Baywatch

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
(female)

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, May 19, 2024

  It’s not spring without waking up early at least once to go birding, right? Heh, unless I’m on a Korean island, I’m really not a morning person, even for the birds. Anyway, I woke up bright and early today with plans to go to the Falaise that runs along the southern edge of NDG, but my knee was in a mood, so I hit up my patch again. Truth be told, this was maybe the second time I’ve visited in the early morning, as it tends to be my lazy afternoon ritual. But heck, the folks who espouse the whole ‘early bird gets the something something’ saying may be onto something – there was a decidedly fresh mix of birds in, and the action quieted down the closer to noon it got. Birding early in the morning works, who knew? 🤣

  Six warbler species were encountered (Tennessee, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Bay-breasted, and Wilson’s), but they were fairly widely dispersed. Tennessee were the most vocal and numerous (low double digits), with low single digit numbers of the others. Wilson’s Warbler was a personal first for the site, making it my 14th warbler there – still some work to do! Kind of surprised (insulted?) that I’ve never bumped into an Ovenbird at this spot…

  My bird encounter of the day was an extended look at a lovely Bay-breasted Warbler. It fed and sang at a leisurely pace, often at eye level, in a big oak. This is my all-time favourite wood-warbler, perhaps for its rebellious ‘no yellow’ colour palette. I also get a kick out of the finger-paint smudges of berry (‘baie’ in French) along the flanks. It’s like someone ordered a Chestnut-sided Warbler from Wish, heh heh.

  Two Warbling Vireos were still singing in the same spot as yesterday, a situation that gave off nesting vibes. This was confirmed when I spotted one of them carrying nesting materials. Cool! Another pair was spotted at the opposite corner of the site, also acting territorial.

  Yesterday there were two Red-eyed Vireos…today they were all over, with perhaps 6-10 heard, singing from every wooded area. Will REVIs nest at this site too?

  New in were Scarlet Tanagers, with a male singing in the early morning. A silent female was later seen nearby, and a male was seen bathing in a puddle later on in a different area.

  As I was getting ready to leave, I could have sworn I saw another birder in the distance, or at least someone in the birding pose. I didn’t go over right away because I was puzzling over a warbler call. By the time I slowly birded my way over to the general area, they were gone. Perhaps it was all a dream, spun from sleep deprivation and a heat mirage.

  What else? I saw a Groundhog pup, and it was the size of a Guinea Pig. Badass.

  I logged 29 species in 3-ish hours. Time for a nap.