Good evening all.
Today Ian Cannell, Jan McDonald, Margaret Liubavicius, Peter McParland and I birded the Toronto Islands on a beautiful sunny summers day, You all should have been with us.
We came up with a total of 81 species for the day including 5 Raptor species, 8 Flycatcher species and 19 Warbler species plus approx. 1000 beautiful Monarch Butterflies, a Mink and for you Butterfly folks we found a Snout on Wards Island near the Eastern Gap.
Following are some of the high lights of our outing.
Hooded Merganser, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, 2 Solitary Sandpipers, Belted Kingfishers, 11 N. Flickers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, 14 E. Wood Pewees, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, 21 Least flycatchers, 43 Great -Crested Flycatchers, Philadelphia Vireos, 26 Red-eyed Vireos, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrushes, N. Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Carolina Wren, 12 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 43 Black-capped Chickadees, Blue-winged Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, 13 Chestnut-sided, 31 Magnolia, Cape-may, Black-throated blue, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, and Black-and-white Warblers,10 A. Redstarts, Ovenbird, N. Waterthrushes, Wilson's and Canada Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles. We also saw many Cedar Waxwings and 5 species of Swallows.
A beautiful day to be out there with lots of birds and the promise of more bird filled days to come in the next few weeks.
Hope to see some of you over there. Lots of room for many more birders :-)).
Directions:-
TORONTO ISLANDS (Wards Island to Hanlans Point - without side trips is 5 km)
To get to the Toronto Islands from Queen and Yonge Streets on the TTC. If your on the subway
southbound stay on it and get off at Union Station, walk south about 1 km to the ferry docks at the
foot of Bay Street at Queens Quay and you are there. If in an auto on the Gardener Expressway
or on Lakeshore Blvd, then exit at Bay Street and drive south to Queens Quay, there are lots of
parking lots nearby (fee).
There is a fee for using the island ferries ($6.00 adult / $3.50 for seniors and students) and to find out the sailing times you can phone (416) 392-8193. There are washrooms on the islands as well as the city side at the ferry docks and you can pick up a schedule at the docks or check on line.
The 1st boat to Wards Island (my preferred starting point) is 6:35 am and the 2nd is 7:00 am Monday to Friday.
The 1st is at 6:35 am and the 2nd boat is at 7:15 am on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays.
The 1st boat to Hanlans Point is 8:00 am and the 2nd boat is at 8:30 am Monday to Friday.
The 1st is at 8:15 am and the 2nd boat is at 9:15 am on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays.
If arriving in early am you must obtain your ticket from a machine just inside the gate so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins before you arrive at the docks as there is no place to get change and the machine does not make change. (There is a change machine (up to a $10 bill) there if you want to chance it).
There are coffee shops across from the ferry docks in the building on the northwest corner and they are open early. food and beverages on The Islands when open are very expensive i.e. soft drinks $3.00. If you are birding from Wards the soft drink machine beside the fire station sells juice, iced tea, etc. for $1.00.and $1.25.
For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.
http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/springschedule.htm PS
There is a map of the Islands at each of the Island side ferry docks and the City side.
Another PS
If you have access to PDF then I can send an Island map if you contact me in private.
