 |
 |
 |
 |
 
Friday 28th of April 2023 and I leave my room around 8 thirty and I take the remaining of my breakfast cheese with me to have as picnic lunch together with a MAX. Three nights at Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn and I will drive down to Toronto to check in at Best Western Plus Travel Hotel Toronto Airport. I will stop in Whitby to explore the Lynde Shores Conservation Area. I get the luggage to my car and I take off leaving Peterborough behind. I have had 2 nice days here even though I was delayed in Corpus Christi and I did not arrive until 3 o'clock in the morning. It was a beautiful morning and it was soon 12°C and sunshine. Well, one day you are sitting with alligators in shorts and the next day you are plunging through snow and ice. And then, it is spring time again. So, winter clothing is required.  First time I see the speed limit 100 km/h in Canada
 First time I see the speed limit 100 km/h in Canada
I am soon on the south bound highway towards Whitby and I was very surprised to discover that the speed limit was set to 100 km/h, the first time I see this in Canada. I am hauling arse and I enjoy the ride south drinking refreshments with good music blasting high. I find Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby and I park the car and I start m eBird app at 09:49 and the first bird I see is a male Northern Cardinal. The bird is singing with a very low volume and I could hardly hear the bird while I was taking the pictures. When I discover that the bird is singing, maybe a sub song I turned on my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder.   Northern Cardinal
Listen to the Northern Cardinal
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
 Entering the trail
I continued out on the trail and I was surprised to discover that this was a very short trail. I passed a lot of birds on the way towards the beach. There were of course, Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. There are Song Sparrows and a new bird that I don't know what it was. I learned that it was a White-throated Sparrow a little bit later on from a bird watching couple.  White-throated Sparrow
I reach the end of the trail and I get out on the beach and it was a very strong and cold wind. The spring weather from the morning was long gone and it was gloom and grey for long as I could see. There was many Canada Geese and Ring-billed Gulls on the beach. And I had had about 200 Cormorants flying over the area since I got out of the car. And they have all been flying towards west. So, something is going on out there.  I reach the beach
 I reach the beach
 It is very windy at the beach
 Walking along the beach
Male Mallard
  Ring-billed Gull
 I walk 50 meters or so along the beach before I turn around and I walk back to the trees. It is blowing darn cold and I need the lee from the trees. Back on the trail and I see a couple of beautiful Brown-headed Cowbirds and I try to take pictures. There are also a lot of red-winged Blackbirds and quite a few females and I can see that they are pinkish on the throat. There is also a couple of Black-capped Chickadees chasing each other in the bushes. Spring is in the air and it is soon time for eggs. What I difference from up north where I hardly spotted any birds and here are many birds.  Brown-headed Cowbird
 Brown-headed Cowbird
 Brown-headed Cowbird
 Brown-headed Cowbird
 Black-capped Chickadee
 Female Red-winged Blackbird
 Female Red-winged Blackbird
 Female Red-winged Blackbird
 White-throated Sparrow
Male birds are more beautiful than the female, most of the time. But the red male Northern Cardinal, well, it is handsome, but the female is much more beautiful. And I have seen mostly males so I was happy to get to spend some time with two females today. And it looked like they were flirting, nothing serious, but it looked like one of the females and one of the males I spotted were feeding each other’s. Anyway. I managed to get a few pictures of the beautiful female and I was happy.  Female Northern Cardinal
 Female Northern Cardinal
 Female Northern Cardinal
 Northern Cardinal
 Female Northern Cardinal
 Female Northern Cardinal
 Song Sparrow
 Mourning Dove
I sit down on a bench and a bird watching couple come by and we had a chat and I got a lot of birding tips. They also helped me to ID the beautiful White-throated Sparrow. They told me about a place 2 hours away, Rondeau Provincial Park and they told me that it is a very famous place and next week there are many people gong there as the spring immigration will bring many warblers. So, I might go there next week when I am in Niagara Falls if I have time. I was happy with the visit and I decided to go to the next hotspot.
 Today's track at Whitby--Cranberry Marsh
I walk back to the parking and I cross the street. I stop the eBird app and I restart the app but now I have changed to the Whitby--Bobolink Trail It was darn cold walking around the Bobolink Trail and when I was home planning the trip, I was imagining myself walking around in shorts in beautiful end of April weather. And to walk around the Bobolink Trail was no pleasure. And there were not any birds to be seen. I got a recording of a Northern Flicker singing loudly but as soon as I had my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder ready to bird moved further away and I could only hear the bird very low.  Bobolink Trail
 Bobolink Trail
 Bobolink Trail
 Song Sparrow
Listen to the Northern Flicker
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
 Today's track at Whitby--Bobolink Trail
Back at the parking and I was in a real hurry to get in to the car to get the heating up and running. The road going from the main road down to the beach is also an eBird hotspot: Whitby--Hall's Road and I will run up and down the Hall's Road sitting in my car before leaving. Starting from the main road and there are Grackles and Blackbirds along the road. Of course, Canade Geese in the field next to the road. Coming down close to the dead end and I spot a female Brown-headed Cowbird in the hedge. And 2 to 3 meters down the road I see a male Brown-headed Cowbird.  Female Brown-headed Cowbird
Listen to the Brown-headed Cowbird
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
The bird is making very low noises and as it is early spring, I suspect that it is a sub song, but I don't know. I have one Black-capped Chickadee next to the car and I record the bird that is also very low so the Northern Cardinal 4 meters away is heard over the Black-capped Chickadee. But the Black-capped Chickadee is just next to the car. When the Chickadee took off, I moved forward to get a recording of the Northern Cardinal as well. Listen to the Black-capped Chickadee
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Listen to the Northern Cardinal
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
 Today's track at Whitby--Hall's Road
I left the Lynde Shores Conservation Area to drive to the Thickson's Woods a few kilometres north. A place that was recommended by the birding couple I met. So, I drove north to have a walk in the Thickson's Woods. They had told me that there is a great Horned Owl nest in the woods. I park the car and I get pictures of a beautiful Common Grackle. I continue towards the Thickson's Woods and I follow the path around the woods but there is no sign of any owls. I see one American Robin and two Black-capped Chickadee.  Common Grackle
 Common Grackle
I discovered that I had lost one glove so I was only wearing one glove and my right hand was freezing cold. But I was lucky and I found my right-hand glove walking back to the car. Most of the bird I spotted was on the way to and from the car. There were plenty Brown-headed Cowbirds and American Robins foraging on the lawns in front of the houses along the road.  Today's track at Whitby--Thickson's Woods
 Today's track at Whitby--Thickson's Woods
 Today's track at Whitby--Thickson's Woods
Gloom and grey for long as I could see and I decided to call it a day. I looked for a Supermarket and I drove there to buy groceries before going to check-in to Best Western Plus Travel Hotel Toronto Airport. It started to rain and I was happy that I was not in the middle of some trail walking around. So, I was happy that I had decided to go to the hotel. I checked in and I discovered that they had a restaurant at the hotel and I went to check it out.  I cannot remember the last time I was at a restaurant
It was a very nice dinner, not a carb for long as I could see and I felt good returning to my room where I spent the rest of the evening. I will go looking for birds at some of the parks in Toronto tomorrow so I hope for good weather. Click HERE to find out what I find.
    
  You are visitor no.
To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
|
Species lifer: First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer: First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer: First time that someone audio records a species in their life
Naturalized: Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional: Either: 1) member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2) rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.
Escapee: Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||