7 June 2016. Flamboro ON. There would be some birders who believe in their nemesis bird; I don’t. I see what I see without going to disproportionate lengths, I’m fairly adept at spotting what’s there and I don’t fret a great deal about birds missed. A shrug is much easier on the soul than gnashing teeth. I’ve missed several gloat-worthy birds the sort of rarities that set pulses racing. But then again, there’s the Canada Warbler.
It’s not that I’ve never seen a Canada Warbler, I see a few every year. They’re really striking. But they are elusive and they never stop around long enough for me to get a good photo; I came close today though.
I led a group of, let’s call them, individuals with the luxury of ample free time on a weekday. I took them to three of my favourite birding spots: first a trail that led down into a rich swamp from a hilltop with magnificent views; then a quiet roadside beset with thick swampy woodland growth and finally a gravel road that cut across an open marsh.
It became as much a plants and flowers hike as a birding one. I was distracted by exuberant Cinnamon and Crested Wood Ferns, while others found Lady’s Slipper orchids along the wet margins. Plenty of birds too of course and at our first stop our very satisfying list included: Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Black and White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and Veery, the last two species were heard rather than seen. The second stop was audibly tantalizing: we could hear a Canada Warbler singing purposefully but could not for the life of us see it; We could hear a couple of White-throated Sparrows and I was inclined to think I heard a Purple Finch singing high overhead. I don’t think we actually saw any birds of note at the second site but I made a mental note to return some early morning soon. Our last stop filled a few gaps in our day including a pair of Spotted Sandpipers and a small group of Cedar Waxwings. By then most of the group had gradually dissipated, so we said our final farewells and, retracing our steps two of us tried once again to find a Canada Warbler. To cut a long story short we succeeded; but with only brief glimpses.
Here is the best photo I managed to get. They are very handsome little creatures with that black necklace strung across a yellow chest. In the gallery below is a selection of all the Canada Warbler photos I’ve managed to get previously; the on-line trash-talking community might call them ‘Fails’, but they were still worth keeping.
