On Friday the 23rd Ian Cannell, Margaret Liubavicius and I birded the Toronto Islands and on Saturday Jay Peterson joined Ian and the southern movement of passerines seems to be well on the way and following are some of the 81 bird species we found ((with only 3 waterfowl, no shorebirds or thrushes at all, a couple of sparrows and 2 gulls)).
Osprey, Cooper’s Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, R-T Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfishers, Red-bellied Woodpecker, 8 flycatcher species including Olive-sided, Yellow-bellied, Alder and Great-crested, lots of Eastern Wood-Pewees, House Wrens, Northern Mockingbird, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos, 21 warbler species including Northern Parula, Cape May, Blackburnian, Pine, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush and a Connecticut Warbler. Another birder we talked to down there told us that he had seen a Mourning Warbler. We also encountered 3 Mink. Note:- Jay Peterson is leading an outing on The Islands this coming Sunday leaving the ferry docks at 7:30 am. Jay will be posting complete info and directions later this week. DIRECTIONS TO THE TORONTO ISLAND FERRY DOCKS TORONTO ISLANDS - SUMMER SCHEDULE Note:- Fare :- Adults $7.00 - Seniors / Students $4.50 If you are on the subway southbound get off at the TTC’s Union Subway Station, walk south on Bay Street (on the east side of the station) for about 1 km to the ferry docks at the foot of Bay Street at Queen’s Quay and you are there. The entrance to the ferry docks (well signed) is on the west side of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. To get to the Toronto Islands from the TTC’s Union Subway Station on the TTC you may transfer to the #6 or the #6A Bay St. TTC bus on Bay Street just outside of the east entrance to the GO Station. Note:- This bus stop is temporarily moved to the northwest side of Front St. They both go down Bay Street to Queen’s Quay. Go passengers arriving by train or bus must pay a fare to use the TTC bus or streetcar. When running there is a street car (#509 Harbourfront) that goes from inside the TTC’s Union Subway Station to Queen’s Quay (no transfer from the subway required). Note:- This streetcar is not running for the foreseeable future due to construction on Queens Quay. For those who choose to head down to the docks on Sunday before the Subway opens at 9 a.m. you can catch the #97B Yonge St. Blue Night bus (Steeles Ave. to Queens Quay). This bus will let you off right across the street on Bay St. only steps from the ferry docks entrance. For ferry schedules - check - http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm You may also want to visit the TTC web page http://www.ttc.ca/ for trip planning assistance. If in an auto on the Gardener Expressway or on Lakeshore Blvd, then exit at Bay Street and drive south to Queen’s Quay, there are very few parking lots nearby (all for a fee). One of these parking lots is located just a block north on of the ferry docks on Bay St. with at least one more (for now) a block or so west of the ferry docks on Queen’s Quay. ============================================================================= NOTE :- If you want to learn more about birding on the Toronto Islands you can access my Toronto Islands Birding And Site Guide on the OFO web site at:- http://www.ofo.ca/webapp/site/page/view/articles.torontoislands Norm Murr Richmond Hill Ontario, Canada _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
