Wrenball

Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis

Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

Partial solar eclipse as seen through a pinhole

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, October 15, 2023

-19 species in two hours

-100+ Dark-eyed Juncos

-5 Hermit Thrush

-A confiding and chonky Winter Wren in an old wood pile

-7 flyover Canada Geese

- 20+ Ruby-crowned and 5+ Golden-crowned Kinglets

-Only 3 White-throated Sparrows

Harvest Noon

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

 Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice
(Or perhaps Pink-edged Sulphur Colias interior?)

Harvest Moon

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, October 1, 2023

-18 species in two hours

-25 degrees in the midday sun

-Only one species of warbler (female Black-throated Blue Warbler)

-Several shy Swainson’s Thrushes

-A pair of crisp Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

-A lone Turkey Vulture

-Golden-crowned Kinglets on the move through the treetops

-Carpets of Dark-eyed Junco and White-throated Sparrow at every bushy edge — at least 60-70 of each

-25+ Chipping Sparrows, mixed in at the edges of the sparrow/junco flocks

-I heard an odd snippet of trilly, fluty song at a distance…sounded like an Eastern Towhee…or perhaps just a naughty Eurasian Starling…

Warblers 9

Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
(It's all about those tail markings)

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Northern Parula Setophaga americana

Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
(Honestly!)

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
(I swear!)

Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus

Brown Creeper Certhia americana

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
('Yellow-shafted')

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

The blue super moon from a few weeks back

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, September 16, 2023

  Best birding day by far at a local patch I check from time to time. I always knew this location had the potential to absorb some ‘migratory shrapnel’ from Mount Royal, and today was finally that day. It was a lovely 21 degrees and sunny out, and last night’s migration radars were glowing white-hot (George was right!).

  The trees were absolutely dripping with warblers, most of which were personal firsts for the site. Nine species were recorded: Tennessee, Nashville, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Yellow-rumped, Bay-breasted, and Black-and-white. The most numerous warbler species on the day were Black-throated Green and Bay-breasted, with 6-10+ of each.

Also of note:

-A Least Flycatcher and two Eastern Phoebes

-At least three Philadelphia Vireos

-Carpets of White-throated Sparrows spread throughout — a conservative count of 100

-A female-type Scarlet Tanager

-A dozen or so Northern Flickers

-A nice round total of 30 species logged in 2.5 hours

-A couple of mystery birds were left on the table

-And I got a bug in the eye

-The end

More scribblings of late

  Here are the last few stories I wrote (or edited/compiled in the case of the Encyclopedia ones) for Bettersleep. So boring, they put you right to sleep!

  As always, I’ve also got a bunch of other top-secret projects that I’m working on like a busy bee.

Parc de l'Honorable-George-O'Reilly, Verdun, August 9, 2023

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
(Known as 'Tigered Warbler' in French - I like it)

Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus

Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
with Ring-billed Gulls Larus delewarensis

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

  A couple of hours at the Verdun waterfront with George, birding and exchanging constipation jokes. Two Caspian and several Common Terns shared the rocks with legions of gulls. Distant peeps puzzled (Spotted and probably Least Sandpiper).

  Near the street, we got stuck under a lovely two-tree warbler wave. Well, it was ‘warblers and friends.’ A dervish of American Redstart, Yellow, Bay-breasted, Cape May, and Yellow-rumped Warblers was packed into just two trees, it was awesome. They were in the company of Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos, as well as numerous young Chipping Sparrows and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Is it early for warblers to be moving? I have no idea. Feels early. Seems there was a good variety of warblers at the M-R Cemetery today too. I got a touch of the warbler neck. Ended with 30 species.

  In other news, I believe that my insane Czar Nicholas II moustache has been having its desired affect: it seems to prevent folks from sidling up to me when I'm birding and asking "Have you seen the cranes/eagles/woodpeckers?"

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.