High Park Area -- lots of summer species

[stuartimmonen]

I just moved to Roncesvalles Village at the beginning of July, and have enjoyed exploring High Park and Sunnyside Beach over to the Humber for the past couple of weeks. Like others, I'm sure, mid-summer can seem pretty "dry" with all the "good birds" up in their Boreal breeding grounds, but I've been pleased to find 47 altogether common species to date, a list of which follows:

1.   American Cliff Swallow   
2.   Mute Swan   
3.   Barn Swallow
4.   Spotted Sandpiper
5.   Double-crested Cormorant
6.   American Black Duck
7.   Western Great Egret
8.   Common Tern
9.   Hooded Merganser
10.   Gadwall
11.   Bonaparte's Gull
12.   Wood Duck
13.   Hairy Woodpecker
14.   Black-capped Chickadee
15.   Northern Mockingbird
16.   House Sparrow
17.   Chimney Swift
18.   Common Nighthawk
19.   Common Pigeon
20.   Mourning Dove
21.   American Goldfinch
22.   Mallard
23.   Canada Goose
24.   Common Starling
25.   American Robin
26.   Northern Cardinal
27.   Eastern Kingbird
28.   Grey Catbird
29.   Wood Thrush
30.   Common Grackle
31.   Red-winged Blackbird
32.   Red-eyed Vireo
33.   Warbling Vireo
34.   Black-crowned Night Heron
35.   Great Blue Heron
36.   Indigo Bunting
37.   Ring-billed Gull
38.   Blue-grey Gnatcatcher
39.   Downy Woodpecker
40.   Eastern Wood Pewee
41.   Great Crested Flycatcher
42.   Sharp-shinned Hawk
43.   Baltimore Oriole
44.   White-breasted Nuthatch
45.   Song Sparrow
46.   Chipping Sparrow

Some are in surprising (to me, anyway) abundance, such as the Swifts and Gnatcatchers. I'm sure there are more-- feel free to add observations to the thread if you like.

Looking forward to the fall migration.

stuart

[pacharo]

Thank you Stuart for sharing such a surprisingly long (for July) list.  My drive to High Park takes 45 minutes from midtown and my visits this past May/June were rather poor as far as bird sightings are concerned - this with the added burden of a hopeful long telephoto...  (I spent most of the time along the shore of the East side of the pond.)
Could you give this newbie some pointers as to where in the park, and what time of day, are best?
Pacharo

[Bluffs Birder]

Hi Stuart,

I don't see Purple Martin on your list, just wondering if you've checked the martin house at the south end of Grenadier Pond?  I haven't heard anything this year as to whether the Martins returned to that house or not, or whether the house is even still erected there.

Walter

[ravynne40]

I have always found High Park to be wonderful for all kinds of birds, my favorite is the Hawk Watch in the fall.
In the spring I go down for the Cherry Tree festival (Sakura) in that area I have seen hawks, bluejays, chickadees, cardinals and our favorite wood ducks down by the pond, one year I even saw a coyote hiding in the wooded area! It was awesome, and one time last summer we spotted a green heron in the upper pond by the trees.
Pacharo, usually anywhere by the ponds are a good place to start and work your way up
take water, its a good hike, sometimes by the lower pond in the more common area they have hotdog vendors so if you are nibbly you can grab a bite!

[stvgarrett]

Have you seen the Indigo Bunting more than once? if so, I'd be interested in taking a look for it so if you could provide a rough pointer (see the earlier sticky posting on how to link to a google map, if you have the time and inclination or a verbal description, I would appreciate it!

Keep your eye out for the Orchard Orioles that have been nesting and were seen here (look for the green arrow) earlier this year:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.644092 ... 1&t=h&z=18

[stuartimmonen]

Thanks for all the responses!

