Good evening. Today I again tagged along with Margaret Liubavicius and we birded the Toronto Islands and even though migration is slowly starting we did find some nice birds as you will see in the following list.
Birding aside this is next to May some of the best days to be out and about (you poor working people). Warm, sunny and almost predictable weather. Now to the birds, following are some of the birds we found today. 3 Great Egrets, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Caspian and Common Terns, 2 Black-billed Cuckoos, 4 Belted Kingfishers, 6 Flycatcher species including E. Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Willow, 18 Least and 9 Great-crested Flycatchers and 35 Eastern Kingbirds, 4 Swallow species including Purple Martins, 2 Winter Wrens, 12 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Swainson's Thrush, 10 Gray catbirds, Northern Mockingbird, 50+ Cedar Waxwings, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos, 14 Warbler species including 5 Northern Waterthrush, 2 Connecticut Warblers, Mourning, Wilson's and Canada Warblers, Scarlet Tanager and Chipping Sparrows. Some nice birds that it makes it worth while going over there and migration will get better with many more Warblers, Vireos, Flycatchers and Thrushes to come and then into the Sparrow migration. Directions TORONTO ISLANDS (Wards Island to Hanlans Point - without side trips is 5 km) To get to the Toronto Islands from Queen and Yonge Streets on the TTC. If your on the subway southbound stay on it and get off at Union Station, walk south about 1 km to the ferry docks at the foot of Bay Street at Queens Quay and you are there. If in an auto on the Gardener Expressway or on Lakeshore Blvd, then exit at Bay Street and drive south to Queens Quay, there are lots of parking lots nearby (fee). There is a fee for using the island ferries ($6.00 adult / $3.50 for seniors & students) and to find out the sailing times you can phone (416) 392-8193. There are washrooms on the islands as well as the city side at the ferry docks and you can pick up a schedule at the docks or check on line. The 1st boat to Wards Island (my preferred starting point) is 6:35 am and the 2nd is 7:00 am Monday to Friday. The 1st is at 6:35 am and the 2nd boat is at 7:15 am on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays. The 1st boat to Hanlans Point is 8:00 am and the 2nd boat is at 8:30 am Monday to Friday. The 1st is at 8:15 am and the 2nd boat is at 9:15 am on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays. If arriving in early am you must obtain your ticket from a machine just inside the gate so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins before you arrive at the docks as there is no place to get change and the machine does not make change. (There is a change machine there if you want to chance it). There are coffee shops across from the ferry docks in the building on the northwest corner and they are open early. food and beverages on The Islands when open are very expensive i.e. soft drink $3.00 plus. For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site. http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/springschedule.htm Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster." http://www.ihatespam.net
