migration madness (sunday part 2) #145-146

(back on the ridge)

female rose-breasted grosbeak

I'm sure I've seen (and definitely heard) warbling vireos at Mud Lake before, but my shots were always from below with funny white balance and I was never really quite sure (since the Tennessee Warbler and the Philadelphia Vireo look kind of similar). I didn't hear this one sing, but I'm pretty positive I got one!
#145: Warbling Vireo; Mud Lake, Ottawa; May 15, 2011

I love the description of the warbling vireo's song: I'll seize you and I'll squeeze you!

Hey ladies! Click for full-effect.

Another blue-headed vireo! Isn't it funny when you get a lifer and then you start seeing them everywhere?? OK, maybe not everywhere, but at least a few times...



Another black-throated green warbler



Redstart posed for me...I know I posted one just the other day, but I had to...

Just along the edge of the water I found this beauty, among a bunch of yellow-rumped warblers. Actually I saw two of them that day....lucky me!

#146: Bay-breasted warbler; Mud Lake, Ottawa; May 15, 2011.

This flicker sits on these lights and drums them. It's metal and it's really loud...I don't know if he's just trying to communicate or if he's actually trying to drill a hole! Poor guy, this makes me kind of sad. Because birds should be on trees, not metal lamps.

Once I got home, I was sitting in the living room and noticed some movement in the window. I had hung the hummingbird feeder up a few weeks ago, but moved it on Saturday after the fiasco with the squirrel (he drank all the sugar water and pushed it onto the ground once it was empty). But I'm not home all the often to see the action out there, so this was the first (actually second, but maybe the same one) hummingbird I've seen this year!

The great thing is I got this feeder late in the year last year and I couldn't understand why the birds didn't have the bright red throat. So I guess it's a breeding thing and I was so excited to see his bright red throat. Actually I was so happy that a hummingbird was in my yard again that I actually emitting noises of pure joy! (hummers always do this me). A finch had landed on the pole and this guy arrived shortly after. His look clearly said, "excuse me, but your feeder is over there!" Since then he's been visiting often. I look forward to watching them this summer!

All in all, Sunday was a great day. I missed the Cape Mays and the blue-grey gnatcatcher that everyone was talking about. Gotta leave something for next time, right :)

So the cool thing about this year's migration is that I'm starting to get to the point where I "just know," or at least have a good guess of, what a bird is without having to pull out the book anymore. Lord knows I've flipped through my bird guide enough times to know almost every bird in it and where it is in the book! Granted, I do check once in a while, but I've come a long way from only being able to confidently identify a robin, cardinal, great blue heron and the other "typical" birds. Last year, I had to look up every warbler I saw, and had to compare every last aspect...now it seems so much more obvious. And sparrows are getting so much easier too. So you know, yay for getting better at things.

Things (I) have for sure changed a lot over the last year. If you told me two years ago that I would spend entire weekends, consistently (several hours at time) chasing down birds, I'm sure I wouldn't have believed you. It's funny how a short hike on a winter day turned into a full-blown addiction...well, I suppose I could be addicted to worse things! Spending so much time outside, surrounded by nature...I really don't think it gets better than that. So the only question is, where to next weekend?



Also, I just wanted to let you guys how how much I appreciate your stopping in and reading and maybe even leaving a comment or two. Your comments always make me smile, and it's nice to know when you're writing  that a person or two is going to actually see it. I'm already drafting entries in my head when I'm out in the field...so I'm thinking of you!

backyard birdfest....with hummers! (88-89)

This weekend would have been great for birding, but I was busy fulfilling briesmaid duties. So I was very lucky that I got to telework from home today to see what I was missing!

As soon as the weather warmed up this year, I thought I'd give my hummingbird feeder another go. I'd never had any luck before with it, and this spring was no different. I reluctantly took it back to the garage, until a few weeks ago, I saw a hummingbird zip by the window. I got it back out of the garage and filled it, and still no luck. One day last week, I saw another h-bird in the yard, and it was insistent on getting to the finch feeder, even though the hummingbird feeder was just on the other side of the yard waiting for it! The flowers were faded on it though and I think it liked the bright yellow of the finch feeder ports. At one point it even put its bill into one of the ports...what a disaster! I felt terrible. Matt ran out to the store to get a new feeder that we thought would be more attractive. I was gone for the weekend, and I guess that gave them plenty of time to find it, because today there were hummers chasing each other around just outside the yard, and hummers were visiting steadily throughout the day! Super exciting! Ruby-throats are the only hummingbirds in these parts. None of them actually had a ruby throat. (All females I guess? Where are the males?)


#88: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird; my backyard in Kanata; September 7, 2010


Find the hummer!
Check out those iridescent wings!

Birds were seriously buzzing around all over the place in that little park behind my place. Here's another one!
#89: Black-Throated Green Warbler; Cattail Creek Park; September 7, 2010

Finally, we put the sunflower feeder out again to attract some new stuff. I know we see Blue Jays every day, but seriously....how beautiful are these birds?

There were some firsts in the yard today. Matt saw a Northern Parula and American Redstarts from the window. I hope they'll stick around so I can see them too!