Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: rickeckley on April 30, 2013, 05:30:30 PM
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Yellow-Rumps, Palms, and White Throated Sparrows ruled the Wet Woods today with large numbers all around. There was an Eared Grebe (Juvenile most likely) close to shore right at the new Visitor Centre Booth.
Favourites were:
Greater Scaup
Common Loon (flyover)
Eared Grebe
Coopers
Caspian Tern
Flicker
Tree Sparrow
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
Thrasher
Yellow-Rump
Pine
Palm
Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow
Rusty
Cowbird
A special shout out to Trillium Flummox and Dove 12, regular posters on this forum, who I had the good fortune to meet and bird with for a bit. Another shout out to the 2 kind brothers connected to OFO who helped me identify the Eared Grebe (sorry I forgot your names). Nice to see y'all.
Rick
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I just looked back at the photos of the "winter plumage" Eared Grebe reported at Ashbridges Bay on this forum a number of days back. The one I saw today looked the same, so maybe not a Juvenile, but winter plumage - I don't know...
Did any one else see this bird at the Spit today?
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It was nice to meet you today Rick! Glad you found the Eared Grebe. And sorry I kinda wandered off - ya know you just think you're gonna check around a little corner and next thing you know you've lost everyone! I never did find the Yellow Warbler today but I did get a lifer - my first House Wren!
-kris :)
p.s. I think the red eyes will confirm the Grebe is an adult - a juvenile would have light coloured eyes. Also pretty safe to assume it's the same bird since it's a short swim between the Spit and Ashbridges.
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It's always fun in the Wet Woods!
I saw the Eared again. It is quite coloured in the rear end, unlike winter plumage , but showing nothing on the head. I suspect it is a first year. I read in Molt of NA Birds, a subject I'm not at all knowledgabe in, that first-year Eareds do a partial pre-alternate molt in spring. God knows exactly what that entails, but since it is different than adults, it indicates they don't look completely like adults the first spring after their juvenile plumage. Eareds are the same time frame(see Sibley) as Horneds as far as switching to breeding plumage, and we can see how far along the Horneds are.
Kris: Your Yellow Warbler was not available today, because it was temporarily imprisoned by the banding folks. His mug shot is posted on the facebook page: Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station. On Twitter they are called Toronto Bird Bander.
David
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after seeing Kris, i went to Ashbridges Bay. the dichotomy between the 2 birding spots amazes me. there wasn't nearly as much activity at the Spit as i thought there would be.
a 10 minute walk through Ashbridges and I was up to 5 warbler species:
black-throated green
yellow
yellow rumped
palm
pine
lots of kinglets.
male and female towhee
kingfisher
while the SPit may get its one-offs, i have a feeling that Ashbridges Bay may be a great place for birding this spring. probably worth visiting both.
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HI Kris,
Congrats on the House Wren lifer. I have a soft spot for wrens. I see them often in early migration on Spring Creek in High Park. Nice to meet you,too, and don't worry about wondering off, I do it myself - we are chasing birds, after all.
Good info Dove 12 and Kris - helps me feel confident it was an Eared, a lifer for me.
I want to love Ashbridges Bay. I get it's great for birds, but I haven't found a love of going there, yet. Are there particularly good spots?
Rick
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You'll probably get lots of different opinions about Ashbridges. Since it's close to home for me, I like to go there when I have limited time to spend. It has easy parking and you can be in and out with a few good birds in 30 minutes. In the winter you can find a few good ducks in the harbor and you're almost guaranteed some Common Redpolls on the most Westerly point. During warbler season you can sometimes find numerous species in a fairly small area. I like to walk in from the parking lot along the trail that's right up against the marina fence. Songbirds can sometimes be found starting in those evergreens, then all the way along the path to the little beach area at the end of the marina which usually has the best concentrations. Depending on wind direction, you might also find a few birds on any one of the four points. You should also check the big beach on the east side where you'll see a grassy area that may have shore birds depending on conditions (looked like a pair of Killdeer nesting in there last week).
If you don't live in the area, I would not consider Ashbridges to be a worthwhile destination on its own (unless of course a rarity has been reported, like the Eared Grebe). But, if after a visit to the Leslie Spit/Wet Woods you still have time to spare, it's sometimes worth the three minute drive down the road. I've done this myself numerous times, and often pick up an extra few species. Like many other Toronto parks, expect to find a lot of dogs.
-kris :)
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You'll probably get lots of different opinions about Ashbridges. Since it's close to home for me, I like to go there when I have limited time to spend. It has easy parking and you can be in and out with a few good birds in 30 minutes. In the winter you can find a few good ducks in the harbor and you're almost guaranteed some Common Redpolls on the most Westerly point. During warbler season you can sometimes find numerous species in a fairly small area. I like to walk in from the parking lot along the trail that's right up against the marina fence. Songbirds can sometimes be found starting in those evergreens, then all the way along the path to the little beach area at the end of the marina which usually has the best concentrations. Depending on wind direction, you might also find a few birds on any one of the four points. You should also check the big beach on the east side where you'll see a grassy area that may have shore birds depending on conditions (looked like a pair of Killdeer nesting in there last week).
If you don't live in the area, I would not consider Ashbridges to be a worthwhile destination on its own (unless of course a rarity has been reported, like the Eared Grebe). But, if after a visit to the Leslie Spit/Wet Woods you still have time to spare, it's sometimes worth the three minute drive down the road. I've done this myself numerous times, and often pick up an extra few species. Like many other Toronto parks, expect to find a lot of dogs.
-kris :)
co-sign.
i like biking there. or, if you don't own rubber boots, it is great.
for some reason, i've had incredible birding there after lunch. usually, lots of activity.
i would disagree with Kris, though, about it not being a destination. 2 years ago, i counted a dozen scarlet tanagers during the spring. the other nice thing about the park is, if you are lucky, the warblers are at eye level. i've had a Blackburnian 8 ft above me. i've had Magnolia warblers 5 ft in front of me and at chest level. i've watched black-throated blues and chestnut warblers at eye level, again, at 5 feet in front of me. now, i've also had great luck at the Wet Woods and, if you're lucky, you'll get visits at eye level as well. but yesterday had a lot of palm warblers that were 20 ft in the air.
the areas to see birds at ashbridges is basically everywhere on the periphery. in the trees right at the parking lot, i've seen Cape May warblers. the path Kris talks about also shows warblers, but it isn't good for photos unless the warblers fly on the outside edges of the trees. there are some trees in the middle that also yield warblers. but the sweet spot, depending on the winds, it the beach on the southwest end. you will see quality, not quantity.
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Thanks Kris and Richard. I plan to be in the Wet Woods tomorrow morning, so I'll try Ashbridges after and follow your instructions. There was also a report of a Magnolia in High Park. I live 2 blocks away, so I better look in there as well.
Rick
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We had our first White-crowned Sparrows by the banding station this morning, as well as Rose-breasted Grosbeak. There are several Yellow Warblers around - potentially three on peninsula D and one or two down by the wet woods. There has been a Black-throated Blue hanging around our study area as well.