Nettle knees

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes

Old Orchard

Apple Blossoms

Lovely bit of scrubby forest edge

Stinging Nettles

'Quiet Place' in NDG, May 18, 2024

-Hot and sunny (but pleasantly so), with some interesting birds spotted in shady wooded areas in my local patch

-24 species in 2 hours

-I wore my thin Korean hiking pants, which let the breeze blow through when the weather heats up…apparently the material lets nettles blow through too…my knees still tickle…

-A Tennessee Warbler was singing without cease, but remained invisible against the greenery

-The Hermit Thrushes have finally arrived, right where I expected them to be (in the deep dark woods)

-An Eastern Phoebe still in the area where it looked like a pair was attempting to nest

-A small group of Cedar Waxwings moving through the treetops

-Two each of singing Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos (both new for the patch list)

-Also new for the patch list (#61) was a Great Blue Heron floating northwest

-A restless Black Swallowtail, along with plentiful Red Admirals and Cabbage Whites, were out and about

-Trees are fully leafed out, birds are getting hard to spot 

Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus

White-striped Black Moth Trichodezia albovittata

Triliums

Westmount Summit, May 17, 2024

-Insanely quiet at the Westmount Summit, on a lazy evening go-around with Dan

-Two singing American Redstarts and a pair of noisy Merlins near the lookout, and not much else

-Eleven species in an hour

Bits and bobs

('Falconer,' © Seoul History Museum, Seoul History Archive)

Reading from Dark Flock, masked up like it's 2021
© Steven Gao

  While recently editing another two volumes of ‘Sleep Encyclopedia’ for Bettersleep, I came across the ‘Korea’ entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica from 1911. Plenty of eyebrow-raising and dated facts/points-of-view, to be sure! I’ll only post the entry for fauna here, which may be of interest to fans of Korean wildlife. Tigers and Leopards in Seoul!

“Fauna.—The tiger takes the first place among wild animals. He is of great size, his skin is magnificent, and he is so widely distributed as to be a peril to man and beast. Tiger-hunting is a profession with special privileges. Leopards are numerous, and have even been shot within the walls of Seoul. There are deer (at least five species), boars, bears, antelopes, beavers, otters, badgers, tiger-cats, marten, an inferior sable, striped squirrels, &c.

Among birds there are black eagles, peregrines (largely used in hawking), and, specially protected by law, turkey bustards, three varieties of pheasants, swans, geese, common and spectacled teal, mallards, mandarin ducks, white and pink ibis, cranes, storks, egrets, herons, curlews, pigeons, doves, nightjars, common and blue magpies, rooks, crows, orioles, halcyon and blue kingfishers, jays, nut-hatches, redstarts, snipe, grey shrikes, hawks, kites, &c. But, pending further observations, it is not possible to say which of the smaller birds actually breed in Korea and which only make it a halting-place in their annual migrations.”

—

  In other news, endless thanks if you supported Dark Flock, my wacky collection of ‘Twilight Zone Birding’ short stories during its crowd-funding/pre-order stage. If you haven’t already received your copy, fear not, it will arrive in the next week or so! I’ve been informed by the publisher that there has been a ‘production bottleneck’ that sees the books being delivered to them in small batches, and they're being sent out as soon as they get them. Glad I don't have to worry about all that, heh. Last week’s launch/reading went well, in spite of me catching a well-timed cold. Thanks for those that came out on that night to listen to me ramble! PS, bonus points if you can identify the bird in the flip-book bit...

—

  In ‘first-of-year’ news, I heard Chestnut-flanked and Black-throated Green Warblers singing in NDG Park yesterday (May 15). Today (May 16), I heard FOY Tennessee Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, and even what was surely a Philadelphia Vireo there.

Warbler 1

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

Tip-toe through the something somethings

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, May 12, 2024

  Quiet Place lived up to its secret code name today. Super quiet on the bird front – I was expecting a thin strain of warblers and/or further mid-May migrants. Not complaining, it's always nice to get out of the house. I ended up with 20 species in 90 minutes, with nothing in abundance except for Chipping Sparrows and European Starlings. Three new patch species were listed (Chimney Swift, Blue Jay, House Finch), bringing the running total to 58.

  Still a pair of Eastern Phoebes staking out a suitable under-eave nesting spot, but no nest was seen. A pair was doing the same thing in this spot last year, but they never seemed to nest. I noticed an American Crow observing the pair closely today, maybe that’s the issue. "Too many crows, never enough phoebes" could be a new proverb or something. I'd say that in a sombre voice and people would nod and grunt in approval, then stare into their drinks, a single tear burning down their cheeks.

  The blank warbler sheet was avoided at the very last minute, with a lone Magnolia Warbler spotted 20 feet before I left. The flank streaking on this bird was quite a bit finer than I’m used to.

  Oh, I had my first NDG Chimney Swifts on May 6th this year.

Warblers 7

Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Northern Parula Setophaga americana

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus

Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Veery Catharus fuscescens

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Current Mood

-37 species in three hours in the Cem, on World Migratory Bird Day

-Plenty of first-of-year birds, and nice bright warblers, but you had to work for them (Nashville, Black-and-white, Magnolia, Cape May, Canada, Yellow-rumped, and Northern Parula)

-Two Canada Warblers (early?) and two Magnolia Warblers in the M2 crypt area, along with single Cape May and Black-and-white Warblers, a Blue-headed Vireo, and a House Wren

-A handful of vocal Great Crested Flycatchers noted throughout

-A Tree Swallow on Mountain View

-A squadron of Pine Siskins at the feeders, and a Veery beyond the stream

-I reckon Rose-breasted Grosbeaks could alternately be called ‘Cut-throat Finches’

-I have a sunburn

-The end

Wet Warblers

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis

Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
('Yellow-shafted')

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis with
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris

No one here but us waterlogged trees

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, May 5, 2024

  The migratory cork finally popped this past week, with everyone posting fat, warbler-laden lists of late. There has been no shortage of early May rarities for Québec too, fun times.

  So, in spite of heavy rain and winds throughout the day, it felt like an opportune moment to check in on my NDG patch. Despite very challenging conditions (my feet are pruned, and everything is wet wet wet), there was some satisfying migratory shrapnel in evidence in the wet and gloomy woods today. I logged 23 species in two hours.

  Always nice to see warblers, even soggy ones! I spotted several first-of-year birds, and two personal firsts for the site (Blue-headed Vireo and American Redstart). Also encountered was a solid 50 count of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (‘Fool’s Warblers’), and one Golden-crowned. Only one Eastern Phoebe was noted. White-throated Sparrows were well-dispersed but shy. One wonders what today’s list would have looked like without all that rain.

  I also had my first visual sighting of an Eastern Bluebird for the site (one was heard on October 23, 2022). It perched on the side of a tree for a bit, before being chased off by an agitated White-breasted Nuthatch. Was it staking out nest holes and came into conflict with another species of cavity nester? I’ll keep an eye on it.

  Incidentally, my back-of-napkin list for the patch is at 55 species, with 12 warblers among them.

  Water is good for cameras, right?

  Oh, I randomly spotted several Warbling Vireos flitting through trees in a decidedly urban setting yesterday.

  Exactly one year ago today I was birding in similar sodden conditions in Jeju City, at the foot-foaming kick-off to my wacky ‘spring 2023 Korean birding fugue.’ I refuse to believe that an entire calendar year has passed since then. It…just happened. Sadly, I feel twice as old and half as nimble as I did last May 5th (my stupid neck has seen better days), boo-hoo.