May 18 - 24

See last week re. thrushes.  Also, there was a warbler in the big evergreen one day, it was too far and too small to get a really good look at, but it was also singing, and with that in mind, it was possibly a cape may warbler.

Common birds: chickadee (2 days), red-wing blackbird (male 2 days, female 3 days), grackle (3 days), starling (3 days), house sparrow (3 days), mourning dove (4 days), cardinal (pair 5 days), downy woodpecker (2 days), blue jay (2 days), goldfinch (2 days), robin (3 days), turkey vulture (2 days), crow

Spring visitors: song sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, brown-headed cowbird (female 2 days), baltimore oriole (3 days), Swainson's* thrush, magnolia warbler, warbler (ID? cape may?), parula warbler

Heard: song sparrow, red-breasted nuthatch

July 10

Went for a walk in the local conservation area.

I saw: swallow?, cedar waxwing?, redwing blackbird, night heron, egret, cardinal (pair), chickadee, mallard duck, gull, tern, song sparrow?, and several little birds which were likely either kinglets or warblers (or a mix). 

May 28

Common birds: robin, house sparrow, grackle, starling, blue jay, mallard duck?

Spring visitors: redwing blackbird (male, female?), warbler (in spruce tree)?

May 25

Common birds: cardinal (pair), goldfinch?, house finch (male), starling, blue jay, mourning dove, house sparrow, robin, grackle?

Spring visitors: redwing blackbird, blackburnian warbler, american redstart (female), warbler ID??

Two birds I didn't identify - warblers or vireos of some kind I guess. 

1. white under, a little streaking on the sides, streaky on top, 1 or 2 light wing bars
2. buff, not streaked, a little brown?, 1 or 2 light wing bars

September 24 / the whatsits

No shortage of activity in the garden today.  A somewhat chilly morning turned into a sunny afternoon, with some birds that are proving a challenge.  A hawk, which may have been the usual red-tailed hawk, flew over.  A flycatcher of some sort was sitting in our viburnum, and a little warbler like bird was in the trees.  The flycatcher, I refer back to May's post, "the flycatcher debate".  Today it had its back to me.  It had a thin tail, ashy grey, light underside, slight eye ring, and I didn't see wing bars, but didn't get a great look.  The small least flycatcher has a strong white eye ring, and may be too small.  The eastern phoebe lacks wing bars, and has an all black bill.  I think this may be what I saw today.  The third possibility is the eastern pewee, which is similar, but has wing bars, and a yellowish lower bill.  The warbler was smooth taupey grey, with a light buff underside, white and black wing bars, and white and black stripes on its head.  I can't find anything that matches.  It could be a first-year, or non-breeding bird, which sometimes have different plumage.  At first, I thought it was a golden crowned kinglet, but that doesn't fit, nor does a worm-eating warbler, which lacks wing bars. 

Common birds: house sparrow, blue jay, grackle, starling, chickadee, downy woodpecker (male), cardinal (male), mourning dove, red-breasted nuthatch

Fall visitors: eastern phoebe (?), warbler (?)

Overhead: gull, hawk(?)

the puzzle / August 17

Two birds I can't identify today.  One brown, on a tree trunk.  I am guessing it was a brown creeper, which we have seen around before, but I just didn't get a good look at this one.
The other, a warbler, or something similar.  Small and warbler like in size, shape, and movement, with a straight, sharp beak, white eye ring, 2 white wing bars with a black bar between them, distinct olive on its cap and back, strong grey on its tail, wings, back and face (above the beak), whitish chin, chest, belly to the start of the tail.  No streaking, no eye bar, and no yellow.

My first reaction was a ruby-crowned kinglet, second was a northern parula warbler, but neither is right. 

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair), mourning dove, red-breasted nuthatch, chickadee, starling, robin, goldfinch (male)

Overhead: gull

Heard: blue jay

Uncertain: brown creeper?, warbler?

Previous Year's Birds / May 2011 & May 2012

May 2011

blackburnian warbler (male)
chestnut sided warbler
black throated green warbler (male)
rose breasted grosbeak (male)
flicker
woodpecker
goldfinch
robin
starling
cardinals
sparrows
chickadee
mourning dove
juncos
white throated sparrow

May 15/2011 - blackburnian warbler (male), chestnut sided warbler (pair), black throated green warbler, yellow rumped (myrtle) warbler, northern parula warbler, red tailed hawk, blue jay, house finch, rose breasted grosbeak (pair), nashville warbler, nuthatch

May 16/2011 - magnolia warbler, nashville warbler, black and white warbler, chestnut sided warbler, yellow rumped warbler, yellow warbler, blackburnian warbler, parula warbler, black throated blue warbler, goldfinch (pair), grosbeak (pair), red tailed hawk, white crowned sparrow, hummingbird, veery, baltimore oriole, nuthatch, housefinch, sparrow, chickadee, crows, blue jay, red-wing blackbird, cowbird (pair), robin, cardinal (pair), mourning dove

May 17/2011 - nashville warbler, magnolia warbler, yellow rumped warbler, chestnut sided warbler, northern parula warbler, yellow warbler (male), grosbeaks, starling, grackle, chickadee, cardinals, robin, sparrows, white crowned sparrow, cowbirds, oriole(?)

