Had decent looks at a Nelson's Sparrow this morning. The bird responded to pishing and was located along the north side of the overflow/drainage "pond" (which is now just as much a mudflat as a pond given water levels are so low).
I also flushed two other probable Ammodramus sparrows elsewhere in the park but was unable to identify them as they perched only very briefly before diving back into cover. One was located in the field immediately south and adjoining the offleash dog run enclosure (I also flushed a rail, presumably a Sora, in this same field) and the other was located in the field just southeast of southernmost parking lot; this field usually contains several seasonal swampy ponds/depressions but this year, all but one are dry. In the only remaining "pond" (actually not much larger than an average living room) in this field, I had good looks at both a Virginia and a Sora Rail and was surprised both birds were evidently sharing the same small space. I saw two other Soras in other areas of the park but no noteworthy migratory shorebirds. Other sparrows seen this morning included Lincoln's, Swamp, Song, White-Throated and Savannah. Warbler and flycatcher activity at the park was mediocre. The only raptors I saw were a Northern Harrier and Kestral. David Pryor Colonel Sam Smith Park is located in Etobicoke just south of the intersection of Kipling Ave and Lakeshore Blvd. Sent from my BlackBerry _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
