Magnolia Warbler

 

Yesterday was my first of year Magnolia Warbler thanks to a nice find by Riky Muir.

Many male warblers are black and yellow, but Magnolia Warblers take it up a notch, sporting a bold black necklace complete with long tassels, a black mask, and a standout white wing patch.

These boreal warblers breed in dense stands of conifers and stop off in all types of forests during migration, where they forage at the tips of branches.

In 1810, Alexander Wilson collected a warbler from a magnolia tree in Mississippi, giving it the English name "Black-and-yellow Warbler" and "magnolia" for the scientific species name, which became the common name over time. Cornell All About Birds

Spotted Sandpiper

 

The Spotted Sandpiper occur all across North America and are distinctive in both looks and actions. They also have intriguing social lives in which females take the lead and males raise the young.

With their richly spotted breeding plumage, teetering gait, stuttering wingbeats, and showy courtship dances, this bird is among the most notable and memorable shorebirds in North America.
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Wood Thrush

 

Seen my first of year Wood Thrush in Canatara Park on the weekend.

The Wood Thrush's pot-bellied body, short tail, straight bill, big head, and upright posture give it the profile of a scaled-down American Robin.

Wood Thrushes are warm reddish-brown above and white with bold black spots on their underparts and have a bold eyering.

The reclusive Wood Thrush hops through leaf litter on the forest floor, probing for insects, bobbing upright between spurts of digging and leaf-turning.

The Wood Thrush breeds in deciduous and mixed forests in the eastern U.S. where there are large trees, moderate understory, shade, and abundant leaf litter for foraging. They winter in lowland tropical forests in Central America.
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Prairie Warbler

 

The Prairie Warbler is an absolute beauty.

A small, yellow overall warbler, with black streaks on sides and an unique face pattern. Upperparts are duller olive.

The reddish streaks on back are distinctive, but can be difficult to see or absent on immatures. Their long tail is often pumped up and down.

Prairie Warblers forage for insects in a range of shrubby habitats, from cedar-studded fields to regenerating woods and mangroves.

Whip-poor-will

 

Fortunate enough to be able to photograph an Eastern Whip-poor-will a couple days ago. As a Scouter I have been able to hear their beautiful call in the evenings at Attawandaron Scout Camp and the Pinery Provincial Park.

Eastern Whip-poor-wills are medium-sized birds with a large, rounded head and a stout chest that tapers to a long tail and wings, giving them a distinctly front-heavy look.

Like all nightjars, Eastern Whip-poor-wills are patterned with a complicated mottling of gray and brown, which camouflages them nearly perfectly with leaf litter or tree bark. They have a blackish throat bordered at the bottom by a neat, white bib. Males have white corners to the tail; on females, these spots are dull buff.

Eastern Whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal. At night they rest on the ground or perch horizontally on low trees and fly up to catch moths and other aerial insects. They chant their loud, namesake whip-poor-will song continuously on spring and summer evenings. During the day, Eastern Whip-poor-wills roost on the ground or on a tree limb and are very difficult to spot.

Look for Eastern Whip-poor-wills in eastern forests with open understories. They can be found in both purely deciduous and mixed deciduous-pine forests, often in areas with sandy soil. Cornell All About Birds

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

 

The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is a beautiful little owl that while common in the American tropics, in the United States is found only in southern Texas and Arizona, where it is considered very rare.

My story could also be considered very rare.

Before a trip to the Yucatan Mexico, I researched big time. I connected with a kid from Michigan who had reported seeing a Ferruginous Pygmy while vacationing at the resort next to ours.

I made up a “Buho” sign and started early morning showing it to gardeners and security. On the third day a security guard got very excited and we tried very hard to relocate an owl he had seen but to no avail. But I knew I was on the right track.

On the fourth day of trying, we were coming home from breakfast and passed a young German couple on their honeymoon heading to breakfast. He was carrying a camera and I asked him what he’d seen. In broken English he described having no luck finding birds except this one bird that was just off his balcony. He didn’t know what it was but I sure did.

Much to his young bride’s dismay, I talked him into taking me to his room. I raced the 2 km back to our room to grab my gear. As we ran up to his third-floor room, I was busy getting my gear ready and Marilyn was setting up the tripod.

The angle for the shot wasn’t just right so we bombed next door and luckily that guy said sure, come on in. So here we are, Marilyn, Derek, Theresa, Benjamin, Mackenzie, the German groom, and myself, racing into this guy’s room, when his wife comes out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her and a very bewildered look on her face.

Everybody had a good laugh, I got some shots, and all ended well.

I love how these owls have a feather pattern on the backs of their heads that resemble eyes to help ward off predators.

Hermit Thrush

 

Hermit Thrushes have a chunky shape similar to an American Robin, but smaller.

They stand upright, often with the slender, straight bill slightly raised. Like other thrushes, the head is round and the tail fairly long.

The Hermit Thrush is rich brown on the head and back, with a distinctly warm, reddish tail. The underparts are pale with distinct spots on the throat and smudged spots on the breast.

Hermit Thrushes hop and scrape in leaf litter while foraging. They perch low to the ground on fallen logs and shrubs, often wandering into open areas such as forest clearings or trails. Sometimes a Hermit Thrush will cock its tail and bob it slowly, while flicking its wings.

Look for Hermit Thrushes in forest understories, especially around edges or openings.
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Brown Thrasher

 

Brown Thrashers are fairly large, slender songbirds with long proportions—the legs are long and sturdy, and the bill is long and slightly downcurved. The tail is long, too, and often cocked upward in the manner of wrens.

Brown Thrashers are foxy brown birds with heavy, dark streaking on their whitish underparts. The face is gray-brown and the wings show two black-and-white wingbars. They have bright-yellow eyes. Cornell All About Birds

Veery

 

Veeries are medium-sized thrushes—smaller than an American Robin but similar in shape. They have a plump body, round head, a straight, narrow bill, and fairly long wings and legs.

Most Veeries are uniformly bright cinnamon-brown above with indistinct spotting on the chest and pale underparts. The throat is white with a buffy-orange cast.

Veeries forage on the ground and logs for invertebrate prey.

Veeries breed in rich deciduous woodland and forest with well-developed understory across northern North America. Cornell All About Birds

Photographed yesterday in Canatara Park Sarnia

Ovenbird

 

Yesterday was my first of year sighting of one of my favourite warblers, the Ovenbird.

The Ovenbird is a chunky, larger-than-average warbler, but still smaller than a Song Sparrow. It has a round head, fairly thick bill for a warbler, and a jaunty tail often cocked upward.

Ovenbirds are olive-green above and spotted below, with bold black-and-orange crown stripes. A white eyering gives it a somewhat surprised expression. Like several other terrestrial, or near-terrestrial, warblers, Ovenbirds have pink legs.

Ovenbirds spend much of their time foraging on the ground, often walking with a herky-jerky, wandering stroll. Territorial males are very vocal and often sing from tree branches, occasionally quite high up.

Ovenbirds breed in closed-canopy forests, particularly deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous woods. You may find them in most forest types, from rich oak or maple woods to dry pine forest, although they avoid wet or swampy areas.
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