I took my bike and birded the waterfront trail from Rattray Marsh to Col. Sam Smith Park over most of today, and had an excellent time with plenty of new songbird migrants in and 7 year birds.
Many gnatcatchers and house wrens back on territory, and I rarely went more than a few hundred metres without seeing yellow-rumped warbler and white-throated sparrow. Barn Swallows were abundunt everywhere with the other 5 swallows mixed in. The lake was fairly busy with waterbirds, but mostly just a few common species.
Highlights:
Rattray Marsh:
Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Black-crowned Night-heron, American Coot, Greater Yellowlegs, Blue-headed Vireo, Black-and-white, Nashville (FOY), Blackburnian (FOY), Pine and Black-throated Green Warbler, Eastern Towhee
Rhododendron Gardens:
American Wigeon, Chimney Swift, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Purple Martin, Cliff Swallow, Black-and-white and Pine Warbler
J. C. Saddington:
Northern Harrier, Purple Martin, many Common Terns around their colony
Hiawatha Park:
Baltimore Oriole (FOY)
Adamson Estate:
Blue-headed Vireo, Black-and-white and Nashville Warbler, Eastern Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow (FOY), Dark-eyed Junco
Lakefront Promenade:
Lesser Scaup, American Kestrel, Bonaparte's Gull, Bank Swallow, Yellow Warbler (FOY)
Marie Curtis Park:
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Least Flycatcher (FOY), Nashville and Palm Warbler
Col. Sam Smith Park:
Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Many Bonapartes Gull (around 300), Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Black-and-white, Black-throated Blue (FOY), Palm and Black-throated Green Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco
Springbank Park (on the way back)
Spotted Sandpiper
92 Species overall today
