LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, HUMBER RIVER, LAMBTON PARK, TORONTO, ON

   This morning Sharon and I went on a Toronto Ornithological Club field trip to James Gardens/Lambton Woods in Toronto.  Nineteen birders attended and we saw or heard the call of 44 species of birds.  This is a great hotspot for migrating birds.

   We sighted a couple of Dowitchers on a sand bar in the Humber River.  It is very difficult to differentiate between a Long-billed Dowitcher and a Short-billed Dowitcher.  The consensus of the experts and long-term birders was that these birds were Long-billed Dowitchers.  In doing research on the differences between the Dowitchers one field mark which seems to confirm this is the "humpback" appearance of the probing Dowitcher in the third photo.  Long-billed Dowitchers have this appearance when probing for food, while Short-billed Dowitchers have a flatter appearance.

   The Longbilled Dowitcher is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 155.

RING-BILLED GULLS & FOAM IN NIAGARA RIVER, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

    The two gulls are both Ring-billed Gulls in the Niagara River just below the falls. 

    The foam at the lower right of the photo consists of clay, diatoms and other forms of algae.  It is naturally occuring and is not toxic.  The clay comes from the mist (water) as it evapoates while going over the falls.  Eventually, as it moves downstream it remixes with the water and disappears.  It also appears in the area of the Whirlpool, further downstream.

ADULT HERRING GULL, VAN WAGNER'S BEACH, HAMILTON, ON

'ELECTRON', HYBRID TEA ROSE, ROSE GARDEN, NIAGARA BOTANICAL GARDENS, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

'VALENCIA', HYBRID TEA ROSE, ROSE GARDEN, NIAGARA BOTANICAL GARDENS, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

PRETTY LADY, FLORIBUNDA ROSE, ROSE GARDEN, NIAGARA BOTANICAL GARDENS, NIAGARA FALLS, ON

DOUBLE DELIGHT, HYBRID TEA ROSE, ROSE GARDEN, NIAGARA BOTANICAL GARDENS, NIAGARA FALLS, ON