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The Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park Important Bird Area,
about 10 square kilometeres in area, is centred on an artificially
constructed peninsula extending into Lake Ontario at the foot of
Leslie Street on the City of Toronto waterfront. It also includes
the surrounding waters.The IBA is in the heart of the watrefront
of Canada's largest city. The IBA is globally significant under
the congregatory species category due to large colonies of several
species, including principally Ring-billed Gull, Black-crowned
Night-Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Common Tern, Caspian Tern,
and Herring Gull.
Many people refer to the Leslie Street Spit as an "urban wilderness".
On the leeward side of the spit, woodlands of cottonwood, aspen, and
willow grow in the sandy soils of the peninsulas. Other habitats
were improverd by combining natural succession with habitat creation,
enhancement, and restoration. The Toronto and Region Conservation
Authority owns 260 ha of land and water in the IBA core area - Tommy
Thompson Park. Major owners of other lands within the buffer of the
IBA include the Toronto Port Authority and the City of Toronto.
In addition to these landowners, other organizations that have a
stake in the IBA include the Friends of the Spit, Canadian Wildlife
Service, Environment Canada, Toronto Ornithological Club, Toronto
Field Naturalists, and Aquatic Park Sailing Club.
Major threats within the IBA includes competition for Common and
Caspian Terns from Ring-billed Gulls, competition for Black-crowned
Night-Herons from Double-crested Comorants, human disturbace,
the future development of the port lands including the base of
Leslie Street Spit, industrial pollution, and changes in vegetation
from natural succession.
The vision and goals for the IBA area:
Vision
Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park Important Bird Area will
be conserved and managed as a public "urban wilderness" to protect
its significance for colonial, migratory and resident birds, and
other wildlife, and as a place where nature can be monitored, studied
and enjoyed.
Goals
- conserve and manage the IBA as a public "urban widerness"
- protect significance of the the Leslie Street Spit for colonial and other resident and migrating birds and other woldlife
- encourage monitoring and research in the IBA
- promote and develop educational and outreach programs and capacity in and for the IBA
Introduction
We wove our way down the Don Valley expressway towards downtown Toronto and
Lake Ontario. My colleagues from San Jose, Quito, and Havana had not set
foot outside the airport conference centre and were doubtful about seeing
the “urban wilderness” I had promised. They were unanimously adamant about
walking, not driving – such is the effect of listening to dozens of papers
and talks over two intense days, with only six hours to satisfy the need for
nature. I had considered the Bruce Trail, but they wanted to see birds, and
where better when in Toronto than the Leslie Street Spit? Those who didn’t
have a plane to catch boarded the 4:00 am bus to Pelee. We had to settle
for “Toronto’s Pelee.”
The parking lot was empty, as expected at 6:00 a.m. Sunday. The air had that
late May feel to it, vibrant with promise and verdant life. We passed through
the gate and began the long trek towards the peninsulas. The wind had shifted
to the south during the night, and birds were literally dropping out of the
sky into the Cottonwoods. In the distance a raucous cloud of gulls betrayed
the relative calm of the early-morning city. As we approached, long lines of
cormorants flew low over the water towards the rising sun. The background
din was broken by guttural calls of Common Terns. They gracefully winged
their way along the shoreline, heads cocked downward, vigilant for schools
of small fish. How they managed amongst the thousands of Ring-billed Gulls
swirling over the peninsulas was mind-boggling, though we remarked that
despite their diminutive size, they were formidable opponents. After about
an hour we stopped walking.
Short repeating whistles beckoned our regards skyward. Wind birds – a dozen
Whimbrel–glided into one of the bays. The traffic and city noises had
mutated into bird song. Here it was the birds’ world. By 7:30 a.m. we had
made it to the newly constructed blind overlooking peninsula C. Beyond the
birds, beyond the blind, was the city, the morning sun reflecting brilliantly
off towering skyscrapers. Marguerite had spotted two Scarlet Tanagers,
visitors to Canada from their homeland in Latin America, she told me.
A Night-Heron picked at the remains of something just beyond the blind.
“Tienes razon, mi amigo," she said, “this is ‘urban wilderness.’”
¹
Leslie Street Spit is a remarkable story. A trip to the spit during mid to
late May, or almost any time of the year for that matter, allows you to live
that story. This Conservation Plan is intended to explore the story, reveal
the main characters, expose the plots, and, we hope, set course for a happy
ending.
The Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park IBA, about 10 square kilometres
in area, is an artificially constructed peninsula extending into Lake
Ontario at the foot of Leslie Street on the City of Toronto waterfront.
The IBA is globally significant under the congregatory species category
due to large colonies of several species, including principally Ring-billed
Gull, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Common Tern,
Caspian Tern, and Herring Gull.
This conservation plan was initiated jointly through discussions between
Edward Cheskey (FON) and Scott Jarvie of the Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority, which led to a January 2000 meeting of several
interested parties. Many meetings later this informal steering committee
had laid the groundwork for this conservation plan. Plans are works in
progress, open to revision and rethinking. Yet we are hopeful that this
plan will serve in demonstrating the significance of the Leslie Street
Spit for breeding and migrant birds. We are optimistic that the arguments,
goals, and objectives of this plan will serve the community and the birds
well.
The Vision statement for the Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park IBA is
as follows:
Leslie Street Spit/Tommy Thompson Park Important Bird Area will be conserved
and managed as a public “urban wilderness” to protect its significance for
colonial, migratory and resident birds, and other wildlife, and as a place
where nature can be monitored, studied and enjoyed.
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