Our June 2022 Bird Walk was held on June 25 at Colonel Samuel Smith Park, and lead by Garth Riley. Birding in mid-June can be very challenging, because most birds are protecting nests of fledglings and don’t want to be seen. A bright sunny day is also usually not a good time to find a lot of birds either. Despite both of these challenges, we managed to find a nice variety of birds.
Two unusual sightings were a Common Loon and a Bufflehead. Both of these species should be in more northern breeding territory by now. An Orchard Oriole came and sang for us. This is a species that has been expanding its range northward in recent years, and is now breeding regularly in Southern Ontario.
We visited the south building of the filtration plant where Common Terns appear to be nesting on the roof. Several were diving at Garth when he got too close: a territorial behavior which suggests nesting. Also there, we found 3 Cliff Swallow nests. They are all that’s left of a once thriving colony.
By the end of the walk we had tallied 38 species. Here is the full list:
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