May 13th 2016. Cootes Paradise, Hamilton ON. I walked a census route today and enjoyed a few bird encounters that were either landmarks or lessons. I think a female Indigo Bunting stands out as most memorable and instructive and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Scarlet Tanagers, Swainson’s Thrushes and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird all added to the lively 45-species census.
The photo above is the Indigo Bunting, a female. She flew up from the trail in front of me and perched obligingly just overhead allowing me enough time to get a couple of shots. It took me a few minutes to figure out just what I was looking at and I needed to check a good field guide later to confirm my suspicions. This bird is drab and almost devoid of key field marks, but what caught my eye and led me in the right direction was the faintest hint of blue around the base of the wing. Clearly she bears no resemblance to the dazzling male (photo below). But his foppish glory is short-lived, once the breeding season is over he will become a mottled blend of browns and muddy blue –“…and we all do fade as a leaf”.
Speaking of dowdy, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was also instructive. Of all the woodpeckers, this species seems to care least about appearances. A well-turned-out sapsucker dresses like an underpaid TV detective, while a dowdy one, like today’s, more like a farmhand.
The forest was noisy with the songs of half a dozen or more Scarlet Tanagers. Their song is often described as sounding like a robin with a sore throat, which is not a bad description, although I think robins put a bit more heart into it. Perhaps they don’t need to impress with song because seeing a Scarlet Tanager at close quarters is quite enough, almost a shock to the eyes.
Two Swainson’s Thrushes, like all thrushes, kept their distance. I watched them for a while and rarely did I see much more than their backs. Like the Hermit Thrush (See April 30th below) they always seem to be getting ready to leave.
My last and landmark sighting was a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird watching a crowd of school-children from atop a dead tree. His flash of ruby on the throat is not apparent in this light, you’ll have to forgive him; he’s just arrived after a solo flight from Panama. There’s a lot more to a four-gram hummingbird than flashy feathers and a long bill.
