Late June at Kukagami

Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 27

Lately we spent a few days at Kukagami lake. Out for a morning hike I found this Gray Jay perched in the top of a Red Pine. Judging by the different lengths of its various tail feathers it is part way through a moulting period.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 27

Overhead this Turkey Vulture was soaring in a thermal of rising air. Around and around it went never once flapping its wings. Several of its wing tip feathers need replacing.

Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 27

Not far away on a dead birch branch was this brightly coloured male Blackburnian Warbler.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 29

Several days later out on a different forest trail I heard the high pitched trill of a group of Cedar Waxwings. This one posed for me in the branches of a Pin Cherry tree. Berries being its favorite food it has some time yet before the green cherries ripen.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 29

Nearby I saw movement in the underbrush and then spotted this juvenile Hermit Thrush watching me. One of several thrushes common in the local forests the Hermit Thrush can be identified by the distinctly redder tail. As it ages this juvenile will lose it's spotted back.

Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 30

Next morning was bright and sunny after overnight thunderstorms and it found me again hiking the local trails. Here a distinctly coloured male Chestnut-sided Warbler is foraging in a Pin Cherry.

Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 30

Not far away I heard several birds calling in the underbrush. Catching a photograph of a male Magnolia Warbler with food in his beak meant that there was young birds needing food not far away.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Kukagami Lake, Ontario - 2015 June 30

And again I found another male with food for his brood., this one being the masked Common Yellowthroat.