were pretty quiet, not surprising considering the time of day, and the only warbler found was a Canada Warbler. After a short walk around these woods we headed south into the park where our warbler luck improved considerably. On the way in, sharp-eyed Bill spotted a Yellow-billed Cuckoo sitting motionless in a shrub right beside the park road providing excellent point blank views. We then headed into the woods on the beach side of the campground and came away with 13 species of warblers in an hour of birding from approximately 1240pm to 140pm in the afternoon, not bad for the middle of the day. The most numerous species seen were Magnolia Warbler and American Redstart but we also found Cape May, Wilson’s, Blackpoll, Orange-crowned, Canada (again), Yellow, Black-thr. Green, Nashville, Black-and-White, Common Yellowthroat, and Chestnut-sided Warblers. We also had Red-eyed and Philadelphia Vireos, Great-crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird and several non-vocalizing Empidonax flycatchers while birding here. A quick stop on the way home produced about 12 species of shorebirds at Townsends as it continues to be a very good stopover for migrant shorebirds.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: large heron-like birds RFI posted by gerard on August 12, 2005 at 13:26:07:
I agree. I sounds like you saw Sandhill Cranes. I knew they were expanding into southern Ontario, but I didn't realize the extent until I looked at the result of the current Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. The first atlas recorded them in only a handful of squares in Southern Ontario, but described an eastern expansion.
Have a look at them now:
In Reply to: Re: One for the believe it File..for posted by on August 23, 2005 at 18:39:55:
Gulls are often dyed a pinkish colour with rhodamine in population studies. Depending on the study, it can be a better marker than a colour band. I'm not aware of anyone using any dyes on gulls around here, but gulls can travel long distances indeed.
Or, it could have picked up some sort of rusty stain from somewhere it has been, I guess.
In Reply to: Re: One for the believe it File..for posted by BIGFRANK on August 23, 2005 at 18:11:17:
I never questioned your sanity. I had never seen such a bird "Gull" until now. What are the chances of that happening?
In Reply to: One for the believe it File..for posted by on August 23, 2005 at 16:39:14:
Thanks Napper,while it cant be the lone indicator of my sanity,at least this didnt mark me as nuts. I spoke awhile after my original post to one of the banders at the Leslie St Spit and he said he had seen the bird the same day I had. When we spoke he was checking around to see if there was a program of some sort around that was marking the gulls this way.
Remember a while back "Mr. BIGFRANK" posted this....."This is not a joke.What I believe was a Ring-billed Gull with alot of Orange colour on its underside of tail and body(back parts" and so on.(Sorry big Frank I copied part of your Post)....Well today at Wonderland at around 1:00pm eating lunch outside the gates in the parking lot,guess what flew over our van..You got it..A gull with orange underparts and tail feathers. My whole family saw it and were suprised as I was.I asked my wife did I see an Orange Gull? and she said Yes because we all saw it. I remembered the original post way back in April and thought that I would mention it. Napper
In the last two days I've visited Rattray Marsh three times and have been amazed at the variety of migrating songbirds. I've seen around 10 species of warblers, 4 vireo species including Philadelphia, evil empids etc. The birds are easy to locate just find the Black-capped Chickadees.
The last few days havent been spectacular but for early migration,Ive really enjoyed it.It seems things start up around 10am,though Ive been much earlier to be sure. Ive had great looks at Osprey,several Kestrels and Northern Harriers,Redtails,a Bald Eagle,and yesterday 2close up Broadwinged Hawks. If there is any north element to the wind it could be a good day now.Im hopeful today of another small movement. Saw 12 and 13 raptors respectively Sun and Mon.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is at Kingston Rd and Glen Everest,east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd.
In Reply to: Re: Rattray's Marsh posted by Rob on August 22, 2005 at 05:43:11:
Since you now know how to get there, I'll just add that the best place to view the mudflats is from the barrier beach at the outlet of the marsh. There is a path to the beach from the boardwalk on the east side. Stay on the paths or beach. The bushes in beach area are full of poison ivy.
An alternate approach is from Bexhill Road. A wide path at the end of the road leads into the conservation area. There is room for a few cars at the side of the road.
BB
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Gardens:Early Migrating Raptors posted by Elle (Markham) on August 21, 2005 at 10:56:58:
Sorry Elle no dogs are allowed in the park at all.The staff is sticky about it.
In Reply to: Re: Rattray's Marsh posted by Rob on August 22, 2005 at 05:43:11:
Rattray's Marsh is accessible in a couple of places.
It is south of Lakeshore Road and is most easily accessed through Jack Darling Park which is just west of Lorne Park Road.
If you are comoing from Toronto come down Hurontario St, Highway 10, to the Lakeshore, turn right, (west).
If coming from Hamilton exit QEW at SOutdown Road and follow it to the Lakeshore and turn left (east)
A good way to see where you are going is to google map to Gatehouse Drive Clarkson and switch to satellite.
In Reply to: Re: Unknown? RFI. What is it?? posted by Brian Bailey on August 21, 2005 at 19:15:16:
Thanx for the reply.
Napper (Milton,Ont)
In Reply to: Rattray's Marsh posted by Brian Bailey on August 21, 2005 at 19:36:11:
Hi There
Where is Rattray's Marsh.
Thank You
Rob
For anyone interested in shorebirds in the southern GTA, Rattray's Marsh is worth a look. I was there yesterday, and despite Friday's rain, there were still extensive mudflats. I didn't find anything exciting: lots of Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpipers, a few Semipalmated Plovers, and one Pectoral Sandpiper.
If the shorebirds don't cooperate, there was a good variety of other birds in and around the marsh. There were 2 Great Egrets, several Great Blue Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons, several Kingfishers (a family?), and lots of Wood Ducks. I also had a fly-by Osprey, and as always, there were Red-Necked Grebes offshore.
BB
In Reply to: Re: Unknown? RFI. What is it?? posted by Napper on August 20, 2005 at 19:02:40:
You have answered your own question! Yes it is a female Black-and-white Warbler. They are fairly common migrants, but they're not too flashy so they are easy to overlook. You will often find them where you found this one: on tree trunks rather than branches.
BB
A half dozen PBCers met early at Rattray Marsh on Saturday morning to look for any recently arrived fall migrants. Most of the interesting shorebirds had moved on from the area and even though a few warbler species had been found (mostly Magnolias), we decided to head for the Townsend’s sewage lagoons right away. Altogether we found about 12 species of shorebirds here with the highlight being two Red-necked Phalaropes. Another observer indicated a Wilson’s Phalarope might also be in the area but we did not stay long enough to locate this bird. We did have close enough views of the Red-neckeds to tell that one was an adult molting into its basic plumage and the other was a juvenile bird. These birds were in the SW corner of the NE cell due to the construction work being focused on the east side of this cell. We speculated as to how long it would be before they decided to “improve” the SE cell with the rock lining since it is the only one of the four cells not yet done. Noncoincidentally it is also the best in terms of mudflats for foraging migrant shorebirds, but I guess there is no way of stopping “progress” there now.
