Adding to yesterday's Warbler bonanza at the park. a male Prairie
Warbler was found early this morning just east of the concrete skating
track (just south of brick building with the large chimney adjacent to
the second last parking area). It was feeding about 4 feet off the
ground in some small willows with a small flock of Goldfinches. I
watched for about five minutes before the group was scared off by the
noise of lawn mower and few west across the road in the direction
filtration plant. It was in singing constantly while under
observation. I was about 20 feet from this warbler, close enough to
the reddish steaking on the back, the contrasting dark spotted lines
on the side of the breast and fanks and the fine black marking around
front of face and bill, and the constant tail-wagging. This scrubby
habitat if typical of this species.
Also I found a 2nd-yr. plumge King Eider sleeping about 5 feet off-
shore of the rip-rap of the west-facing side of the peninsula with two
Mallards. About 15 minutes earlier Roger Doucett showed me a
photograph of a 2nd year male King Eider that he just just
photographed off east shore of the park and that was constantly diving
and briefly surfacing while moving northeast away form the park.
These could possible be two different birds?
Also a small flock of shorebird consisting of 5 Ruddy Turnstones and 3
Sanderlings flew low over the lake and out of fog to land on the rocky
area on the east side of the large headland. One Least Sandpiper was
seen on the largest outer beach.
The rest of park was fairly quiet compared to yesterday and there was
no sign of the Mourning Warbler although 12 species of the more common
warblers were seen (also with Bruce Wilkinson, Tone Christensen and
David Pryor) .
Directions: off the south end of Kipling atf Lakeshore Boulevard; the
parking lot is located at end of Col. Sam. Smith Park Drive which runs
off the south end of KIpling.
Wayne Renaud (289-828-0043)
_______________________________________________
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/
