I spent 2 hrs birding at Ashbridges Bay. Didn't expect to stumble upon what I did. There were 3 male scarlet tanagers sitting on a tree in the back southwest corner of the Martin Goodman Trail (click on this link to see where that is: http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ashbridges+bay,+toronto&aq=&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=47.686314,124.716797&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Ashbridges+Bay&ll=43.655311,-79.309798&spn=0.001622,0.003806&t=h&z=19 )
One male left and the other 2 males gave me incredible views. They were anywhere from 5 to 15 feet off the ground and would land 10 feet away from the path and from me. I also spotted a female in a tree. When I was leaving, I spotted 1 male and 1 female in the top of a myrtle tree that's on the southeast side of the harbour. There were 3 other birds in the trees with them, but due to the light and foliage, I couldn't ID them. 1 may have been a female as well. Also spotted were two hummingbirds (ruby-throated, I assume), myrtle warblers, magnolia, yellow, memphis, black-throated blue, common yellowthroat, catbirds, 2 female cowbirds, ovenbird, assorted sparrows, red eyed vireo and a kingfisher. Not a large quantity of birds, but an excellent assortment. I would assume the tanagers are there for the day. They remained in the same area for 2 hours and were eating away. There are a LARGE number of bugs (gnats and some bugs that leave horrible bites). I suggest you go with appropriate bug spray or at least wear a hood. I'll post photos later on my flickr account ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsharp-photo/). Richard Sigesmund www.mr.sharp-photo.com Ashbridges Bay is at the southernmost part of Coxwell Ave, just south of Lakeshore. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