At about 10am we departed for Rock Point P.P. and we were not disappointed when we got there. There were a few hundred shorebirds along the shoreline and we located the banded Piping Plover within minutes of arriving, it seemed to prefer the rockier area of the “beach” about 75 meters further west of the traditional viewing area. In addition we also found at least two Red Knots along with several Baird’s Sandpipers and numerous Short-billed Dowitchers and Pectoral Sandpipers. We also found a banded Semipalmated Sandpiper as well. We could have stayed to work the proverbial shorebird “haystack” for another hour but hunger got the better of us around 1230pm and we headed for lunch. Afterwards we drove the sodfields of Poth Road and Canal Bank Road but were unable to come up with a fifth species of plover for the day (no Goldens yet that we could find anyway). We ended the day not long thereafter with a total of 17 shorebird species for the day and vowed to start taking migrant songbirds “more seriously” next weekend.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Gardens:Early Migrating Raptors posted by BIGFRANK on August 17, 2005 at 13:09:31:
Are dogs (leashed) allowed in this park?
In Reply to: Re: Unknown? RFI. What is it?? posted by Napper on August 20, 2005 at 18:39:05:
After a second and third look at the evidence...Is it "BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER".???? Like I said, Have seen it before. This year only. Are they Common?
In Reply to: Unknown? RFI. What is it?? posted by NAPPER on August 20, 2005 at 18:31:27:
It was so dark(6:00 pm tonight) had to use the flash just to get an image..I have seen it/him/her before but never posted because couldnot get an image or an idea what it was... looking in "Peterson's Guide" Me cannot find it.....
Napper
Hello..all..I have a question regarding this tiny little fello that is in the tree in my back yard. it is small, very small smaller than the chirping sparrows and even smaller than the Chickadee's(only recentlly reappeared). Black and white and Grey. What is it? Is it a immature chickadee??. Have seen it before but was never able to get an image (not perfect 5:oopm and really cloudy)........Thanx Napper will post image....
In Reply to: Re: where are the robins? posted by Pat Hodgson on August 19, 2005 at 07:55:46:
Robins are still around..was pretty dry last few weeks.. saw one chasing a bumble bee last week, that was a bit wierd. After all this rain today they will be back. I think most of their young ones are almost ready to fend for themselves. Unlike the "Mourning Doves" beside our house who seem to breed all year round??. Two newborns last week..Napper
In Reply to: where are the robins? posted by rob on August 19, 2005 at 05:43:13:
They are in my back yard eating mountain ash berries.
This is just one bit of evidence but maybe the worm catching is not so good at this time of year and so they have left the lawns and headed for the fruit trees.
Pat
Where do they go at this time of the year? every year you see tons of them from late march til about july..then they dissapear in mid-late summer...???
In Reply to: Re: juvenile Cardinal male or female?? RFI posted by captain awesome on August 18, 2005 at 09:03:03:
thankyou for your reply.
Napper(Milton, On)
In Reply to: juvenile Cardinal male or female?? RFI posted by Napper on August 17, 2005 at 15:34:23:
No, not yet. Not until its first prebasic moult will you be able to sex a cardinal.
In Reply to: juvenile Cardinal male or female?? RFI posted by Napper on August 17, 2005 at 15:34:23:
oops..wrong link.duh
that should work
In Reply to: juvenile Cardinal male or female?? RFI posted by Napper on August 17, 2005 at 15:34:23:
sitting on my deck railing waiting for papa..
Just a quik question..Is it possible to tell the sex of a juvenile Northern cardinal? Mom and Pop(mostly pop) are feeding it in our yard and Just wondering.Napper will post image..
With northwest winds,I was hopeful of a few early migrating raptors.Any day with such winds will be reasonably successful there now. About 9:30,2 Northern Harriers passed by,one quite close to my viewing spot looking off the Scarborough Bluffs.By the end of the day(about2pm) I had seen 5 Northern Harriers,3Coopers Hawks(2 admittedly were local),2Redtailed Hawks,a Turkey Vulture,an Osprey(again very close) and a Bald Eagle.
Smaller birds:Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warbler,several Least Flycatchers,Gray Catbird,Eastern Kingbird,Belted Kingfisher,many Robins,Tree and Barn Swallows,many Chimney Swifts and 2 Common Nighthawks(my first of the fall).
A Greater Black-backed Gull and a pair of Great Blue Herons gave me false hope for raptors but were nice to see in their own right.
Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens is located just east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd,on the south side of Kingston Rd. in former Scarborough.
Good birding at this park Aug 13. 2 belted kingfishers seen flying around the observation platform area. Also multiple swallows and several Am.goldfinches. To the east, near beach, numerous eastern kingbirds.
To south-east in trees near lagoon, an American kestrel bothered by several mockingbirds. Two sets of swans, with young growing daily, still in area: one set at this lagoon; other set on bank opp. large pic-nic shelter.
I'm not good at identifying ducks in lagoon but a fellow birder in the area (who had advised me of the kestrel)pointed out to me 3 juv. hooded mergansers. I could identify the cormorants!
TINY MARSH: if anyone is prepared to drive 150 kms to just north of Elmvale (i.e. east of Wasaga Beach, north of Barrie) this area is a birder's paradise. One walks out on a dyke to view shorebirds and wading birds on either side. Highlight for me were the sandhill cranes, about a dozen, on left side way back where it looks like dead tree stumps, about half way to observation tower.
Take 27 north, through the village of Elmvale, cross Wye River and look for Simcoe Road 6. Turn west (left.) This angles northward thro' Saurin. Go a short distance to 1st Concession which is Tiny-Flos townline. Turn left on unpaved road and go 3.5 km to 1st parking lot on right. Proceed to gate -it is chained but there is a sizeable gap to get thro'. Be prepared if it is very sunny , there is no shade to be had on the dyke. (I was glad I had taken an umbrella!)
At second parking lot there is an interpretive centre. I spent so long on the dyke there was no time left for this, so I must go again! Happy birding.
I birded Humber Bay East today while walking with the family in the late morning. A small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers were working the ash and sumac trees just south of the washroom area, with them was an immature female Chestnut-sided Warbler. There is nothing quite like the brilliant green plumage on the back of this latter warbler species this time of year. About seven Hooded Mergasers, probably a family unit were seen swimming on the lakeshore side of the east spit. Two Common Terns also flew over and Alexa spooked a Belted Kingfisher from a small bridge railing. An Eastern Kingbird, a Gray Catbird, a non-vocal Empidonax, and a Northern Mockingbird were also seen as we walked the trail near the canal on the eastern spit. At the Mimico Creek bridge mudflats there were five species of shorebirds found, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Least Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, and 1 Solitary Sandpiper. A Great Blue Heron and two Caspian Terns were also seen in this area.
