Westdale, Hamilton. ON. May 28 2023. Attentive long-term readers will recall that I have a soft spot for birds in the vireo family. At this end of Lake Ontario, we count five most years: Philadelphia and Blue-headed Vireos as transients moving to and from breeding grounds further north, and Yellow-throated, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos as summer residents of deciduous woodlands. Vireos have a certain understated elegance but are really not much to look at. To make up for it they have an air of swagger and self-reliance.
This morning I had a small group of new-birder friends with me, once again we were doing a transect hike. We were surrounded by bird activity, noisy too, everything from pairs of Canada Geese shepherding little squadrons of goslings to Red-winged Blackbirds busy at the serious job of reproduction. The bird song all around was challenging; within minutes I had noted Gray Catbirds, Yellow Warblers, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, Warbling Vireos and American Robins, and that was just identified by sound but not necessarily seen. The list kept growing with contributions from my companions: Eastern Kingbirds, Common Grackles and Carolina Wren. I could hardly keep up: listening, looking, scribbling, explaining and interpreting.
Then out of the blue came the hint of a Yellow-throated Vireo in the upper levels of some Red Oaks. Just a hint because Yellow-throated Vireo and Red-eyed Vireo have very similar songs, it could have been either and Red-eyes are much commoner; a visual i.d was needed. My companions had to humour me as I ignored the many challenges around us to focus single-mindedly on a putative Yellow-throated Vireo. Well, in due course we connected the source of the sound with an individual bird. It obliged us by moving our way and eventually passing within a few metres of us and almost at eye level. It was a positive identification, the lemon yellow of its throat was plain to see but getting a decent photo proved impossible. The best I could do is in the photo below, look closely, it IS there, dead-centre.
It became an instant My Bird of the Day without regard for anything else the day might yet deliver, and there was plenty. A charming Spotted Sandpiper, pairs of American Redstarts, Rose–breasted Grosbeaks and (it almost goes without saying) Red–eyed Vireos. More Yellow Warblers and more Gray Catbirds, even another Yellow-throated Vireo. We ended the morning with a species count a little over 40; and that’s the way May birding goes.
