I birded Riverside Park in Mississauga today trying to locate the Brown Thrasher or any of the Hoary Redpolls recently reported and found none of the above. A few Common Redpolls and a dozen or so Pine Siskins but that was it other than a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers quite close.
Recently there have been quite a few reports of Hoary Redpolls,some in groups up to as many as five birds seen at one time, at the same place. Five Hoary Redpolls in one flock of Redpolls might very well be unprecedented in Ontario. They're simply not that common even in eruption years. Common Redpolls can vary within their own species sometimes more than between the two species. The paleness of a Redpoll is not indicative of it being a Hoary. It's just one fieldmark. Saturday at Riverside there were at least a few obviously paler COMMON Redpolls. But Common Redpolls they were. A more reliable way of id'ing a Hoary Redpoll is by bill size and shape. Look for a Redpoll with a very stubby bill - a pushed-in face appearance. Paleness is but one feature of a Hoary Redpoll as is the streaking or lack thereof. Just a caution when reporting Hoary Redpolls Terry Osborne _______________________________________________ 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/