Two days before(Monday evening) I heard then saw 3 Common Nighthawks flying above Sorauren Ave. just before dusk. I then staked out a spot with good sky visibility east of High Park thinking there may be a flight that evening but only one more nighthawk was seen. I also spotted about six Chimney Swifts chattering and chasing one another as they flew about the neighborhood at dusk. Hopefully we'll get more nighthawk reports as it is about this time that they start moving south in greater numbers as best as I can remember.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Juvenile Cooper's Hawk posted by Leslie Kinrys on August 16, 2005 at 19:02:31:
Hi Leslie:
If the pile of feathers are under a post or fence, it might be used as a 'plucking post' by the hawk.
In Reply to: I plan to go but dont have any scope.. etc.. posted by Sierra on August 14, 2005 at 17:06:23:
i have a 20 power scope. it's old but works very well. if someone could
post a message of a planned day. that'd be great.
In Reply to: Re: RFI: Cardinal's Mystery Mate posted by Leslie Kinrys on August 16, 2005 at 19:07:49:
Thanks...I was thinking that. I was also pondering his being a lost exotic pet bird. The behaviour between him & the female seemed unusual though.
In Reply to: RFI: Cardinal's Mystery Mate posted by Jen B. -Toronto on August 16, 2005 at 08:34:50:
What you saw was likely a male Cardinal. At this time of year Cardinals moult. They have a tendency to lose their head feathers, giving them a very strange bald look.
These past few days a juvenile Cooper's Hawk has been honing its hunting skills on the birds who are attracted to my feeders. (I have a house in the Finch/Bathurst area of Willowdale.) It is fascinating to watch a persistent young raptor learn. It has come bashing out of one tree, scattering and missing the smaller birds. One time, it went after a mourning dove but that bird escaped it too. Today, it almost got one of the gray squirrels that hang around under the feeder. I haven't seen it make any kills, but my husband has seen a pile of feathers in a corner of the garden. I have seen an older Cooper's (which I assume is one of its parents) hunt in our yard with much greater success in the past.
In Reply to: Hawk in Cabbagetown? posted by Bill on August 13, 2005 at 14:10:17:
Sounds like harassment to me
I saw a female Northern Cardinal in a fir tree - she and her "mystery mate" were at eye level about 10 feet away from me. This was on Aug.14, about 4pm under overcast skies in Mount Pleasant Cemetary.
The other bird was larger than a cardinal - about the size of a pigeon perhaps. He was "puffy", his body was a muted combination of buff, grey, pink, and black. He had a orange cardinal beak but a bald head which looked disproportinate to his body. There was no crest. He looked like a puffy parrot with an oversized cardinal beak. Very strange looking creature!
I say "mate" because they flew from branch to branch together. I watched them for about 15min. & managed to get some poor-quality photos through a dirty window.
Any ideas????
In Reply to: Re: Chimney swifts posted by B. Griffin on August 13, 2005 at 14:41:37:
There were roughly 100-150 swifts flying around the ponds at the Valley Brickworks before dusk on Friday night. But they all dispersed around 8:30. None went into the huge chimney at that site. Hmmm.
Pat Hodgson
In Reply to: Re: Hawk in Cabbagetown? posted by Bill on August 14, 2005 at 10:16:10:
Hi George,
The bird sounds like a young bird, either a Red-tail like you said or a Cooper's Hawk. If you want to see about what birders define as harassment just look at the ethics statement on the OFO website.
In Reply to: raptor's in high park posted by paulr on August 12, 2005 at 10:16:43:
so.. if there is a group going from here plse post
I will also be in touch with Frank.
Sierra :))
In Reply to: Re: Hawk in Cabbagetown? posted by George Daszkowski on August 14, 2005 at 09:18:34:
Hi there, thx for your comments. I did some looking around, and this was probably a Red Tailed hawk. Although he seemed bigger than the Pale Male NYC hawk I became aware of last year due to the nest being destroyed, and watching the PBS video about Pale Male, and reading the book about him. www.mariewinn.com
Well, from my perspective, I in no way harrassed the bird. Obviously, it could have just flown away if I was bothering it, and it never flew away due to me, only to pursue some more prey. This is obviously a very tough animal, and a predator, which made one kill in front of my eyes, and almost killed a squirrel as well about an hour after the first mouse kill. Compared to the Robin, which was chirping so loud and almost attacking the hawk, to try and get it out of there, I was basically invisible to him, although he knew I was there.
I found the bird to be amazingly aware of everything going on around it, and it figured out pretty quick that the noises made by a few sticks in the underbrush were not prey.
I guess I was just wondering why this bird seemed so "tame" but likely being in a city, its used to humans just standing there and looking at it. It reminds me somewhat of the Pale Male story in NYC. http://www.palemale.com/
Anyway, it was a terrific bird, and seeing it fly a few inches off the ground looking for prey is an amazing thing. I think the bird must live around there, and this might be the same bird I saw a couple of months ago in the same area, ripping apart a squirrel's nest to eat the baby squirrels.
Truly an amazing predator. It is amazing that this bird will allow a quiet human to move so close to him. It must be a city bird, used to curious humans.
In Reply to: Hawk in Cabbagetown? posted by Bill on August 13, 2005 at 14:10:17:
Bill,
I'm pleased that you had a good experience and are interested in urban birds but I get the impression, and I may be wrong, that your enthusiasm got the better of you.
The amount of encouragement that you gave the bird to get a better sight might be interpeted as harrassment.
Good birding etiquette suggests that a less intrusive approach is better. That's what makes birding hard work!
In Reply to: Hawk in Cabbagetown? posted by Bill on August 13, 2005 at 14:10:17:
Hard to say without more plumage information ... reasonable guess, based on size and menu items would be Red-tailed Hawk.
You should know, Bill, that robbing graves and eating the dead is illegal in Canada.
dB
In Reply to: Re: RFI posted by Geoff on August 13, 2005 at 14:57:51:
Geoff, I think that's it. Thanks.
In Reply to: RFI posted by Paul on August 13, 2005 at 08:22:21:
I bet it's a Katydid. I was in Norfolk Virginia a couple of weeks ago and heard a really weird mechanical clicking noise in the early evening in blistering heat. Came home and Googled it and found out it was a Katydid.
