Warblers and others - High Park (pics)

[Iain]

They're starting to move in...  Many Yellow-rumped, one Black-throated Green and one Black-and-white Warbler in and around the ravines north of Colborne Lodge.  Also had FOS Black-crowned Night Heron in the southern-most duck pond.

  Also seen:

Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Brown Thrasher (1)
Hermit Thrush (~8 )
Swamp Sparrow (1)
Chipping Sparrow (1)
White-throated Sparrow (~20)
Cooper's Hawk (2)
Belted Kingfisher (1)

Blue-headed Vireo


Ruby-crowned Kinglet


Chipping Sparrow


Wood Duck

[Axeman]

Thanks for the wood duck photos....I've never seen one.....its one of my "must see" species...along with the scarlet tanager.

[Bruce Colvin]

Wow! Are those ever fantastic photos.  I have never seen better. Great work. Keep em coming, Bruce

[Iain]

Thanks Axeman and Bruce,

Axeman, if you want to see Wood Ducks up close bring a couple of stale peices of bread to the lower duck ponds in High Park (Parkside and Lakeshore) and you will get your bird.. several in fact.  

Bruce, I'm glad you enjoyed the pics, I put them up more as documentary shots than anything.  If you want to see my favourites (many from High Park and area) check out:    http://www.iaindmfleming.zenfolio.com

Thanks,
Iain

[David the park stroller]

Even your "average" shots are way beyond what most of us aspire to... And the wood ducks of High Park are an amazing treat. I lived in the woods on the shores of a wilderness lake for a decade and never saw one. Moved to downtown Toronto and now I see them every day!

[egret]

Just beautiful photos

Tks for posting

What time of day do you go usually
A bit hard for me to get there really early.

I take subway.



egret

[Ron Luft]

For many valid reasons it is discouraged and even illegal (city by-law) to feed stale bread to geese and ducks. There are ingredients in the bread (salt for eg.) that are not healthy for them. It also discourages normal breeding and migration behavior. Not to put to fine a point on it but while it was something many grew up doing and thinking was 'a good thing' it can easily be over done and has been in the past. Without getting 'preachy' and I have the opportunity to enlighten visitors to city parks I discourage the practice for the best interests of the birds and it is almost always well received. While the same arguement can be raised for bird feeders etc. It is documented, that the impact that people have had on Can. Geese is astounding. The 'jury' is still out as to whether feeders are good or bad. Let's not even get into pollution...

[hot_toddygal]

Lovely photos! I'm going to check out your site-thanks!

Thanks for posting them- it helps me ID the birds I see in my neighborhood about this time- the ruby crowned kinglet!


I couldn't figure it out-thought it was a gnatcatcher of some sort- but I had forgotten that would be a *female*, sans crown..