RBG. Hendrie Valley, Burlington ON. September 23 .2021. It was quiet in the valley this morning. It had rained steadily for 24 hours, sometimes heavily, so everything looked and smelled freshly washed. We completed one of our regular transects, hopeful of finding a couple of semi-rarities (but didn’t), and just generally happy to be out at a time when the fall migration can deliver surprises among the expected.
Falling into the expected were a loose flock, perhaps a family group, of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a dozen or so Gray Catbirds and three Swainson’s Thrushes. In the drama category were four Bald Eagles, two young ones far off in the distance and two adults (white head and white tail) sailing around not far overhead. Other than that it was bits and pieces, the way birding so often is.
There were some notables, which is to say birds that your companion might get grumpy about if you failed to draw their attention to it. These were singles of Blue–headed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat and a female Black–throated Blue Warbler, and two each of Philadelphia Vireo, Red–eyed Vireo and Ruby–crowned Kinglet.
The female Black throated Blue Warbler (above) was an interesting study in the differences in plumage between females and males (below). That little white patch on its wing is diagnostic for making the identification, just as well because otherwise she’s a pretty nondescript bird.
My Birds of the Day were the Philadelphia Vireos. Frequent readers will know I have a soft spot for all vireos and the Philly is perhaps the prettiest of them. They have a lemon-yellow breast, quite pale in some and quite bright in others. Today I think we saw one of each, I managed to get this photo of the brighter yellow of the two.