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/true_katydid.htm
In Reply to: Chimney swifts posted by Jackie Brookes on August 12, 2005 at 18:01:47:
Hi Jackie, that's a good sighting! Have you heard about "A Swift Night Out"? You have a chance to share your info with people who are concerned about Chimney Swifts, they have been described as being in serious decline in Ontario and Quebec and elsewhere by Bird Studies Canada. Visit the following URL, you still have time to participate and contribute your sightings:
http://www.concentric.net/~dwa/page55.html
You will have to likely watch them until dusk to determine where they are roosting, probably a chimney or smokestack not too far from your location. For more information on Chimney Swifts try this link as well:
http://www.chimneyswifts.org/
Good luck with your efforts and feel free to share your results with the rest of us here on the TSOBR Birdboard. Good birding, Brete
____________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
Hi there, I am not a birder, but I was eating some lunch in a graveyard in Cabbagetown, by the edge of the Don Valley, and all of a sudden this huge hawk came and landed in a tree in front of me.
(It was brown, with a lighter belly, same colour as the tree trunks.)
Then it swooped down, and I guess picked up a mouse, and I watched him eat the mouse from about 6 feet away. He ate the whole thing, tail and all.
Then he flew over to a gravestone, and I ran over. I was able to walk up to less than 5 ft away from him, and he just sat there, digesting and even regurgitating a bit.
Then he flew over, and I followed him again. He was sitting on a tree branch. So I started to have some fun with him, and would throw some sticks into the foliage, and he would look down there at the noise.
After a long while he swooped down near the ground, and down a hill, and I chased him again! This time he cornered a squirrel in a little tree! The squirrel was in the top of the tree, and the hawk was trying to get him from beneath. The squirrel did a great job evading him, by keeping him in sight. The squirrel eventually escaped, after at least 10 minutes in a stand-off.
By now, a Robin was near there, and chirping like crazy. Then I followed him again to another tree, and was within a few feet of him. I again took some long sticks and made noises in the underbrush, and the hawk was thinking something was down there.
So anyway, it was a lot of fun! I don't even know what kind of hawk this is.
But this spring, in the same graveyard, I saw another hawk go to one of those squirrel nests, and rip it apart. Is that normal behavior?
Are there lots of hawks in that area near the Don? Is it normal to be able to walk up to 6 feet away from a hawk, and watch him for up to 20 minutes with no problem? I bet i could have gone close to 2 ft away from this guy, and almost touched him, but to be honest, I thought he might attack me in the face if I got too close. that beak and talons looked mighty nasty.
Anyway, this went on for a couple of hours, and was a lot of fun. I think I may have found his nest as well at the edge of the graveyard, but I am not sure...
Bill
In Reply to: large heron-like birds RFI posted by gerard on August 12, 2005 at 13:26:07:
Gerard, I think it would be logical to assume that they were sandhill cranes. I've never seen a heron flying with it's neck extended. Nice sighting!
Al
A small flock of chimney swifts has been gradually increasing from three to over 15 this evening, August 12th, over my apartment building at Lawrence East and Don Mills Rd., Toronto. I understand this is in preparation for migration but they have to roost at night. I wonder where they find to roost around here.
In Reply to: RFI Postings posted by Cam on August 12, 2005 at 10:13:00:
I forgot to mention you have to shrink your file prior to sending (max size is 1 meg or less......)
Napper
In Reply to: RFI Postings posted by Cam on August 12, 2005 at 10:13:00:
I have been using..
"www.imageshack.com" just browse your file on your machine then host it.. next screen copy "direct link to image" paste to. "optional image url" in your post and yur done.
Napper
In Reply to: Re: Rosetta McClain Raptors posted by Rob on August 12, 2005 at 08:58:46:
Shooting raptors is quite difficult. I've been shooting for about 2 years now with a 500mm & 400mm lenses and the Canon Digital Rebel and I usually don't get close enough to fill the frame.
Red Tail Hawks are probably the easiest, since they're the most plentiful, and some of the juveniles let you get within a 100ft. Even then, it will still fill only about 1/8 of the frame with a 500mm lense on a DSLR.
Between Ottawa and Kingston on the train yesterday, we startled two very large pale heron-like birds. But there was something non-heron-like about the wingbeat, and they flew with their necks outstretched. Suggestions? Is sandhill crane a possibility in eastern ont? Do GB herons sometimes fly with necks out? I know new birders and non-birders often call herons "cranes", but I've seen a lot of GB herons and these didn't seem right. Any help is appreciated.
In Reply to: raptor's in high park posted by paulr on August 12, 2005 at 10:16:43:
Hi Paul,Ive attended the High Park Raptor Watch the last several years. Seeing,large numbers of raptors is very condition dependant. Northwest winds produce the best days. Every day(exception of rain days) from Sept1-Nov there are people there to count. The week of Sept.11-18 is often a good week for birds and birders,as often Broadwinged Hawks pass by in large numbers(record one day is over 10000). http://www.torontobirding.ca/~gtrw/ This is the Greater Toronto Raptor Watches site,check various totals there and chose a day to go. Every year in September sometime there is an open house,where a few birding groups bring folks,and often park goers stop in,as well as a display from the Royal Ontario Museum.Good luck and hope to see U there sometime.
i heard about a good time to go to high park to see many types of raptors. is there a specific weekend when lots of people go with scopes and such?
I recently took a photograph of a bird that I need help in identifying. However, I do not know how to post a picture on this message board. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thank-you
In Reply to: Rosetta McClain Raptors posted by BIGFRANK on August 11, 2005 at 16:05:19:
Hi There
How hard do you think it would be to get pictures of these birds.I'm on a quest to take as many pics of birds of prey as i can and I'm having a tough time.
Rob
Went to Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens today,which overlooks Lake Ontario from atop the western end of the Scarborough Bluffs,just east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd.I saw 2 juvenile Peregrine Falcons,a male and a female.They put on a great flying display for at least 10minutes,the best Ive seen not at a nesting site.Its possible these 2 birds were from the Eglinton and Pharmacy nest(scratch). They made 3 passes of the park,and flew together fast slow,in chase never far apart of each other. Brilliant! Also a juevenile Northern Harrier,which also circled right over the park giving terrific views.Later there was an American Kestrel. Last fall from August to end November I saw 1258 raptors of 14 species(missed Roughlegged Hawks for some reason) fly by in migration. Best time was 2nd week of September,but any days with reasonable weather now a few will pass by.If there is a Northwest wind,more will pass by...its still early in the season though.
In Reply to: West of Thunderbay posted by Napper on August 09, 2005 at 10:33:23:
Turkey Vulture
In Reply to: West of Thunderbay posted by Napper on August 09, 2005 at 10:33:23:
heron landing
Is this is an immature bird??
In Reply to: West of Thunderbay posted by Napper on August 09, 2005 at 10:33:23:
here is another image
Napper
In Reply to: Re: West of Thunderbay posted by Napper on August 10, 2005 at 20:32:59:
and another
http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/7074/heron1yr.jpg
sorry for the quality had to shrink to fit....
