Mallards multiply at Sam Smith Park

[Voyageur]

There are many mallard chicks at the various ponds throughout the park.

[Margaret]

The mallard chicks were entertaining today. Also spotted: kingfisher near the dam, black crowned night heron (on west side of lagoon near stone wall), many terns - common and least. Two mute swans. Numerous A. goldfinches, swallows and red wing blackbirds. A good lunch hour stroll.

[GStuart]

Least terns?  Are you sure about that identification?  They breed on the Atlantic coast of the southern US states as well as in selected sites on the Mississippi river.  Southern Ontario would be an unlikely spot to encounter them.

[Margaret]

Least tern at Sam Smith
I determined this by small size and yellow bill. I only saw one but there were many common terns. I am certainly open to other suggestions - I did note in my Guide that Ontario was an odd location.

[Kin Lau]

If you can refind it, that would be great.

Which side of the park was it found?

[Brian Bailey]

I saw this thread and decided to ride down to the park rather than do yard work.  (What I sacrifice for birding! :wink: )  A possible Least Tern a few blocks from home was too tempting to pass up.

I didn't find it, but I did find both Common and Caspian Terns.  Could it be that the "Common" were Caspian, and the "Least" were Common?  Common Terns have a quick, bouncy flight style.  Caspian are more gull-like, with shallow beats.  I've never seen a Least, so I can't describe their flight, but they are really small:  slightly larger, but less bulky than a Purple Martin.  Caspian Terns also have a very large red bill.

Here is a Caspian (a larger version of my avatar):


And here is a Common Tern:


Than again, maybe Margaret was lucky and I wasn't.

BB

[Kin Lau]

You can't beat being at the right place at the right time. The Little Blue Heron this spring was there for only a few minutes.

Jean Iron had posted a few days ago about looking for the extra-ordinary at this time of the year, so lets keep our eyes open.

[Margaret]

I'm pretty sure the majority of the terns were Common -they all had slim red beaks not the thick type as seen in Caspian.
 The lone smaller tern, I would say 2/3 size of the common terns, definitely had a yellow beak. It was seen on the Yacht Club side, flying around the lagoon where the stone wall "jetty" juts out in to the water. I watched for a while. This is the same location I saw the black crowned night heron.

[Joe]

Just got back from Marco Island;  Least Terns in the hundreds.  There was a nesting colony on the beach close to our hotel.  I'll post pics when my suitcase and camera get in from JFK... %$#@!

Joe