Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: angelicque on January 07, 2008, 06:05:09 PM

Title: Kestrel (+ various other birds) in Colonel Samuel Smith Park
Post by: angelicque on January 07, 2008, 06:05:09 PM

i saw my first kestrel in colonel samuel smith park this week-end :)
i not only got to see him real close, but saw him catch and eat a mouse as well...quite a treat for my husband and i :)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/angelicque/kestrel.jpg)

we also saw an abundance of black-capped chickadees, white breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and juncos throughout the park :)
we also saw a bunch of what i believe were yellow bellied flycatchers and american tree sparrows...two species i had never seen before!
add this to seeing my first savannah sparrow last week at high park, i was quite thrilled :)

as for ducks, there was the usual - long tails, scaups, buffleheads, mallards, blacks and goldeneyes.

and to top the day off, we saw a rather large red tailed hawk scanning the area as well!

all in all, a good day and a good location for birding :)

Title:
Post by: GStuart on January 08, 2008, 01:48:31 AM

I would be rather surprised at seeing a single Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, let alone several in the winter.  Is there any chance that it was the winter plumage of an American Goldfinch?

Title:
Post by: angelicque on January 08, 2008, 08:49:18 AM

Quote from: "GStuart"

I would be rather surprised at seeing a single Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, let alone several in the winter.  Is there any chance that it was the winter plumage of an American Goldfinch?

i will be honest, i am still very new to identifying small birds, so i am completely unsure!
i snapped two rather unclear photographs of the little bird:
this one of it's back:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/angelicque/100_5206.jpg)

and this one of it flying away:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/angelicque/100_5221.jpg)

again, i know they are terrible quality, but if you're able to help me with the mystery bird i'd appreciate it very much!

Title:
Post by: angelicque on January 08, 2008, 08:51:30 AM

aha! upon further investigation...you are right!

they were goldfinches :)

Title: two American kestrels spotted at Sam Smith Park
Post by: Stargazer0310 on January 12, 2008, 08:23:52 PM

I saw two American kestrels just outside of Sam Smith Park opposite the pay parking lots this morning. Got two far from satisfactory snapshots before they flew off beyond the fence.[/img]