Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Kwanzaa, everyone.
Leslie Spit was technically closed and the Hearn generating station was billowing noxious looking yellow smoke (of which we took date and time stamped photos)... but it was still a good outing, with very few people around. Lots of red breasted mergansers, longtails and common goldeneyes bobbing about in TO's version of heavy surf. We had a clear view of one goldeneye had what looked to be a crescent shaped face patch but Im assuming it was a Common, not a Barrow's.
At the bridge we found only two goldeneyes and two mute swans in the small remaining patch of open water. Lots of mallards overhead but not much else-- I'm guessing the scaup etc were out at the lighthouse and we didn't go that far.
Good views of ring billed and herring gulls windsurfing.
Few passerines til we ran into some black capped chickadees, some goldfinches out of sight but not earshot, a single American tree sparrow, and a single downy woodpecker swaying on old yarrow stem.
Near the yacht club we found a great horned owl (no, we didn't get too close.)
As we left the Spit, a very bedraggled looking redtail with an exceptionally wide "belly band" landed in a nearby tree, flushing a large passerine that flew up the roof of satellite central for a drink of meltwater-- a Northern mockingbird. All in all a good day if slow.
Julie
