Birds of Wychwood Park | Wychwood Park

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Birds of Wychwood Park

With its large pond, ravines, variety of trees, shrubs and flora, Wychwood Park is a wonderful place to see many species of birds not seen in many other locations around Toronto, as the following gallery of photos attests. They are provided compliments of Gis Segler.

Birds Gallery

The Red-tailed Hawk is the most widespread and familiar large hawk in the park. The species likes to perch on exposed tree limbs, fence-posts or utility poles overlooking clearings and the road. From these high perches they can easily swoop down to capture prey with their talons. Like most raptors, Red-tailed Hawks were impacted by the widespread use of DDT that contaminated the food chain. The chemical caused the birds' egg shells to weaken to the point that they cracked and did not survive incubation. The ban of DDT in 1972, along with conservation measures, have helped many raptor populations to recover. Every Spring, we bear witness to that recovery here in the park where a pair of hawks choose to nest and raise their young.

Blackburnian Warbler

Eastern Screech Owl

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European Starling

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Baltimore Oriole

Grey catbird

White-throated sparrow

Chestnut-sided warbler

Turkey vulures

Wood Duck

Warbler

Flocks of curious Black-capped Chickadees can be seen year-round throughout Wychwood Park. Pairs form in the fall and remain together as part of a winter flock. During the winter, they enliven the park with their active behavior and cheery-sounding call notes as they flit from tree to tree. Chickadees readily come to bird feeders for seeds or suet and often store their food. You may see them take one sunflower seed at a time, fly away and hide it in a bark crevice. Flocks break up in late winter but the pairs will remain together to nest, raise their young and defend their territory.

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