A beautiful afternoon at Thickson's Woods. We were greeted by a House Wren
proclaiming his occupation of the eastern-most swallow box. HIs lady
appeared later in the afternoon. An Eastern Phoebe was on the north side of
the open field. Only one Cowbird female was seen. American Goldfinches were
heard. Mourning Doves were very active in all locations. Many Tree Swallows
occupied the provided boxes but no young were heard calling.
In the marsh on the north side of the road both male and female Belted
Kingfishers hunted the creek. There were many Common Grackle fledglings
being fed. Two Yellow Warblers dueled near the road. A pair of Northern
Orioles fed an unknown number of noisy nestlings. The male Yellow-shafted
Flicker was calling actively, but there was no sign of activity around the
new nesting hole. One Eastern Kingbird was seen.
In the marsh on the south side two Green Herons hunted along the bay and
stream channel. Spotted Sandpiper and Kildeer were active. Three sets of
Malllard ducklings were feeding around the water's edge. A pair of Mute
Swans have five new cygnets. Many Rough-winged Swallows "bugged", but no
obvious nesting activity was seen. Only one Blue-winged Teal and two
Gadwalls were visible. Several Mallard males have begun their summer molt.
In the Woods themselves, Robins and Common Grackles littered the paths and
fed yowling youngsters. A female American Redstart hunted the eastern
woodlot-swamp boundary. Two Purple Finches sang from canopy perches on the
south side of the woodlot. At least one Northern Oriole was heard although
no other nests were found. Several Black-capped Chickadees were seen
although not the fledglings reported earlier this week. The Downy
Woodpecker pair on the east side of the woodlot were feeding nestlings.The
youngsters will probably fledge soon. Cardinals were feeding fledglings,
although only one was found. One White-breasted Nuthatch was heard on the
south central side of the woodlot. We found no trace of the Horned Owl,
although one rabbit crossed the main path near the entrance.
Bob and Sandra Hawkins
Thickson's Woods is reached from Highway 401 in Whitby by taking Thickson's
Road south almost to the end. The nature sanctuary has a large sign on the
east side of the road beside the paved entry road.