Napper......
In Reply to: West of Thunderbay posted by Napper on August 09, 2005 at 10:33:23:
here is an image
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/7694/hummer20051qp.jpg
In Reply to: black noddy posted by Vern Walborn on August 09, 2005 at 18:20:56:
molting Black tern perhaps
Saw a tern like bird in the open marshes south west of Bobcaygeon. All black with a white forehead. Behaved as a low scouting term. Is this a possible black noddy or have I missed something?
Travelled over 3000 km there and home.Inlaws/Outlaws have a house on a lake near hwy 11 East of Atikokan. I had hoped to get some more images than I was able to get.. Spotted many birds although the one or two that I was really hoping to see/photo were somewhat elusive. Bald eagle (immature) and Pileated Woodpecker. Eventually they showed themselves. Spotted a Belted Kingfisher, Ruby throated Hummingbirds, GB Heron, American Kestrel, Northern Flicker,Hairy Woodpecker,Pileated Woodpecker(Jungle sounds),Common Loons,Many Turkey Vultures,common Mergansers,
Ravens,nuthatch's and chicadee's, various sparrows. It was unusually warm and most seem to be active in the early morning and at dusk. Unlike here where the birds seem to be active all day long. Yes they had grackles and crows aswell but no Starlings! and I only spotted one solitary Robin.
Napper..hope you haven't fallen asleep.
I saw a mocking bird at col. sam smith park and 2 more at humber bay park, very interesting while they were hunting insects and feeding babies...
In Reply to: Re: Sam Smith park posted by captain awesome on August 05, 2005 at 07:35:59:
disregard that link, of course.
In Reply to: Sam Smith park posted by Ed B. on August 04, 2005 at 06:15:08:
hmm. how do you suppose putting in a few ramps and a half-pipe would affect birding in a place populated by cars and boats?
In Reply to: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Jonesin on July 01, 2005 at 05:35:50:
I saw it myself today and had to take pictures to compare as I had never seen one before.
Hello,
I'll be in Toronto for the weekend in approximately 4 weeks. I live in the Virginia/D.C. area and would like to know if there are any northern specialties (nonmigratory?) that I could expect to find while I am there.
Thanks for any suggestions. I'd be happy to give D.C.-area suggestions for any Canadian birders planning a trip south.
Janet
I have found 3 Osprey nests in the Kirkfield area all of which have young in them.
Rob
I saw one American Coot at rest in the culvert pond on the east side of Sam Smith park at 9:00 A.M. today. There was one Redhead duck in the marina basin and a Northern Flicker along the main paved path as well. I wonder how putting a skate board facility into the park will affect birding.
Councillor Mark Grimes is pushing the idea.
In Reply to: Re: Red tail (and others) up close Mt. Pleasant Cemetery posted by Marcel Gahbauer on July 24, 2005 at 11:07:37:
I took the ROM guided walk though the Mount Pleasant Cemetery http://www.rom.on.ca/explore/publicprograms/romwalks.php
and saw a hawk above that I believed to be a redtail on Sunday July 31. It was most certainly not a kestrel.
Hi! I was walking home this evening in the St. Clair/Avenue Road area of Toronto, when I heard a shrill 'keening' kind of call. Just then a hawk swooped by overhead, and the locals (starlings, chickadees, mourning doves etc.) scattered from neighbouring treetops. I'm not the most proficient birder (and it was moving fast), but I did manage to identify the call from the Environment Canada website. Definitely a broad-winged hawk.
A few PBCers ventured out on Saturday to do a “warm-up” shorebirding trip to Townsend’s sewage lagoons as prep for the fall migration. Most shorebirds were in the first cell (SE cell) as you entered the area but some good ones were also found on the western edge of the north-east cell. We were able to identify at least 10 species while here, they included Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Solitary, Spotted, Pectoral, Semipalmated, and Least Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers (most still in breeding plumage), and Lesser with a few Greater Yellowlegs. At least one of the dowitchers had enough barring on its sides and flanks to make us think Long-billed and I will provide a link here to refresh everyone’s memory of a Long-billed seen here last Aug.(http://www.ofo.ca/photos/longbilleddow/). Be sure to read R. Pittaway’s comments on how to distinguish the two species as well.
As we were leaving the area we met another birder coming in who told us there were some shorebirds at Silver Lake in Port Dover. He also said he saw a Mississippi Kite soaring in the area which then flew west before he had left the site. We decided to make a beeline to the area after getting directions to Silver Lake but were unable to find this bird while there. We then drove west out of town to search but only as far as Highway 24 south of Simcoe. Perhaps birders in the Long Point area should keep a lookout for this bird “just in case”. The only raptors seen were Red-tailed Hawk and Kestrel. While here (Silver Lake) we did get great looks at a single breeding plumaged Stilt Sandpiper foraging with two Short-billed Dowitchers. We also got a juvenile Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Warbling Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Gray Catbird, and Marsh Wren before leaving.
Other birds seen on Saturday's outing included Horned Lark, Eastern Meadowlark, Bank, Barn, and Tree Swallows, Ruddy Ducks, Lesser Scaup, an albino Canada Goose, a Trumpeter Swan, and Bonaparte’s Gulls (all at or near Townsends). We were tempted to go and look for more shorebirds at Rock Point P.P. but opted not to in the end. In summary we identified at least 11 shorebird species and then made plans to go birding again next weekend. Weekends in August should continue to result in even more shorebirds in terms of both numbers and species diversity as the fall migration progresses.
____________________________________________________________
Brete Griffin - breteg@yahoo.ca
Peel Birding Class - peelbirding@yahoo.ca
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PBC/ and
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BreteGriffin/
In Reply to: Hybrid Goose on Toronto Islands? posted by Jayson Stewart on July 29, 2005 at 17:38:07:
Could have cropped the picture before posting it to make it easier on everyone.
There's quite a few escapee's around Lake Ontario. I've seen at least 2, possibly 3 btwn Bluffer's Park in Scarb, Rotary Park in Ajax and then Cranberry out in Whitby.
In Reply to: Hybrid Goose on Toronto Islands? posted by Jayson Stewart on July 29, 2005 at 17:38:07:
sounds like it to me, not having looked at your photos.
Hi folks, while we were enjoying the day on Center Island, we came across several flocks of Canada Geese not far from the main ferry docks. Not socializing with anyone else, and a bit off on his own we saw this oddly coloured goose. It has the head colourings and neck patch of a Canada Goose, orange legs and bill, a white underside and grey front. Any ideas of what it might be? (I thought it was a Canada Goose/barnyard goose cross.
pictures: http://public.fotki.com/ShudderScape/wildlife/p1010012.html
In Reply to: Falcons, Hawks in cages posted by Sedona on July 28, 2005 at 04:20:02:
ooo
I would like to know how most here
feel about these birds being kept in cages.
