Oshawa Second Marsh

[Tyler]

The ice at Oshawa Second Marsh and Adjacent Mclaughlin Bay is breaking up
With that the waterfowl and gulls have arrived in numbers

The gulls come in to pick apart the winter killed fish carcasses that are now visible in the thawing ice. Among the usual 3 (ring-billed, Herring and Great Black-backed) there was 1 immature Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull enjoying the thawing Carp.

Waterfowl 1500 birds approx 17 species
Highlights including:
687 Canada Geese, 400 mallards, 157 Northern Pintails, 31 Green-winged Teal,  20 American Wigeon
Also 1 Killdeer and Swamp Sparrow present.

[Greg Schneider]

Sounds like a great spot. Can you get close enough for photography?

[Kin Lau]

Not really. The best you can hope for is flyovers of waterfowl. The bonapartes and little gulls will do lots of flyovers in a few weeks.

It's a lot better for shorebirds, orioles, warblers, bobolinks etc.

[Tyler]

Kin is right The second Marsh is massive and entering it is not allowed so most waterfowl photo opportunities are fly overs.

With that said the area can be great in may- september for all species Kin  mentioned.

For shorebirds the barrier beach along south side of Mclaughlin bay (5 min stroll from se corner of 2nd marsh) can be very good. If you don't mind sitting on a log and relaxing and waiting. The shorebirds usually forage quite close if they do not see you as a threat.

And if you continue on into Darlington Provincial park you can enjoy one of the better birding spots for songbirds in the GTA that is poorly covered. Mourning Warblers, Orchard Orioles and Indigo Buntings are some of the common nesting species there.