Up North

Cerulean blue...cerulean blue...

Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus

Joey didn't believe me that this was a...

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis getting after the sumac

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

  Spent a day getting Joey buckets of lifers, mostly warblers. Lucky feller, I miss getting loads of lifers. The Boisé Ste-Dorothée woods were just lovely – birdy (62 species), quiet (as in no other humans), and remarkably unbuggy for this time of year. I imagine the place will be a mogie hellhole in another week. That was the case when Dan and I went there a couple of Junes ago to dip on some nutty warbler, when we got chomped up big-time. Unless of course it's a horrific sign that the bugs are almost all gone and we're all screwed.
  The bird action didn’t let up when we got to Joey’s backyard – we were still ticking off lifers from the back porch! It was badass to watch Blackburnian Warblers (among others) while sipping mojitos at dusk. A short walk to the nearby ‘Woodcock Fields’ after sundown did not produce any namesake peent calls, but we did spot a couple of Common Nighthawks feeding over the field, which was super-cool to see. We used to have those over NDG. Used to.
  Haven’t been taking so many pictures lately, as my camera is a steaming piece of feces, and it’s hunchback-heavy.

Boisé Ste-Dorothée, Laval, May 20, 2018
Great Egret-1
Green Heron-1
Canada Goose-5
Wood Duck-1
Mallard-2
Red-shouldered Hawk-1
Broad-winged Hawk-(1 from the road nearby)
Bald Eagle-1 high overhead
Ring-billed Gull-4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird-1
Belted Kingfisher-1
Downy Woodpecker-3
Hairy Woodpecker-2
Northern Flicker-3
Pileated Woodpecker-1
Least Flycatcher-6+
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher-2 tureeing their way around the north end of the main swamp, watched well
Eastern Phoebe-1
Great Crested Flycatcher-5
Eastern Kingbird-4
Warbling Vireo-2
Red-eyed Vireo-6
Blue Jay-4
American Crow-5
Common Raven-1
Black-capped Chickadee-7
Brown Creeper-1
White-breasted Nuthatch-4
House Wren-1 or 2
Swainson’s Thrush-8
Veery-3
Grey-cheeked Thrush-1
Hermit Thrush-3
American Robin-5
Gray Catbird-6
Cedar Waxwing-4
European Starling-2
Tennessee Warbler-4
Yellow Warbler-12+
Chestnut-sided Warbler-1
Magnolia Warbler-6
Blackburnian Warbler-1
Black-throated Blue Warbler-1
Black-throated Green Warbler-3
Yellow-rumped Warbler-4
Bay-breasted Warbler-4
American Redstart-3
Common Yellowthroat-3
Ovenbird-4
Wilson's Warbler-1
Northern Cardinal-3
Song Sparrow-12+
Lincoln’s Sparrow-1
Swamp Sparrow-1
White-throated Sparrow-2
Baltimore Oriole-6+
Red-winged Blackbird-10+
Common Grackle-12+
Brown-headed Cowbird-6
House Sparrow-2
American Goldfinch-6+
House Finch-2 in the suburban helltopia near the trailhead