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Ross Harris led our January walk at Humber Bay Park West, starting and finishing at Amos Waites Park. It was a mild day following several days of snow and cold temperatures. The bay that had been ice-free earlier in the week now had an extensive ice cover, and the ground was blanketed in fresh snow.
Some ice is helpful for birding. The ice provides an attractive roosting place for gulls, and the ice edge attracts waterfowl. Sure enough, there was a flock of gulls on the ice, although we weren’t able to pick out any of the less common Iceland or Glaucous Gulls. In the water close to the edge of the ice, we found a nice variety of ducks, both divers and dabblers. Among them were both Greater and Lesser Scaup, all three merganser species and three Horned Grebes.
There was a noticeable lack of land birds, even some of the very common species like House Sparrows and Starlings.
By the end of the walk we had tallied 23 species and one hybrid. After the walk, many of us headed to Birds & Beans Café to warm up.
Here is the full list of birds seen on he walk:
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