Walter, I went by the Martin house yesterday morning and found it vacant, though there were lots of swallows and swifts over Grenadier Pond at that time, so if there were occupants, they could have been hawking over the pond.

stvgarrett, Indigo Buntings are in various locations-- most reliably on the path leading S from the TTC turnaround at the terminus of Howard Park:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.646906 ... 1&t=h&z=18

Look down the hillside to the west-- it is most vocal in the morning and will perch in sunlight coming under the tree canopy to the E. I've also heard them on the slope W of the allotment gardens:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.648432 ... 1&t=h&z=18

The TTC area is also where I saw the Sharpie and Balitmore Orioles. Thanks for the tip re: Orchard Orioles.  

ravynne40, thanks for adding to the list of potentials-- I, too, saw Red-tails, Blue Jays and others earlier in the year, but not since July 1.

pacharo, this isn't a great time of year for photos, unfortunately-- the birds in the list have mostly been seen high up, obscured by leaves, or just heard. The beach and Grenadier Pond should be good for pictures, though. The Herons and Egrets were on the breakwater just E of the white pedestrian bridge across the Humber River, and the Cliff Swallows have a large colony under the bridge. Ducks mentioned were at the E end of the beach and not too skittish-- there are Wood Duck juveniles near the rushes at the N end of Grenadier Pond. Dawn is best for the waterfront; afternoon for Grenadier Pond.

Black-crowned Night Heron and Great Blue can also be found in the two duck ponds SE of the zoo:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.641433 ... num=1&z=16

Land birds are all over-- the Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-pewee and woodpecker sp. were at the north end of Spring Rd (?) at the edge of a grassy field here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.652705 ... num=1&z=16

Again, they often stick to shade. I've seen three Nighthawks over Roncesvalles near Dundas St W most evenings; same for Chimney Swifts. Swifts were in great numbers over Grenadier Pond yesterday AM.

NB: Many of the paths are overrrun with Poison Ivy, so it may be wise to stick to wider thoroughfares. The off-leash dog paths are good for listening in the afternoons... it stays pretty cool, too.

stuart

[pacharo]

Stuart: Thank you for all the info and the maps. I will stick to binoculars for now but have the camera in the trunk - just in case!

[stvgarrett]

thanks, I'll be on the lookout for the Indigo Buntings.

[stuartimmonen]

Just added Northern Flicker to this list (S of the Howard Park TTC loop-- no Indigos today).

stuart

[stvgarrett]

Found an Indigo Bunting singing away at about 8:15 this morning, right where you said it would be:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=43.648432 ... 1&t=h&z=18
thanks!
-Steve

[stuartimmonen]

Good news! I was there this morning too, just before that and didn't hear it, and was starting to feel terrible! Whew!  


I added House Finch (#49) at the Nature Centre feeders this morning.

Also:

In the duck ponds:
7 adult plumaged Black-crowned Night Herons
2 Great Egret
1 Great Blue Heron

Along the creek S of the zoo parking lot:

Abundant Blue-gray Gnatcatcher scolding and chasing
Warbling Vireo
Red-Winged Blackbirds  scolding and chasing everything else.

N. Flicker
Hairy Woodpecker
C. Grackle
E. Wood-pewee



Also had Killdeer at the TTC Humber Loop on the Queensway, but for me, west of the Humber is out of bounds for this list-- you have to stop somewhere!

stuart

[stuartimmonen]

Species #50 was a Red-tailed Hawk harrassed out or its perch at Centre and Spring Rds by some angry Cardinals and one Catbird.

There are hummingbird feeders at the Nature Centre, but I haven't yet seen any...

Not a bad July list at all!

stuart

[KPaw]

Did you see the egrets in the Lower Duck Pond or on  Grenadier Pond?

[stuartimmonen]

I saw them (2) in the upper duck pond, near the zoo entrance, always very early in the morning.

[stuartimmonen]

Added four more this morning.


Killdeer - one at Sunnyside Beach (it seemed less arbitrary to include the shoreline south of the park in my "area" list, and more fruitful :wink: )
Caspian Tern - one flying N over Greandier Pond
Herring Gull - four calling overhead in S bound flight.
Yellow Warbler - one adult F in the balsam near the creekside picnic area S of the zoo parking lot. Also here were BG Gnatcatchers, Red-eyed Vireo and E W-pewee.

I think I'll have to wrap up this list come August 1, since the coming (present?) influx of migrants will no longer constitute a "summer species" list. I'll keep observing, however, maybe in a new thread. Thanks for looking!

stuart