Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Toronto Reports => Topic started by: dbellilo on January 30, 2011, 07:49:01 PM

Title: Col Samuel Smith Park, Sunday
Post by: dbellilo on January 30, 2011, 07:49:01 PM

Hi folks
Was delighted to spend some quality time with the park's resident northern shrike, who even drifted down to some lower-than-usual branches today. Very easy to spot is this bird, among the bare trees. Was also treated to a male northern harrier swooping low, and what I believe was a f. northern harrier as well. I was happily looking at a handsome r. breasted merganser when out of the corner of my eye I saw a low-flying large raptor. He flew closeby, maybe 20 ft. away! Another birdwatcher later told me it was a northern harrier. I'm pretty sure it was the female harrier I saw later, in the marina area, but I'm not certain. Other than that, the usual waterfowl...
Best,
David B.

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Post by: feathered on January 30, 2011, 07:58:00 PM

Nice sightings! I've only ever seen a juvenile harrier there.

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Post by: angieinto on January 30, 2011, 08:01:38 PM

We've been down there a couple times but have yet to see him, we'll keep trying though.

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Post by: denis on January 30, 2011, 08:02:34 PM

WTG david.
now you can get harrier shots!

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Post by: dbellilo on January 30, 2011, 08:09:53 PM

Denis, that's my dream! One of them, anyhow. I've just got to keep looking...
Angie, the shrike is there, and may possibly even be in love with me. He flew into a fairly close-by branch, which was unlike him...

Title: N. Shrike
Post by: Leslie Kinrys on January 30, 2011, 09:43:09 PM

We were down at Sam Smith on Sunday afternoon and we also had good looks at the Northern Shrike. It posed at the top of a tree for us.