The North Shore of Lake Ontario

21 July 2018

     My day started well when I met Heather at SpruceHaven to band one nest of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and one of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). The swallow nest contained five healthy young birds and the bluebird nest three equally robust youngsters and one unhatched egg.

     Miriam and I decided to pack a lunch and head down to Lake Ontario to see what we could find. We also took coffee and muffins with us and our first stop was at LaSalle Park and Marina since it was time for elevenses. We sat on a bench near one of the boat launching areas and were joined by this juvenile Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) in pristine plumage. What a handsome bird!

     As you can see in the fourth picture above the diminishing number of cigarette smokers still seems to feel no compunction about tossing their butts wherever they happen to be, without regard for the environment or even the cleanliness of the location. Their sense of aesthetic, or social sensitivity seems to be lacking to say the least. In other places we saw empty cigarette packets tossed on the ground. 
     A female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) was feeding hungry chicks who were already well able to cope for themselves. 

     I guess like human teenagers, if there is a free meal to be cadged why not take advantage of it?
     A pair of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) with two offspring sailed by, leaving little doubt that younger goslings had been subject to predation of one form or another.

     After finishing our coffee and muffins we left for Bronte Harbour in Oakville, our principal destination for the day. Red-necked Grebes (Podiceps grisegena) have nested in the harbour for many years, but it appears that all nesting attempts have failed this year. We saw only two birds and one of the nests, with a single egg, has obviously been deserted.

     There was the hint of another nest and one of the birds made a desultory pass at adding a bit of material to it, but without serious intent and both birds swam away.

     One of the outstanding features of Bronte Harbour over time has been a large and successful colony of American Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) with many nests, mainly on the wall of a restaurant. Sadly this has all ended; the swallows have been displaced by aggressive House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), an introduced species. Not a single active Cliff Swallow nest remains.

     At some point the restaurant installed a wire barrier to prevent birds from nesting and raining down poop on their patrons, but the House Sparrows have exploited a breach in this defence and have built a traditional untidy nest behind it.

     This unfortunate individual became entangled and died in a futile attempt to free itself.

     A pair of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) had but two young to chaperone and protect. Curiously, one of the cygnets was already pure white, when normally young swans retain their grey plumage until much closer to adulthood.

     Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) are a fixture on the breakwater, in between bouts of fishing, interspersed with Ring-billed Gulls and we saw one American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) also.

     Few people, it seems to me, pay much attention to gulls, yet close examination reveals stunning beauty, as evidenced by this pristine Ring-bill.

     Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are always present at Bronte, although there were fewer today than is normal. Perhaps the main cohort was farther out on the lake fishing.

     Our last stop of the afternoon was at Paletta Park in Burlington where it was apparent that American Robins (Turdus migratorius) have had a fine breeding season, for many juveniles were around.

     There were also many Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens), sometimes in little groups of three or four, but all were adults.

     Several Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) flitted around in the dense vegetation, alternating between revealing themselves and disappearing again.

     The highlight of our visit to Paletta was a pair of adult Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) feeding a recently fledged group of offspring.

     Was this parent singing for joy?

     The young birds waited patiently and the adults never failed to deliver food.

     It is evidence of the range expansion of this species to see these family groups. I can remember thirty or forty years ago when Carolina Wren was such a rarity that one would almost dance a jig upon discovering a single bird. Now it is no less delightful than it has ever been, but certainly no longer a rare event.
     We enjoyed a fine day together and headed home well-contented. We relish our outings with our various birding companions, and always look forward to them, but once in a while a little exploration together is just the ticket!