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Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront

Updated: Nov 1, 2022

April 2015 Bird Walk
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Lake-Watching

It has become tradition for Bob Yukich to lead our April walk, and this year’s walk, on April 25th was no exception. After a chilly start, the day warmed up nicely under a brilliant sunny sky with virtually no breeze. It’s the kind of spring day that’s great to be out in, but not generally so great for birding. The fair conditions tend to encourage the birds to keep going rather than stop as soon as they reach the north shore. The cold spring has also meant that some species that would normally be here haven’t got this far north yet. But while we may have missed some expected bird species, we set a new record for human participation: 73 people! It’s difficult with a small group to ensure that everyone gets to see everything, but with a group this size it’s virtually impossible. Still, most people managed to get good looks at most of the species seen.

While the numbers of most species were small, we ended with a respectable total of 54 species by the end of the walk. Here’s the full list:

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Lesser scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-creasted Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel

American Crow
Tree Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-brested Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Also at this walk, we distributed copies of our new, revised bird checklist. The new checklist has 193 species - all birds that have been seen on CCFEW walks at Humber Bay, Colonel Samuel Smith Park, and Marie Curtis Park. We also started loaning binoculars to participants who don’t have any. Demand far outstripped supply, so we are seeking donations.

Here are a few photos from the walk:

RWBB-in-Pussy-Willows
Tree-Swallow-rear-profile
DC-Cormorant-profile

A Yellow-rumped Warbler shows us how he got his name:

Yellow-Rump

Another rear view: this time a male Downey Woodpecker:

downey-rear-view