September Yard Birding

Just a short posting for tonight. Yesterday (Saturday) it rained for the first half of the day. I wanted to get out and enjoy some nature but it was simply a washout! So I sat on my back porch and just enjoyed a coffee with binoculars in hand. To my amazement, a large redish bird perched in some shrubs in my backyard --- Brown Thrasher! Then, perhaps 20 mins later - Swainson's Thrush! Three warbler species were present - Palm Warbler, Nashville and Tennessee! Song Sparrows were singing - oddly-- then a new yard bird --- a first year Scarlet Tanager! A little later - two Eastern Pewees.  I'm amazed that even on a crappy, rainy day --- that the birding is that good in my back yard.

This morning - similar birds. I had less time to be outside - but another Scarlet Tanager showed up - to my amazement!

This afternoon, I went to Pelee to followup on a recent butterfly posting to the Ontario Butterflies Google Group. One report stated lots of southern butterflies are present around Pelee - including Little Sulfur, Grey Hairstreak, and lots of Fiery Skippers. I only walked west beach to sparrow field - but I did see two Grey Hairstreaks and a single fiery skipper among other more common butterflies. A field near the PPNP Admin building had many more fiery skippers to look at. Some posed nicely on New England Aster.

Good birding, butterfly watching and nature lovin'
Dwayne