Reserve Faunique Marguerite-D’Youville, May 28, 2019

One of the few trails *not* closed due to flooding...

Dan gets his bird

Purple Martin Progne subis

Purple Martin Progne subis

Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Dan's first Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea 

Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula (banded)

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula 

House Wren Troglodytes aedon (banded)

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Common Loon Gavia immer

White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus

  Same spring, different birds. Dan gasped when he realized he had yet to see a Bay-breasted Warbler, so we set out in the rain to the loveliest of spots, Reserve Faunique Marguerite-D’Youville. Three-quarters of the trails were closed due to flooding, but it was still very birdy on the trail to the Grande Digue. In steady rain and finger-numbing single-digit temperatures, we managed to spot 62 species in three hours. RIP Dan's shoes.
  Within the first 20 minutes, Dan called out “Babe-rested Warbler,” rather calmly, I thought. It was! A cracking male showed well, and Dan drank it in. Bay-breasteds are my fave wood-warbler – it looks as though some kid smeared the smushed berry colour onto a colouring book bird with their thumb (bay = baie?). And none of that unoriginal yellow. What am I banging on about? I’ll blame it on jetlag.
  Other highlights included some friendly Downy Woodpeckers, clumsy lil deerlings, five Black and two Common Terns, six species of hirundines, and thirteen warbler species – with standouts being single examples of less common species like Mourning Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, and Canada Warbler. A Common Loon on the way out was a nice way to end the trip/begin the search for poutine.
  Hmm, I've still got a bunch of stuff from the Yellow Sea islands to post. Jetlag, jetlag, jetlag, mumble mumble.