Leslie Street Spit, ducks, tern predation, Sat, 12 June

[Andreas Jonsson]

I birded the Spit with Matthew Strimas-Mackey today in an attempt to catch some late spring migrants. However, despite the over night rains, we found mostly resident birds. Of note, a late Common Goldeneye and five Wigeons.  

The tern colony on the float in Bay D has been deserted, apparently due to predation.

X   Canada Goose   
2   Mute Swan   
2   Gadwall   
5   American Wigeon   
30   Mallard   
1   Common Goldeneye   
4   Red-breasted Merganser   
X   Double-crested Cormorant   
2   Black-crowned Night-Heron   
1   American Kestrel   
1   Killdeer   
X   Ring-billed Gull   
X   Common Tern   
1   Northern Flicker   
5   Northern Rough-winged Swallow   
X   Tree Swallow   
1   Bank Swallow   
5   Barn Swallow   
X   American Robin   
X   European Starling   
X   Yellow Warbler   
X   Song Sparrow   
X   Red-winged Blackbird   
X   Common Grackle   
X   Brown-headed Cowbird   
3   Baltimore Oriole

[Anonymous]

Probably the resident mink doing its thing...

I was out at Frenchmans Bay last week and there was zero activity there, with only a couple of terns flying around the harbour.

Rotary park in Ajax was home to at least 15 Caspians both just off the dry land in the marsh and flying out at the mouth of the river.  There were also a pair of immature greater black back gulls present as well, along with the usual migrating peeps.