On a wintry weather’s day, a Pileated Woodpecker chops away at a fallen log. Its target market is composed 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 probability to seek out one thing fit for human consumption within the leavings. My husband commented that we’d simply watched small, medium, and big. Observations like which can be what I come upon in my long-time native patch.
I’ve birded in Earl Bales Park in Toronto for fifty years and counting. As you benefit from the quiet great thing about the park, it’s onerous to imagine that you’re in the course of a town with a inhabitants of 3 million folks. As a youngster, I had a chum who lived close by, and we’d consult with it frequently. It changed into my native patch once we moved into the realm. I frequently birded there for 33 years, sooner than we moved to our rental in 2017. I nonetheless make time to consult with it frequently as it’s only two miles from the place we now reside. While you chicken someplace that lengthy, you will have many reminiscences to appear again upon.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Within the Seventies, I be mindful when there have been Ring-necked Pheasants within the fields. My good friend, who I nonetheless chicken with, cherished that I’d flush them, and they’d burst from the grass in entrance people. When town constructed storm-water ponds there, they cleared a box that used to be filled with Honeysuckle trees. That box hosted many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds within the earlier summers. I nonetheless see the ones hummers within the park, however no longer in such numbers.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
After all, an area patch provides lifers and distinctive sightings. I noticed my first Olive-sided Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting (pictured at best 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 looking mosquitos. All through migration, Pied-billed Grebe, Hooded Merganser, and teals display up on the pond.
As soon as, I watched a male Pink-tailed Hawk escort a sub-adult Bald Eagle out of the park and its territory. I adopted them because the hawk stored humming the eagle, shifting it alongside. After all, 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
While you love someplace that a lot, you need to percentage it. For the previous few years, I’ve co-led birdwatching walks there for our native chicken membership. We search for spring migrants and resident birds. I am getting numerous freshmen and they’re delighted to look lifestyles birds. A well-liked chicken is the Indigo Bunting, which all the time places on a display, providing excellent seems and its candy music. This previous spring, my co-guide and I had been ready to turn them 43 species, together with a male Scarlet Tanager and a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which were given loads 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 all the time find it irresistible when birds make the morning extra dramatic.
Feminine Mallard with ducklings
My love affair with Earl Bales Park doesn’t glance find it irresistible’s going to finish anytime quickly. There may be the remainder of the yr to revel in, with the Christmas Chicken Depend coming in December.
Word: All footage are from Pexels.com, an internet supply of copyright-free footage.