Good evening folks
Today Ian Cannell, Margaret Liubavicius and I birded The Spit and a good choice Sunday rather than Saturday turned out to be. Around 8am as we walked along the entrance causeway checking the passing small flocks of Pine Siskins I looked up to see a small Loon flying low off of the lake towards us. As it approached and flew right over us we were happily surprised to see that it was an adult winter plumaged Pacific Loon. The chin strap was very visible as the bird was lite up by the sun and the fact that it was so low. We all 3 had great satisfying looks at this bird. The bird was last seen flying low in a westerly direction.
Bing greedy we continued on to hopefully see more good birds and the following birds are some of the ones we did find.
Horned Grebe, only 2 D-C Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, Black Ducks, Northern Shovelers, A. Wigeons, 100+ Redheads, 600+ Greater Scaup, 1200+ Long-tailed Ducks, 200+ Bufflehead, 600+ Common Goldeneye, all 3 Mergansers including 85 Hooded Mergansers, ( missed but seen by my friend Ed O'Conner, Ring-necked Duck, and Canvasback ), a nice close fly pass of an adult male Peregrine Falcon, Purple Sandpiper ( beside Lighthouse, within 10 feet of us ), Horned Larks, both Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Tree Sparrows, Snow Bunting, 35 Purple Finches in 1 tree, and 125+ Pine Siskins flying past in several flocks.
Revision - Lesser Scaup should have read Greater Scaup.
A long windy walk but worth the effort for anyone thinking of going out there next weekend, Always a few surprises.
Directions:-
LESLIE STREET SPIT (TOMMY THOMPSON PARK) IN TORONTO - Now on it
