Hi,
A short foray to Humber Bay East Park late Saturday showed 1 American Coot,
1 male Pintail, 30+ Buffleheads, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers with the males
displaying bobbing head movements, 2 Mute Swans and 1 Hooded Merganser male
in the two ponds east of the parking lot. Bushes held a small number of
American Tree Sparrows, and 2 wintering Robins.
The mouth area of Mimico Creek had 15+ Shovelers, a pair of Mute Swans,
more Buffleheads, 1 Common Goldeneye male and the first pair of Long-tailed
Ducks of the winter.
Both locations had many Mallards. In the first pool east of the parking
lot, there were small rafts of males displaying to one female in each raft
with head movements and whistling. I spent some time looking for the sound
source before accepting the Mallard males were not quacking.
The park is located south from Park Lawn (an exit is available from the
Gardiner Expressway eastbound. The parking lot is in extremely rough shape,
even more so than many of Toronto's crater paved roads.
Bob Hawkins