Please, if I may have your input.
I have chatted with some, and apparently there are some good points to this. What are all of them, (from some of you here WHO are experienced)
Thank you in advance.
Asking for info (not meant to start disputes)
In Reply to: Stolen Peregrine Falcon posted by BIGFRANK on July 26, 2005 at 03:38:04:
Big Frank: thanks for posting breaks your heart could cry just looking at this bird.. and to know it has been taken..
...
Sedona
In Reply to: Re: Stolen Peregrine Falcon posted by David Shilman on July 26, 2005 at 05:02:43:
The Canadian Peregrine Foundation website is at http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/ click Latest News and page down alittle once the page loads.
In Reply to: Stolen Peregrine Falcon posted by BIGFRANK on July 26, 2005 at 03:38:04:
Did you mean to put a link to the article and photos?
D
This is the story as it appears on Canadian Peregrine Foundations website,my friend Mark(also CPF President and Founder) was just on local TV talking about it and believes it was stolen to sell or to breed so chicks can be sold.
On Sunday afternoon Tracy Simpson alerted us that upon her arrival to the CPF Raptor Centre in the Kortright Conservation Centre, she found that the lock to one of the walkways and the lock to Tarah's pen had been cut.
Tarah had been removed from her pen.Tarah is a large female juvenile Peale's peregrine falcon. She has dark streaking on her chest and has mostly brown feathers. She is currently going through her first moult and has a mottled appearance, with new adult feathers being dark blue in colour. Her feet are yellow and her cere and skin around her eyes is turning yellow. Please see the pictures above for what she looks like. On Saturday evening itself she weighed 2 pounds, 4 3/4 ounces. Although her weight is subject to change, especially as time goes on, her appearance will change much more slowly. There will be more blue feathers, less brown feathers, and a greater amount of yellow in her cere.
Tarah was wearing a seamless band with the following number on it: GCBF-ON-04/55.
If you are approached by anyone offering the sale of a peregrine falcon please take the possibility that it might be Tarah into consideration. More than likely her band will be cut off, but another band could be put on her. This band will not be seamless.
The CPF is offering a reward for the successful apprehension and conviction of whoever has done this, and/or the return of Tarah to the CPF. Those of us at the CPF have grown incredibly fond of Tarah and we would dearly like to have her back safe and sound.
It was observed feeding on small fish at the edge of the culvert pond on the east side of Colonel Sam Smith park today at 2:30 PM.
In Reply to: Sharp-shinned Hawk at Davenport and Lightborne posted by J-bird on July 23, 2005 at 14:47:56:
Hi all. On second thought, I suspect what we saw was a Kestrel. Some friends of mine have convinced me that a Kestrel is far more likely than a Sharpie.
The bird we saw was about the size of an adult African Grey parrot (without the long red tail feather), so approximately 10 inches in length. If it was a Kestrel it was likely a female because the feathers were dull in colour. It was an incredibly brazen bird to be present with two humans on a 10x4, 3rd floor balcony.
Jessica
In Reply to: Re: Red tail (and others) up close Mt. Pleasant Cemetery posted by Marcel Gahbauer on July 23, 2005 at 09:54:02:
Sorry, wrote the previous note in haste, and I see that it came across more absolute than intended ... there is after all very little that is absolute when it comes to birds! While I still believe that the original description points to something other than a Red-tail, it's also important to consider that size judgment can be very difficult, especially when a bird is seen at an unusually close or far distance. It sometimes helps to describe the observed bird in relation to more common species (e.g. sparrow, starling, crow), which can give a somewhat more objective sense of size than simply 'small' or 'large', which everyone is likely to interpret somewhat differently.
Hi all. I had what I believe is Sharp-shinned Hawk land on top of my domesticated Starlings' cage today. I have two pet Starlings who were unreleaseable due to imprinting after being taken in with minor injuries. My starlings, my partner, and I were enjoying the mild and sunny afternoon on our balcony, which is on the third story of a town house/loft building, when a Hawk (which we believe to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk) came within less than two feet of me to land on top of a large parrot-sized cage (occupied at the time by two Starlings). Our balcony is covered with many potted plants and a large morning glory vine that has taken over a tall trellis. Has anyone else spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk in the neighbourhood? Due to the fact that this particular Hawk looked very interested to snatch a fairly low to the ground Starling snack on an balcony with humans, I'm fairly certain it was an accipiter. Its wing-span looked too small to be a Cooper's Hawk, unless it was a juvenile.
J-bird
In Reply to: gray cat bird posted by christie on July 10, 2005 at 16:43:41:
cooL!
In Reply to: Red tail (and others) up close Mt. Pleasant Cemetery posted by Julie on July 19, 2005 at 06:32:04:
Hi Julie,
Young raptors of many species are surprisingly tolerant of human species. One might argue that those which figure out how to avoid people are the ones more likely to survive, and that's why adults tend to be more shy ... but that's another matter.
Regarding the bird you saw, it wasn't a Red-tail for two reasons. One, it is only the adults which have a red tail. Two, just fledged raptors are in fact larger than their parents - it is an all too common misconception that young birds are smaller than their parents. Odds are it was a young Kestrel you saw - or possibly an adult I suppose, as (behaviour aside) there's nothing in your note other than size to indicate why you thought it was a young bird.
Posted a while back about mimic birds,, I was wrong..(as usual). I thought that there was/were birds imitating "Chickadees" "chicha dee dee dee dee"
Anyway this afternoon I climbed over my back fence through the bushes and there at the top of "o" tree,Mr. Chickadee dee dee dee himself . Heading North (way up!.. West of Tundra Bay) hope to have some good post's and pics.
napper... anybody else getting strange respsonses to there posts?.. (strange links???)
In Reply to: Re: Summer warblers in GTA area...? posted by dan on July 07, 2005 at 04:46:11:
Among the others, Black-and-white is probably the most common. In some of the larger parks (e.g. Morningside Park, Rouge Park), there are small numbers of Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, and Black-throated Blue.
By this time of summer, however, many of the breeding warblers are becoming quiet, and as others have noted, the migration is already beginning. Yellow Warblers are already on the move, and the vast majority of them will be gone by late August. The fall migration effectively stretches over a good three months, with Yellow-rumped Warblers still moving in good numbers into late October (and usually a few lingering into winter). One way to reduce confusion over fall warblers at least a bit is to become familiar with the timing of their passage - narrows down the options at least a bit :-)
Marcel Gahbauer
Toronto Ornithological Club
info@torontobirding.ca
In Reply to: Re: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Jonesin on July 07, 2005 at 08:36:17:
The only bird around capable to hitting a chickadee is probably a Northern Shrike, which are rare/uncommmon to begin with and/or a Sharp Shin Hawk. If you've ever seen how flexible a chickadee is in flight then you'd understand how hard it would be to catch one.
