Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: Andreas Jonsson on January 11, 2009, 05:39:53 PM

Title: Toronto Lakeshore and High Park on Sunday
Post by: Andreas Jonsson on January 11, 2009, 05:39:53 PM

This afternoon I went on a bike ride along the Lakeshore from Little Norway Park to Humber Bay River to look for wintering waterfowl and gulls. In the end I ended up at the winter feeding station just north of the Colborne Lodge in High Park. The Lakeshore birding didn't offer anything out of the ordinary (Redheads, Scaup, Mergansers, Gadwalls, Goldeneyes, etc.) although I noted significant numbers of American wigeons - are they regularly wintering this far north?

At the feeding station in High Park there were lots of activity late in the afternoon, including nice displays of Redpoll, Pine siskin and White-throated sparrows.

Are there more feeding stations in Public parks in central Toronto?

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Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2009, 12:11:37 AM

Andreas,

The last time I saw some Wigeons was out in Oshawa during the fall, but have never seen them this far north during the winter.

Perhaps others have??

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Post by: Greg Schneider on January 12, 2009, 08:44:39 AM

There was one at Humber Bay East yesterday. Ice free areas are rapidly disappearing there.

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Post by: David the park stroller on January 12, 2009, 10:29:54 AM

There's one widgeon that's joined the mallards at the north end of High Park's grenadier pond. Also yesterday many people watched the 50 or more over-wintering Robins still feasting on the berries in the Park.

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Post by: Brian Bailey on January 12, 2009, 12:40:24 PM

They are found regularly in small numbers on the western waterfront (Humber River to Etobicoke Creek) which is the only section I have much recent experience with.  They seem to move around quite a bit, but Humber Bay is one of the more reliable locations.  They're usually mixed in with flocks of the more common dabblers.

BB

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Post by: Kin Lau on January 12, 2009, 02:17:17 PM

We saw the Am Widgeon at Humber last week, and have seen them there quite a few years in the winter.

I think it was December that I had about 100 of them out by Thickson Pt.

There seems to be Widgeons reported regularly, including a Eurasion at Elevator Bay by Kingston every winter. The Dupont plant is the reason for the open water.

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Post by: Greg Schneider on January 12, 2009, 06:25:02 PM

Is Grenadier pond still relatively ice free?

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Post by: David the park stroller on January 12, 2009, 06:31:31 PM

no it's fully iced over now. There's a little stream at the north end that never freezes and that attracts ducks. I've even seen a GB Heron there in mid-January.

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Post by: Greg Schneider on January 12, 2009, 06:32:20 PM

Thanks, I will have to make that my Toronto duck spot now that Humber Bay is almost frozen over.

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Post by: melaniese on January 12, 2009, 07:08:53 PM

Col Sam Smith park is also not bad for birds, if you go out beyond the immediate bay. Humber isn't too bad if you venture out to the tip...last weekend the male harlequin was off the shore - far off, but still there

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Post by: Greg Schneider on January 12, 2009, 08:59:25 PM

I'm mostly in it for photography, so the offshore ducks on the lake at Humber Bay are realistically just too far out.

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Post by: Kin Lau on January 13, 2009, 12:17:11 AM

Btwn Humber and Col Sam, Humber's usually better for photography. Col Sam was _very_ quite the last couple of times we were there.

After the deep freeze this coming week, the Burlington shipping channel is likely the best/only spot, but _very_ icy.