Beare Wetlands

[Steve Hood]

I decided to take a stroll down to the Beare Wetlands (across from the Toronto Zoo) after work today.  I was curious to see how the Wood Duck family was doing and while I did see them I came across a few other families during the hour that I was there.


Common Yellowthroat (female)


Red-eyed Vireo (immature)


Warbling Vireo (immature)


Kingbird (immature)


Kingbird


Yellow Warbler

[Ally]

Great pics of the youngsters!

[Shortsighted]

Attractive set of summer captures.
Have not discovered much at Beare wetland lately
nor at the Meadowvale end of the site. It's been so
outrageously hot lately that I haven't been motivated
to even try. Based upon your results that was a mistake.
Were your vireo shots taken at the Meadowvale woods/field
biome or down by the ponds?

[Steve Hood]

Thanks Ally.  This seems to be the busy time of the year for birds.  

Shortsighted, I saw all of these down by the ponds.  I have not had much luck near Meadowvale since the Zoo created the new parking lot for the Panda visit a few years ago.  I went down again tonight and saw a couple more active bird families.  


Hooded Merganser (female)


Hooded Merganser chicks


Indigo Bunting


Indigo Bunting (female)

[Ally]

great pics. I have never seen a female bunting myself. And the two males who used to be accessible just moved across the river, so I don't even get to see the boys often.

[Shortsighted]

Eeek-cellent finds Meester Hood.
That settles it. I'm going there before the next heat wave.
I saw I.Bunting at the Meadowvale side, near the compost facility
for the zoo but that was last year and then only fleetingly. The Indigo
Bunting pair at Colonel Danforth are protected by a mosquito air force
so that mission is just too perilous. Rats, I now realize, thanks to you,that I should have gotten
up early this morning and headed out. Hooded Merganser too! In full sail! Nice.

[Steve Hood]

I hope you have success at the Wetlands.  I came across a Vireo this morning that looks like it just left the nest.  I am thinking it is a Warbling Vireo but tough to be certain.

[Shortsighted]

That would be my guess too.
The world must seem bewildering.
Nice shot ... very intimate.
I did visit the Beare and saw much of what you encountered
except only a fleeting glimpse of a male Indigo Bunting hidden
behind vegetation, as was the Yellowthroat. Also saw a House Wren
on the west side of the upper pond. Lots of Cedar Waxwings. Quite
a few Yellow warblers, a couple of Warbling vireo, both adult and
juvenile Eastern Kingbirds and a Hairy feeding its youngin. On my approach from the hydro corridor
(east of Beare) I saw a male and female Orchard Oriole (too far away
to photograph with a 200mm lens) as well as some Flicker and a male
Eastern Towhee. Butterflies included: Mourning Cloak, Wood Satyr, Admiral
and either a Question Mark or E. Comma.
Lots of frogs at the upper pond.

[Steve Hood]

Sounds like you got to see a lot. I wish I knew my butterflies better. I did see a redstart yesterday  as well.  There also 2 resident beavers and in addition to the many painted turtles I had my first sighting last month of a quite large snapping turtle sitting on a large log in one of the ponds.