A Confusion of Fall Warblers II

Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla

Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina (a different look compared to Saturday's bird)

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus

Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus

adult Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura (adult with juvenile)

juvenile Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes

...and Empidonax flycatchers – which always confuse me. Got in a satisfying, if punishing, five-hour birding session at the cemeteries, which were sodden after yesterday's steady Harvey rains. I quickly fell victim to one of the biggest threats at the cemetery - a hidden groundhog hole. My foot plunged into the exquisitely camouflaged, grassed-over deathtrap - I saw lightning as my teeth clattered together, and sparks shot through my lower spine. I grunted, went to one knee, then found that I didn't know what planet I was on for a moment, my forehead covered in an instant slick of cold sweat.
  After that hilarious adventure, I came on a wake of perched Turkey Vultures, and for a minute I thought I was looking at a Black Vulture - turns out juvies look a bit like Black Vultures, so that was fun.
  More confusing warblers on display, with species like Cape May and Bay-breasted (AKA Blackpollpine-breasted Warbler), among others, showing both a maddening variety, and a similarity to other blah-plumaged fall warblers. Hopefully I'll remember some of the fall lessons I learned today the hard way - "Ohmigod...is that a Prairie Wa...oh shit, just a Cape May..." 

  There were loads of Magnolia Warblers out, including two separate groups of 4-5 interacting with Black-capped Chickadees in conifers, a novel sight.

  A Red Fox cut a haggard figure as it limped along a path, looking like it had seen better days. I wonder how many foxes the cemeteries hold/can support. I hope this one finds a way to make it through winter.
  I found a couple more interesting, and probably underbirded, spots in the NDN Cemetery, with plenty of visible migration going on. It was an enjoyable way to end the long day, watching my winged friends head south, one tree at a time.

Mount-Royal Cemetery + (Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery), September 4, 2017
Turkey Vulture-7
Cooper’s Hawk-(1)
Merlin-1
Peregrine Falcon-(2 at U de M)
Ring-billed Gull-(1)
Downy Woodpecker-2
Hairy Woodpecker-(1)
Northern Flicker-3
Least Flycatcher-(2)
Empid sp.-1 yellowy ball of confusion
Eastern Phoebe-1 (1)
Red-eyed Vireo-1 heard
American Crow-3
Common Raven-(2)
Black-capped Chickadee-8 (3)
White-breasted Nuthatch-2
Red-breasted Nuthatch-(1)
Eastern Bluebird-5
American Robin-4
Grey Catbird-1 heard
Cedar Waxwing-45ish, with juveniles
Tennessee Warbler-2 (1)

Nashville Warbler-1

Yellow Warbler-1
Chestnut-sided Warbler-1
Magnolia Warbler-7 (10)
Cape May Warbler-1 (1)
Black-throated Blue Warbler-1 in the Jewish cemetery
Black-throated Green Warbler-1 (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler-1
Blackpoll Warbler-(1)
Bay-breasted Warbler-2 (3)
Black-and-white Warbler-1 with a small warbler wave in the Jewish cemetery
American Redstart-1 male
Wilson’s Warbler-2 (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-1
Northern Cardinal-4
Chipping Sparrow-40+ (20+)
Song Sparrow-4 (2)
White-throated Sparrow-1 probably heard
American Goldfinch-8 (3)

A Confusion of Fall Warblers

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina (note the faint yellowy ear)

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina (1st winter female)

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina (note the green rump and wash - it was only apparent in the sun)

Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

  Bumped into fellow birder Frédéric Langlois near the cemetery, and we spent an enjoyable couple of hours picking through confusing fall warblers. Most confusing to us was a drab grey warbler, showing a streaked underside, but not many other field marks. When it danced through spots of sunshine, its olive rump, wing, and tail highlights revealed themselves, as did the hint of a yellowish ear – Cape May Warbler! Neither of us had seen this relatively uncommon migrant in this plumage (1st winter female), and I jokingly dubbed it “Paruline Tigrée Obscure” – a French birder joke. Personally, it’s always exhilarating to deal with a bird that makes you scratch your head and leaf nervously through the field guide. 
  I noticed that the migrating birds bunched up at different hotspots in the cemetery when compared with spring migrants. Makes sense when you think about which direction they’re headed.

