Cackling goose, fox sparrows, am. pipits downsview park

[Rotarran]

Will post more details later and some pics

[Dinusaur]

Great; please post some pics.  I spent there very much the entire day today, I also spent much of yesterday there as well. Apart from the Cackling goose I saw the other two plus swamp sparrow, white-throated sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, Kestrels, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, an Eastern Phoebe,  possibly a palm warbler (awaiting confirmation at the Bird ID section) and many more little ones including a pair of deer in the woodlot area.  I think yesterday was more alive in the morning that it was today. A gentleman, who makes four rounds around the park everyday commented that how much of the wildlife has vanished from the park as a result of the construction on the south side. I only saw one RTH the entire day - we used to see more than one in the park. By the way, where did you see the Fox Sparrow?? I think I saw a pair in the area just west of the wood-lot.

[Rotarran]

Great; please post some pics.  I spent there very much the entire day today, I also spent much of yesterday there as well.

I was there much of the day as well ...how did we miss each other?  LOL

Apart from the Cackling goose I saw the other two plus swamp sparrow, white-throated sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, Kestrels, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, an Eastern Phoebe,  possibly a palm warbler (awaiting confirmation at the Bird ID section) and many more little ones including a pair of deer in the woodlot area.

Wow that's cool seeing those deer.  Never seen deer at DV.  But I almost stepped on a coyote's tail today...I must have been 10 feet away from it when it suddenly jumped up and ran away.  I didn't see it because I was walking in some fairly tall weeds and grass.  That was a bit of a hairy episode.

As for the sparrows, I did see the Swamps as well.  In total I had an 8 sparrow day at DV (if you count House Sparrows, otherwise it's just 7).  I saw Fox, White-throated, White-crowned, Swamp, Savannah, Song, House Sparrows and Juncos.  

And yeah I'm pretty sure you saw Palm Warblers...there's quite a few in that little walking-path area west of the woodlot...and yeah that's where I saw the Fox Sparrows as well.

I think yesterday was more alive in the morning that it was today. A gentleman, who makes four rounds around the park everyday commented that how much of the wildlife has vanished from the park as a result of the construction on the south side. I only saw one RTH the entire day - we used to see more than one in the park.

Me too, only one RTH.  It's so odd to see so few, usually you'd see more hawks than Sparrows at DV lol .  But yeah I noticed the reduction of wildlife activity as well.  That's part of the reason I stopped going there for a long time.  But I've noticed that the activity hasn't exactly gone away for good, it's just shifted locations.  For example that area west of the woodlot...before it had a Robins and Goldfinches and not much more, but now I'm finding better stuff there than in some of the traditional strong spots of the park.  The park is still big...it's worth exploring and spending some time uncovering its secrets.

But yeah I agree the construction has destroyed and ruined a good part of its potential.  It's like a ship getting hit by a torpedo..we'll see if it'll sink or stay afloat.

I'll post pictures shortly.

[Rotarran]

Here are some pics.  What first alerted me to the Cackling Goose was the following flyby...the Goose in the middle definitely looked smaller and I was quite sure it was a Cackling Goose.


A bit of patient scanning of the pond and surely enough I found it:


Then I decided to sit with the geese a bit and much to my delight, the little Cackling Goose came onto land and posed for some great pictures (despite the many CaGo photobombs lol):


Also saw a Greater Yellowlegs...my first at Downsview.  It looks like it was sleeping on one leg, but I assure you it was winking at me.  

[Dinusaur]

Ha ha - I probably saw the same yellowlegs on Saturday - swimming instead of walking. Cackling goose photo is great.