DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

BREEDING RED-NECKED GREBES & CHICKS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

   The first two photos show an adult Red-necked Grebe with its two chicks.  The third photo shows  adult'smate bringing a fish it caught to the family.

JUVENILE SHORT-BILLED DOWTCHER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

   We can ID this dowitcher as a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher rather than a Long-billed Dowitcher as follows:

• Slightly decurved bill.  The Long-billed has a relatively straight bill.
• V-shaped white feather tips of the covert feathers.  The Long-billed has squared-off feather tips.
• "Tiger-striped" tertials, but with wiggly lines and partial bars.  This indicates the Short-billed Dowitcher is a juvenile.  The juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher has no tertial bars or stripes, while the adults of both species usually have tertial bars in a regular pattern.

CAPE MAY WARBLER, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

   We can ID this warbler as a Cape May Warbler of the bright variety as follows:

• Bright yellow throat and face.
• Eye-arcs and dark eyeline.
• Sharp, dark bill.
• Dark streaking on underparts.
• Olive-gray cap.
• White wing patch.
• Cheek patch is grayish, rather than chestnut.  This would indicate that this Cape May Warbler may be a breeding female or a juvenile.

SHOREBIRDS FORAGING AT OWEN POINT, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

FLIGHT OF THE SHOREBIRDS, OWEN POINT, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

   These shorebirds were foraging at Owen Point when all of the sudden they were flushed.  They all came back in a few minutes.  We couldn't tell what flushed them.

You can see Baitd's Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers and Sanderlings in the flock.