[Ontbirds]High Park today-Parula, Cape May, etc.

[Norman Murr]

Today I did a half day at the south end of High Park in Toronto and after spotting Margaret Liubavicius I joined her for an enjoyable walk in the park. Below are some of the birds we found during our stroll.

Great Egret
Black-crowned night-Heron
6 Wood Ducks
2 Hooded Mergansers
13 Downy Woodpeckers and 3 Hairy Woodpeckers
50+ Chimney Swifts
Purple Martin
100+ Blue Jays migrating east
7 Red-breasted and 8 White-breasted Nuthatches
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush - only Thrush seen
11 Blue-headed Vireos
Warbling Vireo
Great-crested Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Northern Parula
12 Nashville Warblers
Cape May Warbler
3 Black-throated blue Warblers
35+ Yellow-rumped Warblers
10 Black-throated Green warblers
Blackburnian Warbler
7 Palm Warblers
Black-and-white Warblers
Ovenbirds
25+ Chipping Sparrows
White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows
1 Purple and several House Finches
8 Baltimore Orioles
Plus the usual suspects to be found in the park plus Rose-breasted grosbeaks were seen by others and Margaret.

Warning - There is a roaming gang of thugs in the south end of the park and Margaret and I were swarmed twice while walking along. This gang consists of Downy Woodpeckers, both Nuthatches, Chickadees and a couple of Cardinals. They will get in your face and twice as I tried to point out a Warbler a Downy landed on my finger and glared at me and in fact as I first stepped into the park in the early morning a male Red-winged Blackbird tried to take me out. It attacked and hit me on the head twice.

Directions:-
HIGH PARK

High Park is located in the west end of Toronto and is bounded on the south by The Queensway, the north by Bloor Street and on the east by Parkside Drive.

To reach High Park you can take the TTC Subway to the High Park Station or the Queen Street Streetcar #501 to either the Parkside Drive or the Colborne Lodge Drive streetcar stops or you may drive in from High Park Avenue at the north end of the park.

 Be aware that on the nicer weekends it will be very hard to find a parking space unless you arrive earlier than 8:30am.


Norm Murr
Richmond Hill, ON

"Sils mordent, mords les"