Yellow Warbler - Fledgling Feeding

I was hoping that being out east in early summer would give me an opportunity to see a lot of cool warblers. Well, I saw a lot of warblers alright, but most all of them were Yellow Warblers. Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville was loaded with them.

Even with the high numbers, it was still difficult to get good pictures as these warblers are typical small birds, constantly moving and never letting you get very close. Just when you think you have a great shot, the bird will fly away just as you push the shutter. It can get frustrating.Then, as I was walking along a trail with tall grasses on either side, I came across a male and female that were feeding along the tops of the grasses near the trail. I was able to get many pictures, some of which turned out pretty good, even with the gloom of the overcast skies.Then, yet another surprise. I saw another Yellow Warbler that looked a little different and was flapping its wings vigorously as it was perched on a stalk. Soon another Yellow Warbler approached and I realized that the first warbler was a fledgling as the adult brought an insect and feed its young.I love watching adults feed their young.

Montreal Mammals

While I didn't see a lot of birds at Mount Royal Park in Montreal, I did see more mammals than normal. It started with Eastern Gray Squirrels. They were everywhere throughout the park and were rather tame.
Shortly after my first squirrel sightings, I noticed something moving high in the tree up ahead. It turned out to be a Raccoon sitting in a hole which may have been its den.

The rabbit below was huddled under some low hanging branches. Though it seemed a bit nervous, it didn't run off as I approached. I haven't been able to figure out what species it is, however I have a suspicion that it may be an escaped domestic rabbit.

There were a lot more birds than mammals at Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville which suited me just fine, but I a few great looks at mammals there too, starting with this White-tailed deer. It was munching on some grass along the trail and just stared at me for a couple of minutes while I photographed it before sauntering off.

After seeing so many Nutrias in the Portland area, it was nice to see a native large rodent. I believe this is a woodchuck.

Finally, as my day was coming to an end, I came upon a skunk and its babies. I followed them as they were making there way to the tall grass. Before entering, however, the parent turned and stared at me, beginning to move my direction. I quickly decided it was time for me to back off. :-)

Quite a few mammals on this trip made for some fun variety.

European Starling

These two wet European Starlings greeted me as I pulled into the parking lot at Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville on Saturday.
I have now seen European Starlings on 2 different continents, 3 countries and 6 states. I'm not sure that is a good thing. :-)

Eastern Kingbird

As I drove the entrance road to Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville yesterday, this Eastern Kingbird was flycatching from some recently planted trees between the lanes. I was the only one around at the time, so I slowed down and inched up to it in my car in similar fashion to the auto tour at RNWR. I several good looks at it before it would fly on to the next tree.
It was a cloudy, rainy day which actually worked in my favor on this siting. The Eastern Kingbird has a red stripe on its crest that is typically hidden, however the rain matted its feathers down enough to make it easily visible.
New life bird number 3!

American Redstart

I had the morning off today, so I visited Le parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville. Its an island in the St. Lawrence River similar to Sauvie Island in Portland except that just about the whole island is a national park and accessible to the public. It's really quite beautiful and is loaded with birds. There are a mix of trails ranging from graveled service roads to well-groomed grass trails like the one in the image above which I found to have the best birding.Early in the morning, one of the first birds I saw was an American Redstart. The male in the image above didn't stick around too long, but I was able to get this one reasonable shot. It's red flashes of red-orange where hard to miss and I knew almost instantly what I had seen.

New life bird number two!