As for those "rumour"'s, ignore them... especially if you have people thinking that a Black-Crown Night Heron is a Kingfisher!
hi all
Was treated to an interesting sight last night-- walking near dusk through Mt Pleasant Cemetery's Yonge side, I wandered past an oak with a large bare branch. Perched casually on it was what looked to be a young redtail. I was all of about six feet away-- couldn't avoid that as the bird was sitting just above a main road through the cemetery. The nearby songbirds were not happy but she/ he was not being harassed. I walked around behind it and got a look at the emerging red tail feathers-- I think it was quite young as it was on the small side. I have no idea why it was not bothered at humans being so close. Too young to know better?
I've not seen any other hawks-- thought I'd see some sharpies at least given all the songbirds about.
The cemetery is bursting with young birds as well as tombstones-- we saw a male goldfinch stuffing a young one's beak full of treats, young chipping sparrows and mottled robins everywhere, and several families of grey and red cardinals with mum and dad in attendance. And there are chimney swifts in large numbers overhead all the time. Flickers, red eyed vireos (I think) and jays are calling all the time. Altogether a great place to spend an early morning or evening. Now if we could get the cemetery managers to not use pesticides or fertilisers we'd see even more healthy birds there....
Julie
In Reply to: Re: RFI Ill bird, What should I do? posted by christie on July 09, 2005 at 10:37:38:
Thank you very much.
In Reply to: Re: RFI Ill bird, What should I do? posted by christie on July 09, 2005 at 10:37:38:
Thank you very much.
A gray catbird was spotted in High park near the zoo. It's hard to spot but it sounds like a cross between a baby and a cat.
In Reply to: RFI Ill bird, What should I do? posted by Max on July 08, 2005 at 20:43:09:
call the toronto wildlife center and they will tell you exactly what to do...
There is a ill pigeon stands before the building of MacDonald collegiate, near huntingwood & Pharmacy. One of its eyes may be blind. It cannot fly, neither walk. The only action is turning around and around.
Shoould have started a new post last week about this bird..Simply amazing!! got mixed up in "mimics"
Every other morning this week at 6:00 am @ keele and 401 "bouncing" up and down on top of the cell tower flashing its wings.
In the Afternoon (between 3 and 4:30 pm) singing continously. today was a little too windy to hear its songs but I'm pretty sure it was imitating "Red wing Blackbird" amongst other things. Very entertaining to watch especially its parachuting antic's. It never stops moving or singing!. Napper
Headed for the shade of the trees and a nice cool breeze of Lake Ontario,at Rosetta McClain Memorial Gardens,and figured Id watch the usual subjects flying around.Hundreds of Bank Swallows flew all over,a Brown Thrasher was an unexpected surprise as was a Sharp-shinned Hawk I saw dive,then re-appear with a sparrow in its clutches. A Greater Black-backed Gull,flew by as did a Common Loon,hundreds of Cormorants and a few Canada Geese. A female Mallard swam with her 4 young,as Common and Caspian Terns flew above. The biggest and best surprise of the day was a juvenile Bald Eagle which flew by quite low,giving me a terrific look at it.This was at 10am,going east to west,towards the Ashbridges Bay/Leslie Street Spit area. Rosetta McClain Gardens is just east of Birchmount and Kingston Rd.
In Reply to: Bald Eagle Nesting posted by Jack Jacobs on June 27, 2005 at 08:21:05:
I took a drive up to kawartha hideaway today and could not find the eagles, more specific directions would be great. I would like to get some shots for my website.
thanks
In Reply to: Re: Great Egret, Northern Shoveller, Baby Wood Ducks in High Park posted by Bill Halliday on July 06, 2005 at 17:12:46:
Canoeing in the same area we saw a pair of these birds feeding together on two separate occasions. I'd think two suggests the possibility of nesting at least.
Julia
In Reply to: Summer warblers in GTA area...? posted by Julie on July 06, 2005 at 11:39:41:
I saw a chestnut-sided warbler near the greenhouses in High Park just two days ago. Don't know if that's usual or not, but there you go.
Julia
In Reply to: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Jonesin on July 01, 2005 at 05:35:50:
Hi Leslie,
Thank you for your response. It has been nice to be able to identify this bird for people, as everyone seems to think it is some kind of King Fisher! I was here again last evening for the Harbourfront Centre's Free Movie and I saw three of the birds perched on various boats. I also heard a rumour that one of them had been eating chickadees in front of the kids campers down here. It apparently was pretty horrific for the little ones to see the little birds they were feeding become lunch... Thanks again for everyones help
Cheers
In Reply to: Summer warblers in GTA area...? posted by Julie on July 06, 2005 at 11:39:41:
other summer warblers to look for in the gta:
mourning's are fairly common in riparian areas, as are redstarts,common yellowthroat in wetland edges, ovenbirds in forest habitats. Small numbers of several more species can be found in suitable habitats.
In Reply to: Summer warblers in GTA area...? posted by Julie on July 06, 2005 at 11:39:41:
Hi Julie,right now there arent too many around Toronto area definetly Yellow Warbler nest around the area,to be honest I dont know of any others though Im sure there are some.
As for fall migration time..which for some species is acutally starting already but gets going in ernst in Aug and Sept,U could see any of about 25 Warblers passing through.Fall warblers are much tougher when beginning...its pretty much an accident if I can ID fall warblers.(spring is much easier!)Good luck!
In Reply to: night birds? posted by Carla on July 05, 2005 at 16:41:51:
I agree with Julie, that a Northern Mockingbird is a likely suspect.
When they first started moving in to the GTA, I thought it would be wonderful if a pair nested in my yard. Then I heard them singing long and loud in the middle of the night. That's when I decided that just having them in the neighbourhood was good enough!
BB
In Reply to: Great Egret, Northern Shoveller, Baby Wood Ducks in High Park posted by julia on July 05, 2005 at 18:14:45:
Kayaking on the Humber on Sunday, we saw a Great Egret in the marsh
(? second marsh). This is the sixth consecutive year I know this bird has
been sighted in the area. They (or it) can be seen at High Park, on the
Humber and in the ponds of Humber Bay West park (usually by the
bridge over to the west parking lot. There has been the suggestion
over the years that they have nested on the Humber river.
