April 30 2016. Cootes Paradise, Hamilton ON. I walked a woodland trail this morning as a precursor to possibly adopting it for further study; it was strangely quiet. I know that in less than a month it will be ringing with bird song, all trees will be in full leaf and the forest floor carpeted with White Trilliums and Wild Geraniums; but not today. I wasn’t entirely surprised. Although the birding world has excitedly followed the arrival of spring migrants, we’re still not quite there as far as forest birds go, and we won’t be until the weather warms up a bit, leaves open and insects proliferate.
It was more a day for listening, I could hear woodpeckers: Northern Flickers, Red-bellied, Downy and Pileated; they all have far-carrying calls. At the other end of the spectrum I picked up the tiny songs of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and, passing through a grove of tall White Pines, the nearly-musical trill of Pine Warblers.
Bird of the Day was a solitary Hermit Thrush. I know they have a beautiful song once they reach their breeding grounds but at other times they are quiet, unassuming and ghost-like. It’s as if they don’t have a social life, always in retreat and rarely stopping long enough for a photo. This one did though and I was finally able to to come close to capturing the essence of the species.
