Good evening. Today was a slow migration day compared to the middle of this week due to weather but that it will change for the better. Despite the slowness Alfred Adamo and I found 60 species of birds on The Spit including the following species some of which are early or new arrivals and some are increased numbers..
4 Great Egrets, 5 Great Blue Herons, 127 Mute Swans, 2 Northern Shovelers, 100+ Gadwall, 7 Lesser Scaup, 13 Hooded Mergansers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, Semipalmated Plovers, 47 Caspian Terns, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfishers, 8 Flycatcher species including Olive-sided Flycatcher, E. Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebe and Eastern Kingbirds, 1 Brown Creeper, Gray Catbirds, lots of Cedar Waxwings, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos, 17 Warbler species including Tennessee, Northern Parula, Black-throated blue, Pine, Bay-breasted, Northern Waterthrush, Wilson's and Canada, House Finch and many American Goldfinches. Another nice day to be out and with some good birding days ahead including the start of some of the Hawk viewing areas on Sept. 1st. including High Park here in Toronto. Such a large and birdy place and we only met 3 other birders on the whole Spit. A greatly (along with The Islands) under birded but very productive area. For you Butterfly folks, we observed about 2000+ Monarchs on The Spit today with about 1000 of them being on the base in the morning and I was told by Dan Derbyshire that he saw about 5000 Monarchs at the lighthouse in the early morning. Directions :- LESLIE STREET SPIT (TOMMY THOMPSON PARK) IN TORONTO To get to "The Spit" from Queen & Yonge Sts. Take the Queen Street Car #501 east to Leslie St. and walk south (about 2 km) or as far as you can go on Leslie St. at Unwin Ave. and you will see the gate and signage. You may also catch the Jones Bus #83 at the Donlands Subway Station or transfer to it at Queen St. and Jones Ave. and take it to Leslie St. And Commissioner St. (on Saturday only). By automobile you may drive to Lakeshore Blvd and Leslie St. then south to The Spit. If before 9 am you can park either on Leslie St. or Unwin Ave., after 9 am the parking lot inside the gate is open, be sure to note the closing time as your car will be locked in at that time. – 6 pm at present. If before 9 am you can park either on Leslie St. or Unwin Ave., after 9 am the parking lot inside the gate is open, be sure to note the closing time as your car will be locked in at that time. – 6 pm at present. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE:- The official hours for The Spit are 9 am to 6 pm (weekends and holidays only of course) but the unofficial hours are sunup to sundown. To date no one has questioned any birder, jogger, cyclist, etc. about the use of The Spit from sunup to sundown. The spit is only open on the weekends and on holidays, at other times you will not be able to access the area. This area is extensive, 7 km to the tip, but be prepared to walk more than that. There is a van available after 9 am from Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving Day weekend that will take you out or back. The Spit is only open on the weekends and holidays because they are still building it. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster." http://www.ihatespam.net
