Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: souci on March 09, 2013, 10:30:00 AM
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I was walking my dog this morning, and the sun felt warm and there was a cacophony of birdsong, and thru it came something that I suddenly realized was...a robin singing! I had seen one huddled on a branch in February, and I know some overwinter, but the singing...that says spring. As I was looking up, thinking about the twittering of house finches and the whistling of cardinals and the cooing of a mourning dove and the squeaking of starlings, I heard and saw a tiny group that I thought might be waxwings, which my go-to book, A Birdfinding Guide to the Toronto Region, says may be slightly present at this time of year. They seemed smaller than cardinals, with a very high short call. Is anyone else seeing them around North York? I plan to keep my ears out-of-doors and open as much as possible today.
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It could be cedar waxwings, they are around.
You can listen to a recording of them at
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/cedar_waxwing/sounds (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/cedar_waxwing/sounds)
and take a look at their photos too.
Our resident robin was singing this week too. He sounded a bit quieter and shyer than he does later in the spring, as if he was afraid someone was going to laugh at him!
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Check out eBird - it's probably more reliable than any book when it comes to distribution and abundance. You'll see that Cedar Waxwings are very much expected year-round in Toronto:
http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/GuideMe?s ... e=Continue (http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=CA-ON&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2013&reportType=location&counties=CA-ON-TO&continue.x=71&continue.y=4&continue=Continue)