Day 2 of Summer Target Birding - Success!

In search of Piping Plover at Ashbridge's Bay

After seeing eBird reports of the Piping Plover in the evening yesterday at Ashbridge's I decided to try my luck for the plover in the evening. It took me an hour and forty minutes by TTC to get to Ashbridge's (note to self, never take the Queen bus at rush hour), so I got there at 6:25pm. As soon as I got to the beach I scanned the gulls looking for anything unusual. As usual Ashbridge's was quite busy, always "nice" to be birding with music being blasted in the background.

After about a minute of searching a dark ring-billed sized gull flew in. In a matter of seconds I got my camera out of my backpack and took half a dozen photos, before I even had a positive ID of the gull. After getting a closer look at the photos, I was sure, I had the LAUGHING GULL! I could see that it was a different bird from the bird that Owen Strickland had found a couple of days before. I had found a rarity! This was the first time that I had found a rare bird by myself!

Laughing Gull

Better view of the Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull showing its' wings

 After I had taken some identifiable shots of the LAGU I walked over to where a photographer had told me the Piping Plover was. In a matter of seconds I spotted the PIPING PLOVER running around on the beach. Can you see it in the picture?

Piping Plover

 How about this one?

Piping Plover

 Lifer #2 of the day!

After photographing the plover I went back to where the gull was to get some better photos.

Laughing Gull laughing!

Here's a shot of the LAGU yawning

Laughing Gull

Bonaparte's Gull from yesterday for comparison.

Bonaparte's Gull

I don't really know much about bird behaviour, I've assumed that this is them yawning, if anyone knows what this behaviour actually is please comment.

Laughing Gull

This had been an incredible evening at Ashbridge's Bay. My best half hour of birding this year.

Lifers!

Laughing Gull

Piping Plover

Year list: 207

Ontario life list: 234