May 12 of 2026 I decided to explore Lakeside Park in Mississauga to be certain I wasn’t missing the surge of spring warblers. They spend such a short time in my neighbourhood it would be easy to lose the annual chance to see them. It’s been an unusual spring and I spent my time in the park feeling cold even wearing nylon wind pants over my warm trousers, a hoody, a fleece winter coat topped by a waterproof jacket, a toque and mittens! The birds I found had their own way of coping: they were moving quickly chasing insects to keep their energy intake high.
Yellow-rumped Warblers can eat fruit as well as insects so they are often one of the first warblers to arrive in spring and one of the last to leave in the autumn. This male was picking midges off the bark of the shrubs and sometimes catching one in mid-air.
I Spotted a Spotted at Lakeside !
While tripping on the pobble rocks (the red ones are actually lake-smoothed chunks of thick pottery drainage pipes abandoned from a nearby factory) I startled a shorebird into flight. It landed just up the way and I was able to see it was a Spotted Sandpiper. They nest in Mississauga though some of them are moving through on their way to other favourite spots.
Even the Ducks Were Cold at Lakeside This May
It’s unusual for me to see Mergansers on shore.
I wonder if this one was out of the water because it felt as cold as I did? This is a Red-breasted Merganser, one of several just off Lakeside Park.
A Few Warblers Warmed Me Up
This Yellow Warbler practically glowed.
This Black and White Warbler was nabbing midges from every nook and cranny.
At least a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers were in the shrubs along the shore.
I also saw two Palm Warblers hunting along the edge of the beaver pond, and a nice male Blackburnian for one glorious second in a mature maple tree. A Nashville Warbler was in the dogwoods but I failed to get a photo of any of these. Gradually, I have been seeing each of the usual spring warblers but so far there hasn’t been a day where I saw 12 or more types on one ramble. Migration is not over yet, though, so we shall see….
Baltimore Orioles Belt Out a Challenge
This male Baltimore Oriole was flying between four of the tallest trees in one area of the park, singing a challenge to all new arrivals. A member of my family took a photo this week at the Rattray Marsh of a female Baltimore Oriole spinning her hanging nest. There may be a similar dangling home going up in one of the huge willows at Lakeside.
Singing a Spring Song
The Song Sparrows have been singing for weeks and I’m sure there are nests now. The Northern Cardinals interrupt their songs to ferry insects by the beakful to their nestlings, as do the American Robins. The Common Grackles don’t even bother signing. They just try to find enough insects to feed their hungry offspring. So cold or not, the birds are at work. Luckliy I was able to see some of them!
Related Reading
- Cold Day, Warm Warblers at Winston Woods