I birded the park and adjacent Humber College Campus from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm together with Don Barnett, Brian Wilkinson and Brian Brailey for a big part of day. The 'bowl area' was the big ticket item today, but other areas surprisingly had much more warbler activity in the afternoon. There seemed to be a complete turnover of warblers in the 'bowl area' between 9:00 and 10:00 am when the wind picked up and it clouded over then cooled off and brightened up. Overall the winds were quite light all day. The highlight was a male Blue-winged Warbler off the north end of Bowl in a Horse Chestnut Tree just behind the brick house near Lakeshore. The warblers today were dominated by four species: Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green and Palm Warblers. These are the total numbers for each species (lowest to highest). Wilson's Warbler:1; Canada Warbler: 1; Mourning Warbler: 1; Pine Warbler: 1; Blue-winged Warbler: 1; Common Yellowthroat: 3; Tennessee Warbler: 3: Nashville Warbler: 3; Cape May Warbler: 6; Blackburnian Warbler: 13; Magnolia Warbler: 13; Yellow Warbler: 15; Northern Parula: 16; Black-throated Blue Warbler: 20; Black-and-white Warbler: 24; American Redstart; 31; Palm Warbler: 41; Black-throated Green Warbler: 45; Chestnut-sided Warbler; 65; Yellow-rumped Warbler: 86. About 80% of Magnolia and American Redstarts were males suggesting that at least with these species, there are a lot more to arrive in next week for so. The other common warblers were about equally mixed. Other notable finds today were 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, a Grey-check Thrush, 3 Scarlet Tanagers, an Eastern Bluebird and a Spotted Sandpiper nest with four eggs.
Directions: The park is locate just south lakeshore off the south end of Kipling. Most people may not know that the bowl and adjacent areas are actually locate on, or adjacent to, the Humber College Campus. The closest (and free) parking for quick access to the 'bowl area' is along 13th Street which runs along the east side of the campus. At the intersection of 13th and Morrison Aven (1 block south of Lakeshore Boulevard) there is pedestrian entrance to the campus property and the birding starts with the 'small bowl', then the 'big bowl' across an intercampus road. There is free parking at the park proper which is south of the Humber College Campus and longer walk to 'bowl area'. The 'small bowl' is mostly overgrown deciduous saplings and surrounded with a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees; the large bowl is mostly Norway Spruce surrounding large lawn area, with an admixture of large trees to the east. The other two heavily birded areas besides the peninsula itself, is the large area of regenerating habitat along the east side of soccer field and mixed woods along a small creek along the west side of the soccer field, both of which are located between southern parking area (at the base of the peninsula) and the 'bowl complex". I hope this helps. Wayne Renaud (1-289-828-0043) _______________________________________________ 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/
