Today Jay Peterson and I birded from Ward’s to Hanlan’s and though a tad windy with many snow squalls we did find some pretty nice and as well as new for the year birds.
Horned Grebes, Chimney Swifts, Belted Kingfishers, 5 Woodpecker species including Red-bellied Woodpeckers and lots of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers, 10+ Eastern Phoebes to compare to the Say’s Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, several Hermit Thrushes, Brown Thrashers, many Brown Creepers (here and on The Spit Baselands), Carolina Wrens, several Winter Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, many Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Towhee, Fox, Chipping and Swamp Sparrows, a big increase in the number of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos and a sharp decrease of Song Sparrows and unlike a cold day last Monday – no naked men wandering the dunes on Hanlan’s today. Not bad for a wintery day. PS – We also found 2 Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrasher and Rusty Blackbirds in the Leslie Street Spit Baselands. Directions:- TORONTO ISLANDS - SPRING SCHEDULE Note:- Fare :- Adults $7.00 - Seniors / Students $4.50 If you are on the subway southbound get off at the TTC’s Union Subway Station, walk south on Bay Street (on the east side of the station) for about 1 km to the ferry docks at the foot of Bay Street at Queen’s Quay and you are there. The entrance to the ferry docks (well signed) is on the west side of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. To get to the Toronto Islands from the TTC’s Union Subway Station on the TTC you may transfer to the #6 or the #6A Bay St. TTC bus on Bay Street just outside of the east entrance to the GO Station. They both go down Bay Street to Queen’s Quay. Go passengers arriving by train or bus must pay a fare to use the TTC bus or streetcar. When running there is a street car (#509 Harbourfront) that goes from inside the TTC’s Union Subway Station to Queen’s Quay (no transfer if from the subway required). For those who choose to head down to the docks on Sunday before the Subway opens at 9 a.m. you can catch the #97B Yonge St. Blue Night bus (Steeles Ave. To Queens Quay). This bus will let you off right across the street on Bay St. only steps from the ferry docks entrance. For ferry schedules - check - http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm You may also want to visit the TTC web page http://www.ttc.ca/ for trip planning assistance. If in an auto on the Gardener Expressway or on Lakeshore Blvd, then exit at Bay Street and drive south to Queen’s Quay, there are very few parking lots nearby (all for a fee). One of these parking lots is located just a block north on of the ferry docks on Bay St. with at least one more (for now) a block or so west of the ferry docks on Queen’s Quay. ============================================================================= NOTE :- If you want to learn more about birding on the Toronto Islands you can access my Toronto Islands Birding And Site Guide on the OFO web site at:- http://www.ofo.ca/webapp/site/page/view/articles.torontoislands You may also want to check out Ron Pittaway’s excellent “Spring Warbler Migration Guide” which is also on the OFO web site. You can find it by clicking on the following:- http://www.ofo.ca/webapp/site/page/view/articles.springwarblers Norm Murr Richmond Hill Ontario, Canada _______________________________________________ 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/
