Yesterday, Oct. 24th Bob Tyler and I birded the Islands and following are some of the birds we found.
3 Pied-billed Grebes, Great Blue Herons, 12 Trumpeter Swans, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Black Duck, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Sharp-shinned and Copper’s Hawks, American Kestrel and Merlin, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Common Raven, 556 Black-capped Chickadees (undercounted by far as they passed through and over The Islands, in flocks at times from Ward’s to Hanlan’s Point during this year’s irruption. This is mine and Bob’s personal days record of these little guys), Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Gray Catbird, Blue-headed Vireos, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black-throated Green and Palm Warblers, many Yellow-rumped Warblers – 11 Sparrow species - American Tree, Chipping, Field, Le Conte’s, Nelson’s, Song, Lincoln, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and Rusty Blackbird. On Friday Oct 23rd Bob Tyler, Jenny Bull and Marilyn Murphy found 15 Trumpeter Swans, White-winged Scoters, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird and a seldom seen down there lately Evening Grosbeak. Masked wearing is mandatory on the ferry. Note:- Both washrooms are open on Ward's as is the one at the city side of the docks but the washroom on the ferry is closed due to Corvid. Some but not all of the water fountains are working but you can obtain water in the washrooms. There is also a washroom at the Island Fire Station west of the ferry dock. There are no washrooms or fountains on Algonquin Island and no washrooms on Snake Island. On Snake Island, there is a water drinking fountain and a water fountain for filling a bucket or pail. The Riviera Café just east of the bridge onto Algonquin Island (west of the ferry dock) is open 7 days a week but this could change so you may want to check at https://www.islandriviera.com/ The Island Café straight out from the ferry dock is closed until further notice. The number of Island visitors has decreased since labour Day but the number of Frisbie players on Ward’s Island seemed to have increased so be alert in the course area. All washrooms beyond Ward’s Island are closed except the one just west of the flower gardens on Centre Island and the one at the Hanlan’s Point Ferry Dock. All water fountains on The Islands are shut. Masked wearing is mandatory on the ferry. Another Note:- The Island ferry schedules - Be aware that the Fall Schedule is posted under the Summer Schedule for some reason and there are some drastic changes First boat to Hanlan’s is at 10:30 am, the first boat to Centre is at 10:00 am and the first boat to Ward’s is at 6:30 am. These times are for all 7 days of the week. 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 To edit your membership settings visit the Birdnews setup page at: http://ontbirds.ca/mailman/listinfo/birdnews_ontbirds.ca. 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.
