Hey birders. Dave Hallet and I took a look off of Colonel Sam Smith Park this
afternoon for grebes. The Red-necks are now in the hundreds with a very rough
estimate of 500+ birds, most of which were off the west in the bay and further
out on the lake towards Marie Curtis. I wonder what the numbers are like off
of areas like the Toronto Islands, Rattray's Marsh and Bronte Harbour? Anyone?
There 'should' be a Western Grebe in with these large numbers based on what
we've seen in recent years. Who will be the one to find it!
Numbers of Horned Grebes were fairly high too with perhaps 20 off the west end
of the park, but nowhere near as impressive as the Red-necks of course.
NO Purple Martins were present anywhere in the park - has the cold weather
moved them on or had they never really returned yet?
The Tundra Swan that was present for at least a week on the west end bay with
many Mute Swans is now absent and so were most of the Mutes.
Directions: Parking is best to the west of the park on any of the small
residential streets during the weekdays because the college students take all
the parking spaces in the park by 9a.m. On weekends follow Kipling Ave. south
to the Lakeshore in Etobicoke.
Cheers,
Andrew Keaveney
Field Biologist/Ornithologist, Bird and Wildlife Guide
647-383-8894 (cell)
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of
the world"
~ John Muir
"Live, eat, breathe birds"
~ Twitcher
_______________________________________________
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/