May 18/2011 - magnolia warbler, nashville warbler, chestnut sided warbler, yellow rumped warbler (male), tenessee warbler (?*), sparrow, blue jay, grackle, chickadee, woodpecker, grosbeaks, red tailed hawk, nuthatch, cardinals, robin, goldfinch (pair)

Note: tenessee warbler may instead be philadelphia vireo.  

May 19/2011 - orioles, yellow rumped warbler, parula warbler, nashville warbler, magnolia warbler, chestnut sided warbler, black throated green warbler (?), cowbirds, grosbeaks, blue jay, cardinals, sparrow, white crowned sparrow, grackle, robin, starling, mourning dove, goldfinch, chickadees, nuthatch

May 20/2011 - chestnut sided warbler, nashville warbler, northern parula warbler, sparrow, cowbird (male), mourning dove, cardinals, goldfinch (male), robin, blue jay, chickadee, grackle, gull, crow

May 21/2011 - robin, grackle, cardinals, sparrows, red-wing blackbird, goldfinch (male), cowbird (male)

May 22/2011 - robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbird (male)

May 23/2011 - yellow warbler, nashville warbler, robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbirds, crow, blue jay, red-wing blackbird, oriole, goldfinch (female), housefinch, mourning dove, starling, hawk

May 24/2011 - robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbird (male), red-wing blackbird, starling, mourning dove

May 25/2011 - robin, starling, sparrow, woodpecker, cardinal (male), orioles, chickadee, goldfinch (male), blue jay, grackle

May 26/2011 - starling, chickadee, red-wing blackbird, oriole, grackle

May 27/2011 - starling, grackle, sparrow, cardinal

May 2012

palm warbler
yellow rumped warbler
black throated green warbler
nashville warbler
grosbeak
cedar waxwing
western kingbird/great crested flycatcher
ruby crowned kinglet (?)
oriole
hawk (ID?*)
hawk
woodpecker
white crowned sparrow
goldfinch
house finch

Note: the usual hawk is the red-tailed hawk, also saw one which may have been a juvenile, or something else. 

June 5 / the road trip

As you may have guessed from today's title, I didn't spend a lot of the day at home, looking out my own windows.  We took a trip up to Craighurst, ON where a gallery shop is taking some of my textile work over the summer.  So, I was here first thing and back in late afternoon/early evening.  That said, the gallery has a lovely green space around it, grass bordered by mixed trees, and flower beds along the building - a great habitat for birds.  Although our attention was on the work, and I was without my binoculars and bird book, we did see a swallowtail butterfly, some large crows, a tiny warbler (or warbler like?), which was collecting dandelion clocks, presumably for nesting material, and a phoebe or flycatcher.  Granted in the case of the warbler it was a short look, and of the flycatcher it was from some distance without binoculars, so being specific would be guessing.  The warbler was probably female, grey brown, lighter belly.  The flycatcher had a creamy belly/chest, dark sooty head, lighter grey back.  It was difficult to get a sense of size or any more detail, but it may have been an eastern kingbird, or the eastern phoebe (smaller).

Common birds: cardinal (pair), house sparrow, grackle, robin

Spring visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

May 22 / the warbler

I've noticed that I am seeing fewer migrating songbirds than I was this time last spring.  In 2012 & 2011 there were lots of warblers around by now.  That said, I am seeing some, and this morning, I saw one I don't remember seeing in my yard before.  There's also one I can't quite figure out yet.

Common in my garden: cardinals, sparrows, grackles, robins.

Spring visitors: baltimore oriole, red-wing blackbird, brown headed cowbird.  A heavily streaked sparrow with a central/chest spot - probably song sparrow. 

New today: common yellowthroat (warbler)

Not quite sure: there's a little bird, creamy underneath and taupey/olive on top, no wing bars, black eye bar.  I think it's most likely a philadelphia vireo, could possibly be an orange crowned or tenessee warbler. 

In one of my posts to come, I'll also note some interesting birds I've seen so far this spring, before beginning to write them down.