The Toronto Blue Jay is one of the more famous birds and baseball teams of this City.
The Toronto Spring Bird Festival is a celebration of birds that takes place annually in May and June to mark the return of millions of migratory birds to our city.
There are number of activities being held in South Etobicoke to welcome back our winged friends.
At this time there are many bird watchers capturing shots of our feathered friends in our lakefront parks and streams.
Colonel Samuel Smith Park will be staging two family-friendly events to welcome the birds at festival grounds at the end of Colonel Samuel Smith Park Road.
The whimbrel bird can be seen on their migratory trip to the Arctic.
Whimbrel Point is also a popular spot in the park, where for three to five days a year, the birds use this area as a resting point on their migration to their breeding grounds in the Arctic.
There will be a celebration on May 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will include seven guided walks. The festival will have live birds and reptile exhibits, workshops, and educational displays for the young ones.
Family walks are also planned for June 14 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Sam Smith with leader . Those interested are asked to meet in the south parking lot at 9 a.m.
Avid birder Julia Zarankin will be leading a bird walk at Col. Samuel Smith Park.
Zarankin is a Toronto lecturer and birder whose first book, Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder, was a Canadian bestseller. She has written dozens of articles on birding.
Some of the best area parks for bird watching are those along the Humber River and Lake Ontario waterfront, and includes King’s Mill Park, Humber Bay Park West, Humber Bay Shores Park, Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Marie Curtis and Tommy Thompson Parks.
Tommy Thompson is home of a noted Bird Research Station and is designated an Important Bird Area with over 300 species recorded to date. Bird cries can be heard along the trails and gulls; finches and night-herons are some of the usual residents.
Bird watchers are treated to some of the wonderful migratory birds returning to our City.
Most of the walks are organized by Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront (CCFEW), which organizes monthly bird walks September through June at Toronto waterfront parks, including the ones at the Bird Festival.
Colonel Sam Smith Park is the primary location for Spring and Fall walks and Humber Bay Park is the usual location for winter walks. The weekend walks are led by experienced birders and are free for anyone who is interested in attending.
For more contact info@ccfew.org