Halls Road is one of the more interesting birding sites in the Eastern GTA. It is a short road that intersects with Victoria Rd. just east of Lake Ridge Road. It is not the most scenic drive; basically, the road bisects a couple of fields, before ending just before Lake Ontario. However, it provides the opportunity to see a diverse number of species, yet is also accessible and most importantly for me, kid-friendly. Kid-friendly in the sense of relatively short trails and the opportunities to get close encounters with some of the wildlife. In essence makes for a perfect one-two hour excursion with the little ones in tow.
This guide provides some information so that you can get the most out of your time when visiting Halls Road. However, it is by no means the definitive guide. If anyone wants to add information, please feel free as it will give other readers, including myself even more information. Likewise, the birds listed are birds that I have seen or birds that were reported through local birding web-sites. Please feel free to add any other notable sightings. Thank You.
The Drive
The fields and open area along the road provide many birding opportunities. Geese and ducks use these fields heavily during spring and fall migration. Most of these are CANADA GEESE or MALLARDS but every so often you may find a CACKLING GOOSE, SNOW GOOSE or NORTHERN PINTAIL. Raptors can be seen soaring around these fields any time of year. NORTHERN HARRIERS are the most common bird of prey, usually year-round residents of the area. RED-TAILED HAWKS are common during migration in fall and spring. SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, COOPER'S HAWKS and AMERICAN KESTREL are also good bets during migration but this area is a raptor migration hotspot ( more on that to come...). ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK ( in winter ), BROAD-WINGED HAWK, PEREGRINE FALCON, MERLIN, NORTHERN SHRIKE ( in winter ) and SHORT-EARED OWL ( in fall, although good luck because I haven't had much with this one ). SANDHILL CRANES stop over in these fields, although they are not very common. HORNED LARKS ( common in winter ), SNOW BUNTINGS ( not so much ) and sparrows ( many types although SONG, FIELD and wintering AMERICAN TREE ) are often seen feeding along the roadside.
My best sightings
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER - A bird that was flying between the large trees at the beginning of the road
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - Wonderful views of two birds that were hanging around a few years ago
The North Viewing Platform
For Birders:A small parking area provides the beginning of the first trail off of Halls Road. This trail leads mix of habitat, ranging from grassy to shrubby to forest before ending at the viewing platform. The platform looks out onto the open, north end of Cranberry Marsh.
The trail and parking area provide potential owl sightings. BARRED OWL is consistently most winters. Other species depend on irruption cycles but during good owl years GREAT GRAY OWL, LONG-EARED OWLS and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS are possible during the winter.
This part of the marsh is fairly open, especially in spring when the cattails have not grown to their full height. A scope is highly recommended as this area of the marsh is quite expansive. Waders like AMERICAN BITTERN ( best seen in spring although it breeds here ), GREAT BLUE HERON and GREAT EGRET are possible. This area is also great for ducks in the spring time ( In fall, the vegetation obscures some of the best sightlines ). NORTHERN SHOVELLER, RING-NECKED DUCK, both SCAUP species, GADWALL, RUDDY DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN COOT, TRUMPETER SWAN, HORNED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE and PIED-BILLED GREBE are good possibilities.
Best Sightings
EURASIAN WIGEON- a single individual a few years ago
The sight of 10 + GREAT EGRETS and 30+ GREAT BLUE HERONS wading around the marsh during fall migration in 2008
The South Viewing Platform
When winter moves in, most of the birding action revolves around the feeders at the South Viewing Platform. You are bound to see many of the usual feeder birds and many of them are quite tame. In addition WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, COMMON REDPOLLS, EVENING GROSBEAKS, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, PINE SISKIN, over-wintering RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS ( look for them Dec.-Jan. ) are possibilities depending on which species are irrupting. Look among the evergreens along the trail for owls, especially NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL or LONG-EARED OWL.
In the spring GRAY CATBIRD, NORTHERN FLICKER, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, BROWN CREEPER, YELLOW WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, MOURNING WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and RED-EYED VIREO are possibilities. The reality is any migrant could show up here, including some unlikely species.
Best Sighting
Patience paying off with my life Virginia Rail in 2009.
Watching thousands of Blue Jays migrate along the lake shore on a particularly ideal late September day in 2010.
The Lake
So following the trail to the left leads to viewing platform and marsh; what about following the trail to the right ?
That leads you to the shore of Lake Ontario. At first, the trail will be surrounded by scrub ( mostly dogwoods ) interspersed with apple and evergreen trees. Sparrows, juncos and chickadees are the most common bird. After 25 m, the dogwoods give way to a small grove of trees that can be ideal habitat for warblers, nuthatches, vireos, flycatchers and other forest species. Another 25 m and you reach the shore of Lake Ontario.
With a scope, you can start to pick out other species including COMMON LOON, RED-NECKED and HORNED GREBES, LONG-TAILED DUCKS ( winter ), both species of SCAUP ( in winter ) and some of the less common gulls like GREATER BLACK-BACKED GULL, BONAPARTE'S and LITTLE GULLS ( although the odds of seeing these species is far higher farther east on the Lake Ontario shoreline at Second Marsh ). There have been reports of rarer species, like phalaropes in the past and honestly, anything could potentially show up in the offshore flocks. A scope is recommended !
A short walk along the beach to the east will bring you to the southern end of Cranberry Marsh. This view provides one with a slightly different angle and may reveal a few species not visible from the viewing platform ( especially once the cat-tails have grown in ).
Look in the willows along the shoreline too. During spring and fall, you may catch a flock of migrants foraging.
Best Sightings
A flock of thousands of Common and Red-Breasted Mergansers on an otherwise dreary November day was one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.
Canada Geese can also congregate in winter flocks that stretch for kilometers and number in the thousands along the shoreline.
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