On a winter’s day, a Pileated Woodpecker chops away at a fallen log. Its viewers consists of a Furry Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker. As soon as it leaves, the Furry strikes to the damaged log and chops some extra. After it leaves, the Downy has its likelihood to seek out one thing edible within the leavings. My husband commented that we’d simply watched small, medium, and huge. Observations like which can be what I encounter in my long-time native patch.
I’ve birded in Earl Bales Park in Toronto for 50 years and counting. As you benefit from the quiet great thing about the park, it’s arduous to consider that you’re within the midst of a metropolis with a inhabitants of three million folks. As a young person, I had a good friend who lived close by, and we might go to it usually. It grew to become my native patch once we moved into the realm. I usually birded there for 33 years, earlier than we moved to our apartment in 2017. I nonetheless make time to go to it usually as it’s only two miles from the place we now stay. If you chook someplace that lengthy, you may have many recollections to look again upon.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Within the Seventies, I bear in mind when there have been Ring-necked Pheasants within the fields. My good friend, who I nonetheless chook with, cherished that I might flush them, and they might burst from the grass in entrance of us. When town constructed storm-water ponds there, they cleared a discipline that was filled with Honeysuckle bushes. That discipline hosted many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds within the earlier summers. I nonetheless see these hummers within the park, however not in such numbers.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
After all, an area patch presents lifers and distinctive sightings. I noticed my first Olive-sided Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting (pictured at high of article), and Yellow-billed Cuckoo there. I’ve watched a migrating Caspian Tern hunt the storm-water ponds. Chimney Swifts, Barn Swallows, and Tree Swallows fly over the ponds searching mosquitos. Throughout migration, Pied-billed Grebe, Hooded Merganser, and teals present up on the pond.
As soon as, I watched a male Crimson-tailed Hawk escort a sub-adult Bald Eagle out of the park and its territory. I adopted them because the hawk saved buzzing the eagle, shifting it alongside. Lastly, the eagle had had it. It lifted its talons and grabbed for the hawk, which then veered off and flew again into the park.
Scarlet Tanager
If you love someplace that a lot, you need to share it. For the previous few years, I’ve co-led birdwatching walks there for our native chook membership. We search for spring migrants and resident birds. I get a number of inexperienced persons and they’re thrilled to see life birds. A well-liked chook is the Indigo Bunting, which at all times places on a present, providing attractiveness and its candy tune. This previous spring, my co-guide and I have been in a position to present them 43 species, together with a male Scarlet Tanager and a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which acquired a lot of oohs and aahs, as did a feminine Mallard along with her flotilla of tiny ducklings. A Cooper’s Hawk flew right into a tree and scattered a flock of Cedar Waxwings. I at all times prefer it when birds make the morning extra dramatic.
Feminine Mallard with ducklings
My love affair with Earl Bales Park doesn’t seem like it’s going to finish anytime quickly. There’s the remainder of the yr to get pleasure from, with the Christmas Hen Depend coming in December.
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