11 May 2015. Paletta Park, Burlington, ON. This was a day of astonishing contrasts for me. I spent the morning at the bird observatory where the weather was warm (around 25 deg C) and dry, and birds were plentiful and varied,- if sometimes a little hard to find. On my return home shortly after midday, (here I should digress to explain that the geography and weather of this part of Ontario is dominated by two factors: An abrupt escarpment which elevates much of the Lake Ontario hinterland some 100M above lake level; The presence of Lake Ontario itself.) I found that the lake plain was shivering under a blanket of cold air and accompanying fogs; the temperature at my home was 12 deg C.
Stepping out of my car, I heard a song that I didn’t recognise, I grabbed my binoculars and was soon looking as a beautiful Cape May Warbler, and then a Canada Warbler, a Blackburnian, a Chestnut-sided, a Tennessee and a Yellow Warbler all in my neighbour’s little tree. Then the penny dropped: this sweep of cold air, this fog, had forced last night’s migrating birds to the ground.
I ate a hasty lunch and headed to a leafy park at the lake’s edge where I was rewarded with one of those magical May days, surrounded by colourful little warblers and vireos wherever I looked. It seemed for a while, as if every one of them was perfect as if lifted from a field guide illustration. The list was long, nearly twenty warbler species, tediously long if I were to name them all here, but it includes several sparkling Canada and Magnolia Warblers, Northern Parulas and the always engaging Wilson’s Warblers. There were vireos too: Blue-headed, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos and they, along with excellent sightings of Yellow-throated Vireos at the bird observatory, they made for a vireo-rich day.
Bird of the Day was a Mourning Warbler seen skulking through some thick undergrowth. Skulking is what they do best; well maybe not best, they are good at it but are interesting singers and disarmingly handsome. The male is generally yellow to greenish-yellow all over except for his head and shoulders, which are hooded slate grey shading to speckled coal black under the chin. I gasped and ooh-ed and ahh-ed like a wide-mouthed innocent at a circus act.
The day did produce some good photo opportunities, some at the bird observatory, and some at warbler park. Here are a few.
Nice day out!!!!