AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, THORNHILL, ON

   This is a new species to our Lifetime List which now stands at 135 species.

   We identified this bird as an American Goldfinch by the following field markings:

• Yellow front with black wings (you can just makeout the edges of the wings)
• Black forehead
• Orange bill, legs & feet

CASPIAN TERNS, FEMALE MALLARD & RING-BILLED GULL AT SIR CASIMIR GZOWSKI PARK, TORONTO, ON

   Two Caspian Terns on top, a female Mallard on lower left and a Ring-billed Gull on lower right.

CEDAR WAXWING AT MILL POND PARK, RICHMOND HILL, ON

   This is a good view for identifying the Cedar Waxwing:

• Generally brown color
• Black mask
• Bright red tips on the secondaries
• White inner edges of the tertials
• Yellow band at tip of tail ( a variant has a red tip)

PURPLE MARTIN PEERING OUT OF ITS BIRDHOUSE AT LAKE SIMCOE, ISLAND GROVE, ON

   This is a new species to our Lifetime List, which now stands at 134.

COMMON MERGANSER AT LAKE SIMCOE, ISLAND GROVE, ON

        This is a new species for our Lifetime List which now stands at 133.

BANDED CANADA GOOSE AT HUMBER BAY WEST PARK, TORONTO, ON

   In this group of Canana Geese one of the birds left of center is banded.  The second photo is a closeup of the band.  I have reported this to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. 

NORTHERN CARDINAL AT SIR CASIMIR GZOWSKI PARK, TORONTO, ON

   This cardinal was much larger than other cardinals we have seen.