Mont-Saint-Bruno, July 2, 2024

Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus

Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus

Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea 

White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullates

Northern Raccoon Procyon lotor

White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus

American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus

Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa

Slaty Skimmer Libellula incesta

Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetle Cicindela sexguttata

A hiker was killed by a falling tree on
this trail last week

-Went out for the annual hike of Mont-Saint-Bruno with the Scottsman yesterday, in sweaty hot weather.

-Plenty of biting bugs out.

-Was surprised to hear the burry songs of two Yellow-throated Vireos around a small lake.

-Other highlights included Pied-billed Grebe, Indigo Bunting, Baltimore Oriole, Veery, Hermit Thrush, and five warbler species (American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler).

-38 bird species in 5 hours.

Mont-Saint-Bruno, August 1, 2023

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
(juvenile, eating a grape)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis

White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus

Northern Pearly-eye Enodia anthedon

Northern Pearly-eye Enodia anthedon

Millipede sp.

Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis

Lovely bit of productive forest edge habitat

Stuff(ed)

Sturgeon moon

  Went for a sunny (weather has cooled and cleared lately after weeks of heat and wild fire haze), lazy bimble around the mountain with the Scottsman yesterday, and encountered 32 bird species. The old orchard forest edge area had the feel of a nursery, with young birds of several species mingling down low under the watchful eyes of numerous adult birds perched in treetops (notably Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak).

  Also notable were a Tufted Titmouse (heard), and at least a dozen Cedar Waxwings moving around restlessly.

  A Northern Pearly-eye landed on Scott’s head at the end of the walk.

  From the Kaufman field guide: Locally common near rocky creeks and clearings in deciduous woods. Pearly-eyes fly fast in the shadows, perch on tree trunks. They visit mud, sap, even carrion, but not flowers.

P.S. Shut up, knees.

Chips (n stuff)

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus

  

  Zugunruhe.

Underbirdy

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus

Mont-Saint-Bruno, May 12, 2021

  Had a quick muck around Mont-Saint-Bruno yesterday with the Scottsman. While the flying bebites and the leaves were in near summer form, it was still relatively underbirdy, with five species of warbler noted among 31 total bird species.

  Continuing with the trend of a screwy late spring, when we visited the same spot almost exactly three years ago, there were 12 species of warbler (and 44 species overall).

  A breeding-plumaged male Pine Warbler showed well. It was a stunner, especially when compared with the 1st year female from the previous post. I can see how, given quick looks, it can be a confusion species with Yellow-throated Vireo.

Warblers 12

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons (peeling away bark in search of insects)

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca (dimmer than the first)

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens

Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria

Solitary Sandpiper feeding

  A fun little leg-smasher on Bruno this morning, in crisp ‘never-ending November’ weather. Plenty of warblers were out and about at eye-level, which went a long way towards healing my warbler-neck.
  As soon as that cleared up, I got vireo-neck. I heard a vireo phrase that sounded similar to Blue-headed, but more ‘burry’ in quality (as described in all four of my field guides). Yellow-throated Vireo! Nice. Nicer still was the second one that joined the first. Breeding pair! I watched them for a while and noticed that they were silent and fairly immobile most of the time, which, when combined with their leaf-hued plumage and penchant for remaining high in the canopy, made for challenging viewing. They’ll be damn near invisible by next week when the leaves are fully sprung. It seemed that the pair only sang and called when a meddlesome Blue-headed Vireo showed up and annoyed them. Hey, that’s a lifer, high-five!
  Merci Jean-Pierre Tousignant.

Mont-Saint-Bruno, May 11, 2018
Great Blue Heron-1
Canada Goose-3
Mallard-2
Turkey Vulture-1
Broad-winged Hawk-1
Peregrine Falcon-1
Killdeer-1 from the road nearby
Solitary Sandpiper-4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-3
Downy Woodpecker-3
Hairy Woodpecker-2
Pileated Woodpecker-2
Least Flycatcher-1
Eastern Phoebe-1
Great Crested Flycatcher-3
Yellow-throated Vireo-2
Blue-headed Vireo-4
Blue Jay-4
American Crow-3
Black-capped Chickadee-9
White-breasted Nuthatch-4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-3
Swainson’s Thrush-1
Veery-1
American Robin-4
European Starling-6
Tennessee Warbler-1
Nashville Warbler-2
Northern Parula-3
Chestnut-sided Warbler-3
Blackburnian Warbler-3
Black-throated Blue Warbler-6+
Black-throated Green Warbler-4
Yellow-rumped Warbler-17
Bay-breasted Warbler-2
Black-and-white Warbler-2
American Redstart-2
Ovenbird-3
Chipping Sparrow-14
Song Sparrow-8
White-throated Sparrow-3
Red-winged Blackbird-2
Common Grackle-1
Brown-headed Cowbird-5
American Goldfinch-30+