Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
Today was a welcome break for field work on an idyllic May spring day. With sunshine and perfect temperatures plus a light wind it was as wonderful for all of our migrant birds as us. I was watching the radar last night and noted a strong migration occurring with birds leaving and entering the region. I also knew that the weekend was going to end up showery and cloudy, and I decided to swap my Friday and Saturday work plans. This Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) was a very cooperative fella, allowing me to upgrade my photos of the species from earlier this week. I actually did not have...
Read MoreAmerican Redstart
Here are a couple more shots from the Noble Proctor BioBlitz Challenge featuring an adult male American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). This and many other Redstarts were foraging and singing nonstop on the beautiful spring morning. The species is utterly saturating our region right now with birds that can be seen or heard nearly anywhere you can find trees. I am still seeing mostly males, and I think we have a sizable number of birds yet to come over the next week or two. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBobolink
The Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) are back! This bird of the grasslands is returning to those habitats and fields or farms across the region. This is a good time to find males like this one perched on tall grass or hedgerows, fluttering and calling out with their bubbly, rich song. You may find migrant flocks with a bunch of them all quite conspicuous – at least for now, before nesting season begins. This individual perched on a white pine along with a few others while overlooking a grassland. There is no better reason than hosting some families of Bobolinks to let your grassland,...
Read MoreBlue-winged Warbler Portrait
Here’s another one of RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser’s portraits – the Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera). He says it is one of the birds that really got him into ornithology, and that their relationship with the Golden-winged Warbler and systematic life cycles with this species in habitats fascinated him at an early age.
Read MoreYellow Warbler
They may be all over, but it is hard for me to resist targeting my camera to a Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) in May. This guy was another one of the beautiful sights during last weekend’s Noble Proctor BioBlitz Challenge. It seems as if more are still migrating through, actually – this spring started early but ended up late. After all the warmth in the beginning of the season poor migratory conditions in late April and early May pushed a lot of birds back to “traditional” sort of arrival dates…or even later! It certainly feels like we have a lot of birds...
Read More
