Yesterday I was finally able to make my 2nd annual farewell tour of the Wet Woods. Thanks to cooler temperatures and a stiff wind, I was able to cover-up against the now numerous mosquitos. Once again I was amazed by the transformation of my favourite hot spot. The mud and wet areas are mostly dry now (no need for rubber boots), the paths are becoming overgrown, and everything is in bloom. I generally avoided the centre of the wood and any other shady areas due to the bugs, but I still managed to squeeze out 33 species. The migrants of course are mostly gone but it was fun to see so many nests and a few babies along the way. My best bird was probably a first year Orchard Oriole, but my favourite moment was discovering a group of Cedar Waxwings within a few feet of me and at eye level in the dogwoods. Other interesting sights: Barn Swallows returning repeatedly to a small mud puddle to collect materials for their tiny colony under the Unwin pedestrian bridge; a barely fledged Brown Thrasher (with a parent nearby) hopping around in some sumac, who looked almost cute without the yellow eyes; a brief glimpse of baby Raven heads on the nest; several newly fledged Robins; and numerous Yellow Warbler parents carrying food to their nests.
And now for a seasonal summary. Thanks to ebird, I can easily see that between March and June over the course of 17 visits, I observed 24 warbler species, 12 sparrow species, 117 total species and 3,178 individual birds! My biggest day was 57 species on May 7th. Although there were lots of great days with lots of birds, the only rarity was the infamous Connecticut Warbler which I heard singing but sadly did not actually see. I wish I had thought to tally the number of birders that I met along the way - maybe I'll remember to do that next year!
Thanks to all the friendly folk I meet along the trails, who gladly share their sightings and their good company. See you again next Spring!
-Kris Ito
