More spring arrivals

Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens) - Tiny Marsh, Tiny Township, Ontario - 2014 May 23

Travelling south in late May a stop at Tiny Marsh found a few migrating warblers. During migration warblers spend most of their days feeding and it is often difficult to catch them sitting still long enough for a photograph. Watching a Black-throated Green Warbler feeding in some shrubs many of my photographs caught the bird flying out of the frame, or else a nice shot of branches with no bird. Finally I got one with the warbler sitting still.

Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata) - Tiny Marsh, Tiny Township, Ontario - 2014 May 23

Another warbler feeding in the shrubs was this Blackpoll Warbler. Again the bird was so busy feeding that this was the best of several photographs. The male Blackpoll has very distinctive identifying features of, black cap, white cheeks and yellow legs.

Mourning Warbler (Oporornis philadelphia) - Marden, Ontario - 2014 May 26

Several days later on a hike along an abandonned railway near Marden, I heard this Mourning Warbler singing from high in a maple tree.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) - Marden, Ontario - 2014 May 26

Not far away this male Rose-breasted Grosbeak chirped from a branch. His chirping from a low branch and extreme interest in me, led me to believe there was a nest nearby. Normally when I come across a male of this species he is singing from higher in a tree with a view over his territory.

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - Marden, Ontario - 2014 May 26

Further along the trail this male Baltimore Oriole showed off his bright orange and black plumage.

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) - Tiny Marsh, Tiny Township, Ontario - 2014 May 28

My end of the work week stop at Tiny Marsh was a dull cloudy afternoon. This drab Eastern Phoebe matched the weather conditions.

Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) - Brady Park, Garson, Ontario - 2014 May 30

A few days later I was out for a hike at Brady Park in Garson. This male Hairy Woodpecker was foraging in a rotting birch tree. The red patch on his head identifies this bird as a male, and the size of his beak separates him from the similar Downy Woodpecker.

Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) - Marden, Ontario - 2014 June 3

A week later I was back out on the trail near Marden. A pair of flycatchers caught my eye. Identification of these birds is sometimes near impossible as there are several almost identical looking flycatchers in the "Empidonax" family. The defining characteristic of this Willow Flycatcher was its song and its habitat of low shrubs alongside a wet meadow.

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - Marden, Ontario - 2014 June 3

Once again a Baltimore Oriole posed for me. Indeed it may have been the same bird as last week. The big change was more leaves to hide behind as spring progresses toward summer.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) - Pilkington Township, Ontario - 2014 June 4

Later in the week I hiked in the fields at the back of my parents farm. On a wire fence this Tree Swallow sat watching me as I approached its nest box, only flying away at the last moment.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) - Pilkington Township, Ontario - 2014 June 4

Further back along my hike I heard this Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing. More often I try to get a photograph of the bright rosy breast, but this shot shows his black and white back plumage and large beak.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2014 June 9

Finally in the second week of June, I took some time to hike the forest trails at Kukagami Lake. The forest insects; mosquitos, black flies, deer flies and horse flies were all out looking for some large mammal to feast on. They were bearable if you did not stand still for any length of time. Birds were plentiful but active and hiding in the trees. Here a Cedar Waxwing posed for a quick photograph in the shade of a shrub.

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2014 June 9

Back at the cottage we regularly heard the cawing of an adult American Crow as it approached a nest in a White Pine. Here is a distant shot of one of the young crows at the edge of the nest. One identifying mark of a juvenile crow is the blue eyes which can be seen here. The eyes turn dark brown as the bird ages.