Large influx of radishes southern species

[David Moffatt]

Yesterday at Princess Point I observed a minimum of seven Orchard Orioles over a 3.5 hour survey - possibly as many as 10+ if all the sightings were independent. At one point near the entrance I saw a pair interacting, and later over a km away I watched 2 males chasing in Churchill Park while two others were singing on opposite sides of me. Ten minutes later, I watched another three chasing near an Oriole feeder near Bond St. 

Today on the trails around the HCA Headquarters I had Hooded Warblers singing in at least six different places from near the east end of the Headwaters Trail over a distance  of more than 4 km to the west. Each bird was acting territorial at one site from the time I first heard it until I got close to it. Unless one bird was stalking me for three hours, these must have represented at least four singing males and possibly as many as six.

These both represent all time highs for me in Ontario. Is this an isolated overshoot, or is something pushing these birds north? I have noted that the middle Alantic states and the Midwest have endured weeks if chained storms rolling through every second or third day. Are conditions there pushing these more southern birds to move on from their typical range?

Dave Moffatt