A pair of large plovers were feeding on the shoreline at the westernmost point of the Leslie Street Spit yesterday (Saturday) morning. If you follow the main road to the end and turn right instead of left towards the Lighthouse, you'll eventually find a small viewing station that looks towards Toronto Islands. Just north of this, a stretch of pebbly shoreline leads to Peninsula A. Here the two plovers were feeding, and they flushed when I first approached but only flew about 20 meters before coming down and starting to feed again. I took a few photos from a distance, and then went around and came in from a different angle. I was able to get quite close without disturbing the birds and had good views and took more photos. All this time, I was assuming they must be of the same species, but it turned out one was an American Golden Plover and the other a Black-bellied, both of them juveniles. I have to say that up close and even in juvenile plumage, these are stunningly beautiful birds.
For the rest, it was a pretty miserable day out there, which is to say, good for ducks. The list included: American Wigeon, Hooded and Common Merganser, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Black Duck, Scaup sp., American Coot, Wood Duck, Trumpeter Swan, and one White-winged Scoter (in flight and first of the season for me).
A good day for Sparrows too, especially in the wastelands at the end of Peninsula B: Song, American Tree, Field, Chipping, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-Crowned and Throated. This spot also had at least five Winter Wrens and the inevitable Downy Woodpecker.
A couple of times, in a couple of different places, an American Pipit flew overhead singing its flight song. A great day to be out, in spite of the showers.
