BREEDING MALE HOODED MERGANSER, TOMMY THOMPSON PARK,TORONTO,ON, 10/21/2018

BREEDING MALE AMERICAN WIGEON, TOMMY THOMPSON PARK,TORONTO,ON, 10/21/2018

HERMIT THRUSH, TOMMY THOMPSON PARK,TORONTO,ON, 10/21/2018

MALE PINE SISKIN, TOMMY THOMPSON PARK, TORONTO, ON, 10/21/2018

          We can ID this bird as a male Pine Siskin as follows:

• Brown upperparts with heavy streaking
• Two wingbars with the lower one yellow (the female has two white wingbars)
• Relatively long, slender and pointed bill (particularly compared to other finches)
• Deeply notched tail
• Yellow on tail
• Where we can see the lowerparts it is paler than the upperparts, but is also heavily streaked.
  
  The breeding range of the Pine Siskin spreads across most of Canada, Alaska and to a more variable degree, across the western mountains and northern parts of the U.S.  Migration by the Pine Siskin is very variable, probably related to food supply.  In some years large numbers move South and hardly any in other years.  Because of this they are considered "irruptive winter finches".
  
  The Pine Siskin is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 800.
  
  
  
  

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETOBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/19/2018

JUVENILE NORTHERN CARDINAL MOLTING TO ADULT, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETOBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/19/2018

   This juvenile Northern Cardinal is starting to MOLTING into an adult:

• The dark bill of the juvenile shows signs of the red of the adult
• The face is starting to get black.

NONBREEDING RED-NECKED GREBE, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK,ETOBICOKE,TORONTO,ON, 10/19/2018