Bluebirds, Buntings, Butterflies and Breeders

Even though I was sick this weekend,  I made an attempt to go for a short walk on Sunday and I don't even know if its worth posting with so many awesome birds around. White-faced Ibis have shown up at Point Mouillee (which is closer to Windsor than Point Pelee is) and Willow Ptarmigan was found in Oshawa. Jean Iron's site has some great photos: http://www.jeaniron.ca/2011/willowptarmigan.htm. Luc Fazio's took video and shared on youtube: Willow Ptarmigan Youtube Video. I guess my photos of juvenile Robins pale in comparison :^).

Even though very common, a recently fledged Robin is still a beautiful Thrush to observe

I walked Black Oak Heritage Park Sunday and saw some great birds and butterflies. My favorite area of this park is a little grassy meadow surrounded on the North and South by Carolinean Forests. Some of my best birding experiences have been in this valley-meadow. The google map below makes an attempt to show the location of this grassy area behind the Dainty Rice company. This area is also crawling with butterflies, in particular, Pipevine Swallowtails.


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Possibly the most interesting bird I saw this weekend was a breeding Chestnut sided Warbler! I had no idea they breed this far south but according to the Ojibway birding checklist, they are marked as breeders.  This photo shows a Chestnut sided Warbler trying to impale a (spider nest?) on a short branch.

Below are the Buntings and Bluebirds sorry for the repetition, but it's summer... I still get excited seeing Eastern Bluebirds. There are no Bluebird Houses that you can hang out around to take photos... I'm thinking the Bluebirds at Ojibway are generally using natural cavaties in the trees...

In this meadow behind Black Oak Heritage Park I saw:
Indigo Buntings
Eastern Bluebirds
Chestnut Sided Warbler (Wow... I was shocked to see this in June!)
Warbling Vireo (Close to the ground perched on a branch)
Red eyed Vireo (heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Blue Heron (flyover)
Red tailed Hawk
American Goldfinch
House Wren
Song Sparrow

Butterflies:
Spicebush Swallowtail (many) -8
Red Spotted Purple -1
American Painted Lady-1
Giant Swallotail-2

3-4 Spicebush Swallowtails on the same flower... cool!

Good Birding,
Dwaynejava

PS: I learned something about swallowtails today. A Black Swallowtail has two rows of yellow (see below) on the upperside of the wing, and a Spicebush Swallowtail has only one row of yellow (see above). A pipevine swallowtail has no rows of yellow! I need to invest in a small butterfly guide.

Peregrine Falcons at the Bridge V2

 

 Today's paper had an article about two new baby falcons that have hatched at the bridge in Windsor (Lady Gaga and Spitfire). I couldn't help but stop by tonight while going for a riverside walk with the family.  I'm thinking CPF stands for Canadian Peregrine Foundation?

 Could the photo below be a Peregrine Falcon with a baby Owl? I wish the falcons would eat some of the abundant Starlings around... but who am I to tell these raptors what to eat? Any guesses on what he/she has?

Good birding!
Dwaynejava

 More photos from Wednesday...

 

 The sexual dimorphism of raptors usually has the female as the larger of the two. That hints that the one on the right side is the male. This is on the steeple of Assumption Church next to the bridge. The fledgling above is probably 'Lady Gaga' as the sibling seemed to be smaller and weaker in behind her.

 

Melospiza Melodia

 

I was planting tomatoes in my back yard this week and I heard baby birds chirping from a thicket in the back corner of my yard. As I approached, a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) popped out! Its been an interesting Spring/Early summer. I have not seen a single Hummingbird in my backyard, but I have a Song Sparrow singing its heart out every half hour or so. I think the Latin name for the sparrow is pretty cool as well... Melospiza melodia. Melospiza is a native Sparrow category and Melodia hints at melody ... Song Sparrow! If you do not know the sound of a Song Sparrows song, you owe it to yourself to listen to it from the allaboutbirds.org site.  I can see a certain pleasure in knowing the latin names of bird species but that would be a slow go. Props to Stuart (Citta Canadianis) for the keeping those scientific names on the forefront!

I've been walking Ojibway Park alot lately. Nothing really new or out of the ordinary to talk about. I still really enjoy just walking and seeing an Eastern Bluebird or Indigo Bunting. I seem to see them and hear them easily now.

 I would love to get a breathtaking photo of an eastern bluebird, but I can't seem to get much closer than 30m to this bird. To get better shots, I will either have to get really lucky or consider using a blind. These photos here are hand-held at 500mm, and heavily cropped. Any other suggestions?

I photographed what I think is a recently fledged Eastern Bluebird. Its colours are not so bright, and it has spots on its belly. 

Good birding!
Dwaynejava

Some birds seen today include House Wren (feeding its babies), Eastern wood Pewee, and a Pied billed Grebe.

I'm not the world's biggest hockey fan, but I have to support Vancouver on their quest for the cup.

Black Crowned Night Herons at Ojibway

Well, if you are reading this posting, you probably have read that a Yellow Crowned Night Heron was spotted at Malden Park on Wednesday this week. And as usual, I went on a Fool's Errand and went to look for it this morning and later after work. I did not see it of course. I almost don't beleive it was at Malden. I mean really... Four species of Herons at that park??? Blue, Green, Black Crowned and Yellow Crowned?

***Update - Josh V has posted a wonderful photo of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron ... Incredible. . It makes sense that this southern bird may be moving northward. I read an article today  stating that Texas is experiencing a severe drought and its expected to get worse as the summer goes on. This may stress some species to move north or their regular summer geographic regions. *** 

My quest led me to get nice views of a Black Crowned at the Ojibway Park Pond. Great Crested Flycatcher, Green Herons and Belted Kingfisher were easily seen. Indigo Buntings are very present as well. Singing their hearts out and easily seen in the Ojibway Grassland Prairie.

I think the Kingfisher above bit off more than he can chew! I wonder if this Kingfisher cares that Goldfish are not native species. Probably not. Protein is protein. ...

Good birding!
Dwaynejava