It's time to panic. Sure lots of birds pass through the city during the fall on their way to parts south. But many species start this migration as early as mid-August. At this point the whole process is well underway.
If you do get lucky you might catch some Red-breasted Mergansers like the one above, yet another No Way That's In Toronto bird. These guys are easy to confuse with the very-similar Common Merganser. The biggest tip-off that you're looking at a Red-breasted version is the red eyes.
In almost the exact same pose, here's another Red-breasted Merganser side-by-side with a female for easy comparison.
The main takeaway from this should be that if you're going to birdwatch this fall don't delay. All these fairweather Canadians will be past and gone before you know it.
