Hello, and Riverwood + Erindale birds

[Reuven_M]

Rather quiet today, but still some nice birds:
Weather seemed good for hawks (there clearly were thermals, as the gulls were kettling!), but just 1 resident red-tail and 1 resident vulture
1 kingfisher
1 downy and 1 red-bellied woodpecker
2 phoebes (first migrants of fall)
2 kinglet sp. (heard only)
no warblers!
3 song sparrow
3 indigo bunting
about 100 grackles. I searched through them for a rusty blackbird, but I couldn't even find a red-wing or cowbird.
1 house finch (they seem to have virtually disappeared around here in the last few years.

[Reuven_M]

I was expecting it to be very quiet today with the heat, sun and wind, and it was, but even though there were very few birds, some of them were very nice.
I didn't try watching just for hawks today, but I still saw 6 vultures, 1 cooper's, 1 sharp-shinned and 1 merlin biking from Erindale to Riverwood.
Few blue jays today, only about 20. However, in about 5 minutes outside in the morning I saw about 40 migrating, so maybe the migrate earlier?
2 white-breasted nuthatch
A flock of about 100 starlings
1 nashville warbler
1 song and 1 white-crowned (first of fall) sparrows
2 indigo bunting
However, the highlight today was a rusty blackbird, my first of the year, first ever at Erindale/Riverwood and only my fourth ever.  

[Reuven_M]

Today at Erindale was better, with some decent birds.

Best bird was an adult bald eagle flying low over my head  
Other raptors included 8 vultures, 1 red-tail and 2 sharp-shinned
Woodpeckers: 1 hairy, 2 downy and 3 flickers
Around 75 blue jays
4 golden-crowned and 1 ruby-crowned kinglets
2 nashville, 25 yellow-rumped and 2 blackpoll warblers
4 song and 10 white-throated sparrows
2 indigo bunting

[Reuven_M]

Little variety today (but defenitely not quiet!), the only birds of interest were:
1 sharp-shinned hawk
2 white-throated sparrow
2 junco
1 ovenbird
about 150 blue jays, making tons of noise everywhere.
Any point in Erindale not in the woods, and you could look in any direction and most likely see a blue jay within 5 seconds!

[Andreas Jonsson]

Hi, just wanted to say I appreciate your daily update. It's great, gives me a feel for what is out there, when I can't go birding myself. Thanks.

[Reuven_M]

Thanks!
Erindale and Riverwood are extremely underbirded, considering how often I see quite good birds, and this is usually in late afternoon, and covering at most 1/3 of the trails at UofT Mississauga, Erindale and Riverwood, and when I'm walking much less than that (and still seen over 150 species in 2-3 years!). And yet I've only met birders twice at Erindale, and no more than 10 times at Riverwood.
Didn't go out today, too windy to see anything.

[Andreas Jonsson]

Maybe your reports will attract more birders over there future-wise.

[Vince]

I had the good fortune of meeting Reuven in Erindale. He sure knows his birds and is obviously passionate. A nice young man.
Vince

[Reuven_M]

Thanks Vince

A bit windy this morning, which kept the birds in cover, but still some decent stuff:

2 vultures
3 cooper's hawk (all juveniles soaring together, maybe the young from Riverwood?)
4 killdeer (they breed, but these are the first I've seen since July)
1 kingfisher
Around 50 blue jays
A flock of 12 kinglets, but I only got looks at 2 ruby-crowns and 2 golden-crowns
4 warbler sp: 1 tennessee (I couldn't turn it into an orange-crowned), 3 nashville, 3 yellow-rumps and 1yellowthroat
I also got a poor look at what was almost certainly an orange-crowned, but could have been a very very drab nashville
2 sparrow species, white-throated flocks were scattered everywhere
4 song and 26 white-throated (undercounted)
Many grackles (around 250), I also had some smaller blackbirds, most probably red-wings, but one flock of four seemed off, and may have been rustys

[Reuven_M]

Good numbers of migrants this morning, clearly movement overnight.

4 killdeer
1 kingfisher
1 downy and 2 flickers
Tons of blue jays, many in trees and small flocks going over continuously, a very, very rough estimate of 250
1 red-breasted nuthatch
12 golden and 3 ruby-crowned kinglets, and at least 20 more kinglets around
8 warblers sp: 2 nashville, 1 chestnut-sided, 1 magnolia, 3 black-throated blue, 10 yellow-rumped, 2 black-throated green, 3 black-and-white, 1 ovenbird
5 sparrow sp: 19 song (probably missed way more), 1 swamp, 26 white-throated (probably missed way more), 1 white-crowned and 2 juncos
2 indigo bunting

[Vince]

Hey Reuven,
Where did you see these? Erindale or Riverwood?
Vince

[Reuven_M]

These birds were in the main section of Erindale (where I met you, not the long part along the river), and just across the river at the University.
I found decent flocks at the top of the path from Credit Heights drive down to Erindale, in the clearing halfway down this path, at the base of this path, around the toboggan hill, between the toboggan hill and the parking lots, and across the river, the ridge opposite the gazebo.
Didn't see anything along the river anywhere, too many fishermen probably.

[Reuven_M]

Only had time today for about 40 minutes at erindale this evening, so didn't see much
1 cooper's hawk
2 downy woodpecker
1 phoebe
about 30 blue jays
5 white-throated and 8 song sparrows

[Reuven_M]

Very low variety today, despite decent numbers of the most common small migrants

2 vultures, 3 red-tails, 1 sharpie and 1 raptor sp.
1 killdeer
1 downy and 2 flicker
7 golden-crowned kinglet
14 yellow-rumps, but no other warblers
23 white-throated and 5 song sparrows
1 indigo bunting
about 200 grackles in a flock

[Reuven_M]

Pretty good today. The highlight was a brief look at an orange-crowned warbler, my first this year. I usually get 2-3 of these guys at Erindale in the fall, but I've never seen one in spring.

3 downy, 1 hairy, 1 flicker and 1 sapsucker (first of fall)
approx. 100 blue jay
1 brown creeper
2 golden- and 4 ruby-crowned kinglets
6 warbler sp: 1 orange-crowned, 4 nashville, 3 magnolia, 2 black-throated blue, around 30 yellow-rumps and 1 yellowthroat. There were many warblers high up in the woods, and I got bad looks at probably tennessee and parula
4 sparrow sp: 3 song, 1 lincoln's 9 white-throated and 1 white-crowned
2 indigo bunting