VICEROY BUTTERFLY, ROSETTA McCLAIN GARDENS, SCARBOROUGH, ON

   The Viceroy Butterfly and Monarch Butterfly are very similar in appearance.  The Viceroy has an irregular black line crossing the postmedian area of the hindwing; the Monarch does not have this line.

CASPIAN TERN, SIR CASIMIR GZOWSKI PARK, TORONTO, ON

   Just love the the expression on this tern.

RED-NECKED GREBE WITH CHICKS ON BACK, HUMBER BAY PARK EAST, TORONTO, ON

   In the first photo you can see two chicks on the mother's back with the third chick following right behind.  Chicks riding on their mother's back is common in Red-necked Grebes and other Grebes.  The chicks do this to rest and to be safer from predators, such as turtles, fish, etc.

   In the second photo, the third chick has joined the other two on the back.  Also the male looks like it is just about to catch a fish.  In the third and fourth photos you can just make out that the male has caught a fish.



GREAT EGRET, HUMBER BAY PARK EAST, TORONTO, ON

BANDED CANADA GOOSE, HUMBER BAY PARK EAST, TORONTO, ON

   This Canadian Goose was sighted at Humber Bay Park East (in parking lot and later elsewhere) has a band on its left leg and an auxiliary marker around its neck.  Will report it to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory.

JUVENILE AMERICAN ROBIN, HUMBER BAY PARK EAST, TORONTO, ON

JUVENILE RING-BILLED GULL, PALMER PARK, PORT PERRY, ON

   The immature Ring-billed Gull and immature Herring Gull look very similar.  We were able to I.D. this as a Ring-billed Gull as follows:

• The gull was by itself, but very close to a flock of Ring-billed Gulls.  There were no adult Herring Gulls nearby as far as we could see.
• The bill looks more like a Ring-billed Gull's bill;  it is not as bulky as a Herring Gull's bill.