PEKIN DUCKS, LAKE WILCOX PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

   These two white ducks are probably escaped domestic ducks.  They are also called Long Island Ducks and American Pekin Ducks, in addition to Pekin Ducks.  Pekin Duck are primarily used for egg and meat production, but also as pets.  They were bred in China from Mallards.  They were first brought to North America in 1873 to Long Island, NY.

   These two Pekin Ducks were hanging around with a group of Mallards.  In the third photo you can see the Pekin Ducks in the center and a male Mallard on the left.  On the far right are two Ring-billed Gulls who happened to be passing by.

JUVENILE HOUSE SPARROW, RICHMOND GREEN PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

DAYLILLIES, RICHMOND GREEN PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

WATER LILLIES, RICHMOND GREEN PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

BARN SWALLOW, RICHMOND GREEN PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

   This swallow is easy to ID as a Barn Swalloe by its long, forked tail.

EASTERN PHOEBE, DUFFERIN ISLANDS NATURAL AREA, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

   We can ID this bird as an Eastern Phoebe as follows:

• Gray-brown upperparts and white below, with dusky smudge on side of breasts.
• Head area is darker than surrouding area.
• Notched tail.
• Bill is all black.
• Very faint wing bars.
• No eye-ring.

MALE HOUSE SPARROW, FRUITLAND ROAD, STONEY CREEK, HAMILTON, ON

MALE HOUSE SPARROW, FRUITLAND ROAD, STONEY CREEK, HAMILTON, ON

MALE HOUSE FINCH, FRUITLAND ROAD, STONEY CREEK, HAMILTON, ON

   These photos were taken at the Lake Ontario end of Fruitland Road.  We can ID this bird as a male House Finch as follows:

• Red head, face and breast with some of the red extending down the back.
• Stubby bill with curved culmen.
• Red rump.
• Shallow notched tail.
• Streaky belly and flanks.

HERRING GULL AND RING-BILLED GULL, VAN WAGNER'S BEACH, HAMILTON, ON

   The two gulls on the left are Ring-billed Gulls and the larger gull on the right is a juvenile Herring Gull.  You can see that the Herring Gull is quite a bit larger than the Ring-billed Gull.  The Herring Gull has pink legs.

TERNS, CORMORANTS & GULLS, WINDERMERE BASIN, HAMILTON, ON

   In Windermere Basin we photographed a mixed colony of Common Terns and Caspian Terns, interspersed with Double-crested Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls.  The terns with black or dark legs are Caspian Terns, while the terns with orange legs are Common Terns.  You can see Ring-billed Gulls in the second and third photos and Double-crested Cormorants in all the photos, except the third and fourth.

   Also interspersed among the adult terns are chicks.  Most of these are probably Caspian Tern chicks, although we are not sure of this.

COMMON TERN IN FLIGHT, WINDERMERE BASIN, HAMILTON, ON

   We can ID this tern as a breeding Common Tern by its orange-red legs, full black cap and forehead and red bill with black tip.  Also the primaries have dark tips.

CASPIAN TERN EATING A FISH, WINDERMERE BASIN HAMILTON, ON

   We can ID this tern as a Caspian Tern in breeding plumage mainly by its dark legs (Common Tern and Forster's Tern  would have reddish-orange legs) and its full black cap and forehead.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT OF WINDERMERE BASIN, HAMILTON, ON

TREE SWALLOWS, WINDERMERE BASIN, HAMILTON, ON

MUTE SWAN, NEAR SOUTH ISLAN, LAKE ONTARIO, HAMILTON, ON

GULLS & CORMORANTS, SOUTH ISLAND, LAKE ONTARIO, HAMILTON, ON

   We