Mount-Royal Cemetery, September 2, 2017
Turkey Vulture-1
Cooper’s Hawk-1
Ring-billed Gull-1
Downy Woodpecker-2
Hairy Woodpecker-1 heard
Empid sp.-1 evil yellow thing
Eastern Phoebe-1
Red-eyed Vireo-1 heard (tchway!)
American Crow-10+ mobbing something
Common Raven-1 or 2 heard
Black-capped Chickadee-10+
White-breasted Nuthatch-2
House Wren-2 dueling with a duo of Wilson’s Warblers
Eastern Bluebird-3
Cedar Waxwing-4
Tennessee Warbler-2
Nashville Warbler-1
Magnolia Warbler-5
Cape May Warbler-2
Black-throated Green Warbler-2
Yellow-rumped Warbler-1 heard
Bay-breasted Warbler-1
Black-and-white Warbler-1
American Redstart-2
Wilson’s Warbler-2
Scarlet Tanager-2 ‘greens’
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-1
Northern Cardinal-2
Chipping Sparrow-50+
Song Sparrow-4
American Goldfinch-5

Fall movement, August 27-28, 2017

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Northern ('Yellow-Shafted') Flicker Colaptes auratus

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor

   I didn't have time for a thorough survey of the cemetery, just a quick walk-through today. Some signs of fall migration today in the form of an uptick in Northern Flickers, single Tennessee and Magnolia Warblers, and an Ovenbird at the summit. A Common Nighthawk was spotted roosting on metal scaffolding near the Westmount summit, but I couldn't get a decent angle on it, photographically. In the 1980's, their calls were a common summer sound in NDG - I haven't heard one in a very long time.

Best picnic spot ever

distant Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon

juvenile Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer

male Monarch Danaus plexippus

  Took a Sunday trip up to a quiet trail near Mont-Tremblant, with a quiet beaver pond as the ultimate destination. A pair of Hooded Mergansers, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk fed around the pond, and a small warbler wave came through at one point, seemingly mostly composed of Yellow-rumped Warblers.
  Small numbers of Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia, Pine, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green Warblers were encountered in the woods, along with a young Hermit Thrush.

"Historical posts"

View from my apartment, Gimpo, 2005

View from my apartment, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, 2009

Trying all the hand gestures while in search of Fairy Pittas with Tim and Youngho, Jeju Island, 2010

  It’s a birding time warp! I started this blog in 2012 to record my birding adventures while in Korea, and wherever else my binos happened to find themselves. I began birding in Korea in 2005, and it’s always bugged me that those earlier sightings and experiences weren’t on Snowy Owl Lost. Because I’ve got some time on my hands, I’ve started working on “Historical posts,” in an effort to consolidate my early birdventures from the various blogs and websites where they reside.
  While the majority of these have been culled from the “Archived Bird News“ section of Birds Korea’s excellent website (http://www.birdskorea.org/Birds/Birdnews/BK-BN-Birdnews-archive.shtml), I’ve been scouring many other sources as well, including my old ‘non-birding’ blog, several newspaper articles I wrote, my birding notes (when I can find them), emails and messages, and a large and scattered collection of photo folders (useful for digging up contemporary habitat shots). I’ve even recently unearthed old picture CDs (CDs!) from the 2005-2007 era, when I was attempting to photograph birds with an old point-and-shoot camera - that oughta be good for a laugh.
  For a lot of the older images, the original files were lost during the infamous computer crash of 2011, so many pictures will be lamentably poor-resolution screensaves. Some of these lost images are on a broken external hard drive that I may get fixed one day.
  Wherever possible, I’ll try to add some depth to the often pithy bird reports in the form of my contemporary musings, or current recollections. Rummaging through these old images has definitely stirred up a boiling pot of forgotten memories - of the birds, people, and experiences involved in my decade of Korean birding. I’d forgotten about many of these, and preserving birding memories is precisely what this blog is all about.
  The “Historical posts” tab can be found at the bottom of this post, and also on the right-hand side of the page under “Labels” (then of course, clicking on “Older Posts” at the bottom of the page sends you further down the rabbit hole). Another way to browse these posts is by clicking on “2011” or an older year (currently working through 2010 posts), in the “Blog Archive” column, also on the right-hand side of the page.

