Saturday 26 March 2011

Leslie Street Spit

I arrived at the Spit this morning as the sun was rising and left as it was setting.



It was a non-stop walking day for me with few highlights to keep the adrenaline going but I enjoyed the time outdoors. I'm not sure my legs are very thankful though.

All in all I saw 40 species which is lower than what I expected but I did see 22 species of waterfowl which is a good count.

Canvasback

King Eiders

I had my hopes high for an Eared Grebe which was seen last weekend. I double, triple and quadruple checked every Horned Grebe I came across but none of them were convincing enough. It seems that distinguishing the two species is difficult when they're in their winter plumage but I'm sure once I see one it will be quite obvious and there won't be any second guessing it!

Horned Grebe 1


Horned Grebe 2

Photographed within the same week, yet they look so different! They can be confusing when they're in different stages of their plumages and in different postures. That's what makes it fun.







Where are your ears!


I wasn't expecting to see a Shrike today. It was a nice Spring surprise.