In Reply to: night birds? posted by Carla on July 05, 2005 at 16:41:51:
Sounds like a mockingbird! They're amazing-- see a couple of the posts just below yours for a long list of the sounds they imitate, plus a photo. They also sing at night and when they're not busy fooling us all they do have a lovely elaborate song (at least the one we heard did-- sounded like it was imitating a nightingale)
hi
a novice birder (and Ontarian!) question: what warblers are most likely to be hanging around the GTA in July and August, if any? And what warblers are most likely to be spotted here when the fall migration begins (in mid September I assume..)
thanks!
Julie
In Reply to: Mimics ?? RFI posted by napper on July 04, 2005 at 14:09:16:
Black-capped Chickadees (in addition to their own song, which you are familiar with) also do a great White-throated Sparrow call. Perhaps there is one in the area, and you simply haven't seen it.
Took a walk through the park today and saw a Great Egret feeding at the bottom of the Duck Pond, as well as a Northern Shoveller duck.
We saw two juvenile Wood Ducks, one male and one female, on separate occasions in different spots. They must have just set out on their own, as Mom and Dad were nowhere nearby in either case.
Indigo Buntings were out singing non-stop, as were Goldfinches, and we saw a number of Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, and Eastern Kingbirds. Oh, and a Chestnut-Sided Warbler, guess he decided to stick around.
Still pretty good birding for the middle of summer.
Julia
In Reply to: Re: Mimics ?? RFI posted by Napper on July 05, 2005 at 13:37:53:
Sorry bout the spelling was in a hurry!! Kids, soccer, supper etc...
napper
I heard a bird last night, I've never heard before. It was about 1 am, and the sound it made was sort of like a fast siren (emergency vehicle) sound - but not as sharp, or as loud.
Any ideas what kind of bird I might have heard?
In Reply to: Re: Mimics ?? RFI posted by Geoff on July 04, 2005 at 18:26:11:
Thanx for the reply.
It funny because I saw a Mocking Bird today in Toronto at my favourite bus stop. You should know by now.
Keele and 401. It was cheerily singing up a storm. It came withing a few feet and was doing imitations of get this, Red tail Hawk, Blue Jay, robin, Cardinal, (herring/ringbill) gull, chirping sparrow, and an odd assortment of robotic like sounds continously. It was amazing! I remember reading a post earlier about mockingbirds at Downsview park, this location is not far from there.
It had very pronounced underwing markings and never stayed still for more than a few seconds.
Napper... p.s. Haven't seen anything like that in my backyard will keep looking (foliage is quite heavy)
At Second Marsh on Sunday (Black Terns were great), we saw two mid-sized fairly drab sandpipers with long pale yellowish legs. This was on the mudflats of what I think is called Jim's Pond. Is it too early for yellowlegs? What else is possible/likely?
gerard
In Reply to: Mimics ?? RFI posted by napper on July 04, 2005 at 14:09:16:
Sounds like a Northern Mockingbird.
European Starlings can do imitations, but not as many as the Mocker.
They seem to getting more prevalent every year.
I saw my first Mocker in Cincinnati Ohio the summer of 1983, a year or two later I saw them at the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital.
In Reply to: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Jonesin on July 01, 2005 at 05:35:50:
On Sunday, we were down at Harbourfront and we saw your bird. It was definitely a Black-crowned Night-Heron. It was surprising to see it there. People were snapping pictures and wondering what it was.
In Reply to: Re: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Kin Lau on July 01, 2005 at 06:51:52:
it was mentioned.. they do habitate there.. or nest .. there
..S
anyone else here ever want to go birding at the island.. write e.. private.. when it cools.. down
Hello all.. have question regarding birds mimic-ing other birds calls. During the last week I am sure that one bird near or in my yard is making the following calls in quik sucession .Chickadee(very similar), White Throated Sparrow (lame imitation).... What bird is capable of this? Have not seen either bird around in months. Only birds aboout are Am Gold finch, Robins, Grackles, Cardinals, Mouurning doves, House Sparrows, chirping sparrows, and of course the wonderful starling. There is a pair of purple finches next door aswell... thanx... Napper
In Reply to: Re: bird species posted by Glenn Coady on July 02, 2005 at 17:57:01:
Sure is confusing. My old R.T.P. guides say Baltimore, newer ones say Northern and lump in Orchard/Bullock's.
I guess that's why we should stick with icterus galbula. Good old Linnaeus.
In Reply to: Re: bird species posted by Geoff on July 02, 2005 at 06:55:01:
Actually, technically it is a Baltimore Oriole (formerly known as Northern Oriole [even more formerly known as Baltimore Oriole]). Isn't taxonomic nomenclature wonderful?
GC
In Reply to: bird species posted by sean on July 01, 2005 at 15:59:22:
It's a Northern Oriole, formely known as a Baltimore Oriole.
We have a bird with a bright orange body and black wings which is nesting in our back yard. The female is a much lighter orange than the male. The nest hangs on a tree branch about 40 feet up. There are 5 eggs that are white with black lines through them (look somewhat like marble). The eggs just hatched 3 or 4 days ago. Just wondering if anyone knows the name of the species of bird this is? Thanks, Sean
In Reply to: White goose at Spit posted by John Ashton on June 25, 2005 at 13:43:28:
Could it be a Snow Goose?
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/arctic/species/snophoto.htm
In Reply to: Black-crowned night-heron at Harbourfront Centre posted by Jonesin on July 01, 2005 at 05:35:50:
Very likely. There's a few hundred of them nesting just across the water in Tommy Thompson Park and the Toronto Islands.
Happy Canada Day to you all,
I wanted to share what I saw. It was the strangest thing, and was Wednesday afternoon amongst the Pigeons and Seagulls that were begging for food scraps at Harbourfront Centre on the Lake in Toronto. It was a tall, awkward bird that after doing a little web searching I think may be a Black-crowned night-heron. Having seen it for the past few days perched on a ladder beside the lake, I snapped a few pictures to compare. It has a lot of the same markings, so if anyone could help me verify this it would be much appreciated, I have never seen a bird like this in the city.
Thank you
In Reply to: Geese with borken wings posted by Kevin on June 27, 2005 at 19:25:49:
call the toronto wildlife centre and they can tell you what to do, or bring them there, they are in downsview park...good luck
In Reply to: Neighbourhood Great Blue Heron posted by westie on June 23, 2005 at 05:28:10:
Had a similar incident happen here a few years ago to a neighbour. This Huge Great blue Heron is perched if I may call it that atop his house eyeing up the fish in his fish pond/waterfall. Never seen anything like it.
Napper
In Reply to: Indigo Buntings finally back in High Park posted by julia on June 22, 2005 at 11:32:24:
hope this link works!
you can see the gardens in the middle, a bit to the roght.
http://www.highpark.org/highpark_map.pdf
In Reply to: Re: Long eared or Screech Owl? posted by Napper on June 27, 2005 at 18:50:11:
Thank you for the links! I'm certain it was a Long Eared now.
Cheers!