RING-BILLED GULLS, CRANBERRY MARSH, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY, ONTARIO, 9/8/2024

 

MOURNING DOVES, CRANBERRY MARSH, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY, ONTARIO, 9/8/2024

 

MALE & FEMALE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, CRANBERRY MARSH, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY, ONTARIO, 9/8/2024

 

SANDHILL CRANES, CRANBERRY MARSH, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY,, 9/8/2024

 

COMMON GRACKLES, CRANBERRY MARSH, LYNDE SHORES CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY, ONTARIO, 9/8/2024

 

FLEDGLING COMMON TERN, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 9/2/2024

   This Common Tern has recently fledged and flies short distances. The first six photos show the tern standing on rocks.  One of its adult parent's (could be either male or female parent) came and fed it.  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of this.  In the seventh photo you can see the adult Common Tern flying away (on the right), the fledgling still on the rocks and and two Mallards passing by.  The next three photos show the fledgling in flight.  It only went a short distance.  The last photo shows the fledgling Common Tern back on the rocks.

   Tern fledglings are semi-precocial, which means they are somewhat mobile at hatching, but remain with their parents and are fed by their parents. Terns and gulls are semi-precocial.  The terns are building fat reserves for their long migration to South American tropical coasts, some travelling as far as Peru and Argentina.

 

RED-NECKED GREBES, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, 9/2/2024