At Colonel Sam Smith Park this morning, I relocated the interesting Night-Heron found by Stephen Smith yesterday and reported to eBird as a juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron. Stephen posted a photo he took of the bird to eBird.
The interesting Night-Heron I relocated was roosting in a tree along with an adult and juvenile Black-Crowned Night-Heron, low to the water, on the north side of the island in the marshy cattail overflow pond located about 50 yards due east of the southernmost parking lot. In comparison to the other juvenile bird (which was clearly a Black-Crowned Night-Heron), the interesting bird had grayish rather than brown upperparts, had much more finely spotted wings, and seemed to me to be longer-necked and legged, as well as showing a blunter, thicker bill. This bird's call was also relatively high-pitched, almost like a scream. The bird's upper mandible was largely blackish while the lower mandible, other than the tip, appeared somewhat pale (rather than cometely dark as is largely the case with Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons). Overall though, the bill on the interesting bird did not show any yellow like the bill of the nearby juvenile Black-Crowned. An interesting bird, regardless of what it turns out to be. Colonel Sam Smith Park is located immediately due south of the intersection of Kipling Ave and Lakeshore Blvd in Etobicoke. David Pryor Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
