A construction worker on the job at a pond in Humber Bay Shores Park
I went to High Park this morning with visiting relatives and saw one casually swimming past on the pond with a stick in its mouth. Maybe they're a little more common and less nocturnal than I had thought.
Those are indeed Mute Swans. (orange bill is the giveaway)
However, 'successful' is a matter of perspective, as they are considered 'invasive' and are taking over habitat at the expense of native swans.
Information on Environment and Climate Change Canada's bird conservation programs
www.canada.ca
One was on the edge of the pond, not overly concerned with all the people walking on the nearby path.
Relating to other invasive/introduced birds, and the
barn swallow structures mentioned in the Ontario Place thread, unsurprisingly there were only House Sparrows on the birdhouse in High Park, not the intended Purple Martins.
Other than maybe constantly removing the sparrow nests, I'm not sure what could be done to keep them away. Apparently it's somewhat common in the U.S. for people to
trap and "
dispatch" (

) them, though I've not heard of that being encouraged in Canada, and I don't know if it would even be legal here.
Also important to note that not all sparrows are House Sparrows. Just on the way out of the park I saw some of these smaller and different-looking ones, I think
Chipping Sparrows.