Boozed-up Whistlepig, and other cemeterial delights

Merlin Falco columbarius

House Wren Troglodytes aedon

Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina (picking on something its own size)

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

  A surprisingly birdy Sunday in the two cemeteries, at an interesting time of year, with plenty of juveniles still around, but with signs of autumn migration already underway. This was most evident with an Olive-sided Flyatcher sighting, and the feeling continued with Wood-warblers - in a quiet corner of the NDN Cemetery, I encountered three species in the small patch, and had to knock the dust off my ‘warbler brain’ in a hurry.
  The Magnolia Warbler definitely had the feel of migration about it – it fed in a pine for about 20 minutes, before it launched itself up past the highest treetops and winged south with purpose. Also interesting to see a Nashville Warbler, although perhaps trickier to guess if it was on the move or a summer local. Nearby, spotty juvenile Eastern Bluebirds perched in a dead tree like listless ornaments, and it was amusing to witness a Chipping Sparrow grappling with a cicada.
  I watched a flowerdrunk Groundhog repeatedly take pratfalls down a hill and thought I was getting great video clips, but apparently I still don’t know precisely what all the buttons on my camera do. Next time, you hilarious tipsy rodent, next time.

NDN and Mount Royal Cemeteries, August 13, 2017
Turkey Vulture-5
Red-shouldered Hawk-1
Merlin-1
Ring-billed Gull-1
Chimney Swift-2
Downy Woodpecker-1 juvenile
Eastern Wood Pewee-1
Olive-sided Flycatcher-1
Eastern Phoebe-1
Red-eyed Vireo-4
Warbling Vireo-1
American Crow-7
Black-capped Chickadee-15+
White-breasted Nuthatch-2
Red-breasted Nuthatch-1
House Wren-1 juvenile
Eastern Bluebird-4 juveniles
Gray Catbird-1
Cedar Waxwing-9
Nashville Warbler-1
American Redstart-2
Magnolia Warbler-1 male coming out of breeding plumage
Indigo Bunting-2 females and 5 juveniles
Northern Cardinal-1 male
Chipping Sparrow-25+, evenly split between adult and juvenile birds
Song Sparrow-2 adults, 3 juveniles
Baltimore Oriole-1

American Goldfinch-4

Northbirds of August

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

adult Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

juvenile Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus

American Kestrel Falco sparverius

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus

juvenile Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Prévost

Rang Ste Marie

Rang Ste Dominique

That's what an agricultural ditch oughta look like

Leisurely backyard summer birding with Joey

  Spent the weekend chilling and birding up north. Notable at Joey’s place in Prévost was a Black-and-white Warbler (difficult to divine from online data if it was a local breeder or an early migrant), and several Warbling Vireos. 
  It was interesting to survey the same slice of agricultural habitat in summer where we had Snowy Owls and Snow Buntings this past February (http://snowyowllost.blogspot.ca/2017/02/st-valentines-day-birdssacre.html). We didn’t spot any Bobolinks, Savannah, or Vesper Sparrows in the fields of Mirabel, but I could smell them in the fresh winds. There wasn’t time for a detailed accounting, but the small wooded areas and lush ditches merit more attention, as they surely contain skulking avian revelations.

Rangs Ste Marie & Ste Dominique, Mirabel, June 5, 2017
Turkey Vulture-3
Northern Harrier-1
American Kestrel-at least 10 (a seemingly healthy local population)
Killdeer-25+ milling about on the fallow fields and gravel lots
Mourning Dove-2
Eastern Wood-Pewee-1 heard from a wooded area
Eastern Phoebe-3
Eastern Kingbird-1
Warbling Vireo-1
Red-eyed Vireo-3
American Crow-75+ feeding in a grassy field
Barn Swallow-3
Cliff Swallow-10+
Tree Swallow-15+ (most hirundine action was focused around one damp field, featuring an old barn apparently used for nesting/roosting)
American Robin-4
European Starling-20+
Chestnut-sided Warbler-1
Song Sparrow-8+
Red-winged Blackbird-12+
Common Grackle-4
American Goldfinch-6+
Finch sp.-several dark, chunky finches seen at a distance, possibly House Finch