DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT ON BUOY, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETIBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/13/2018

PIED-BILLED GREBE & RED-NECKED GREBE, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETIBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/13/2018

   The Pied-billed Grebe is on the left in the first photo and is the grebe in the second photo.  The Red-necked Grebe is on the right in the first photo and is the grebe in the third photo.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETOBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/13/2018

          We can ID this cuckoo as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo as follows:

• Long tail, which is white and black underneath (see first photo) and brown above (see second photo)
• White underparts
• Grayish-brown head and upperparts
• Bill has yellow lower mandible and black upper mandible
• Rufous wing-patch (see first photo). 
  
  In southern U.S. rain crow and storm crow are common folk names for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  This is because of the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain or thunderstorms.  Yellow-billed Cuckoos are among the few bird species able to eat large hairy caterpillars.  In the East they eat large numbers of tent caterpillars -- as many as 100 in one sitting.
  
  The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 799A.
  

MALE HOODED MERGANSER, DUFFERIN ISLANDS PARK, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

KOI FISH IN POND, NORTH YORK,TORONTO,ON, 10/10/2018

VIEW FROM 9TH FLOOR OF CHARLES SAURIOL CONSERVATION AREA, NORTH YORK, TORONTO, ON, 10/10/2018

MUTE SWAN & DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, ASHBRIDGE'S BAY PARK,TORONTO,ON, 10/10/2018