Good evening. Today Margaret Liubavicius and I took walk out onto The Spit and while there we found a Lapland Longspur out on The Endikement.
Other kind of nice birds that we found were Common Loon, Common Goldeneye, Redhead, Greater Scaup, all 3 Mergansers, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, 2 Peregrine Falcons, American Pipits, Blue-headed Vireo, Rusty Blackbirds, the usual Sparrows to be found at this time of year, several Winter Wrens and a passel of Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. We didn't look for the previously reported Laughing Gull but it could be still around though no one else reported it on Friday. Directions:- LESLIE STREET SPIT (TOMMY THOMPSON PARK) IN TORONTO To get to "The Spit" from Queen and Yonge Streets. 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 and take it to Leslie St. and Commissioner St. ( Saturday and Sunday as well as week days ). 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. I have been told (hearsay) that you can access The Spit after 4:30pm during the week but at this tme of year the sun goes down pearly so you will not have much time to bird. This area is extensive, 7 km to the tip, but be prepared to walk more than that. Norm. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
