Yesterday on another beautiful day Alfred Adamo, Bob Tyler, Jenny Bull and Marilyn Murphy and I met up on Hanlan’s Point for a great day of birding and following are some of the birds we found.
I have included some totals foe some of the birds. We found a total of 81 bird species including 23 Warbler species and they kept us very busy looking. Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, 4 Great Egrets, Gadwall, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, American Kestrel, 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Willow, Least and Great-crested Flycatchers, Common Raven, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Swainson’s and Hermit Thrushes, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling and Philadelphia Vireos, 44 Red-eyed Vireos, the following warblers - Golden-winged Warbler “Brewster’s hybrid”, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black and White, Tennessee, Nashville, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, 28 American Redstarts, Cape-May, 13 Northern Parula, 11 Magnolias, 31 Bay-breasted, 14 Blackburnian, 8 Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, 9 Palms, 8 Pine, 21 Yellow-rump, Prairie, 9 Black-throated Green, Canada and 4 Wilson’s Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Lincoln’s Sparrow and 2 first of Fall White-throated Sparrows and a male Orchard Oriole. The Hermit Thrush was a first of Fall bird for us and like the White-throated Sparrow, many more to come. For some interested persons – The Monarch migration seemed slow yesterday with most of the ones we did see (about 25 or so) were up quite high as they moved west. Again, a very nice day and nicer company, as usual. PS – Porter Airlines is up and running again and you will hear loud engine noises on occasion as they start running up and checking the engines of the planes that have been sitting idle for so long. ==================================================================================================== Summer Ferry and Islands Information. Masked wearing is mandatory on the ferries and should be kept on in the city side dock area. Note:- There is a washroom at the city side of the docks but the washrooms on the ferries are closed due to Corvid. Most washrooms throughout The Islands are open. There are no washrooms or fountains on Algonquin Island and no washrooms on Snake Island. The Riviera Café just east of the bridge onto Algonquin Island (west of the ferry dock) is open for take-out and the back patio is also open. The Island Café straight out from the ferry dock is also open for take-out only, but there lots of seats in front. Yesterday, September 10th the Mermaid Café was open on Hanlan’s Point, just south of the tennis courts and may be open until the 13th. Be aware that there is a Frisbee Course on Ward's Island, west of the Island Fire Station so be alert when in the course area. Another Note:- The Island ferry schedules - All ferries are operating - You can obtain ferry schedules, prices, restrictions, etc. at - https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-gardens-beaches/toronto-island-park/all-ferry-schedules/ FYI - The first boats to Hanlan’s Point are 6:30 am, 7:00 am and 7:30 am (8:00 am on the weekend) and the first boats to Ward’s Island are 6:30 am, 7:30 am and 8:15 am. Also, be aware that the island school (the school itself is closed) has a daycare centre operating during the week, so please do not approach too close when the children are out and about around the school. There is also a daycare centre on Algonquin Island so do not approach too close there as well. If anyone is interested I have revised my Toronto Island Site and Bird Guide and it can be found on the OFO Website (http://www.ofo.ca/ofo-docs/Toronto_Islands_Birding_and_Site_Guide.pdf) There is also an unofficial Checklist of Birds of The Islands at that site. This is a Summer Guide but may be useful in Spring, Fall and Winter as I bird most of those same areas during those times Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
