A Tricky Little Common Yellowthroat Warbler

 Regularly checking the East Coast Trail beyond Cape Spear has become a part of my routine. On week days this is a peaceful, often "birdy" place.

So far this year, it takes a little patience to uncover the birds hiding away in this area. On my last trip to this area, I heard  persistent chipping coming from the woods about 15 feet from the trail.

At first, I thought this was probably a Swamp Sparrow as they have been plentiful in this area. Yet, the chip was different.

I watched and waited. Then a small bird popped out at the top of a tree. Lighting was bright, and the color was different. I started snapping as I watched this bird move from tree to tree.

It was often out in the open and high in the trees. I was still chasing this little bird well past its first appearance and had yet to identify it.

Then finally, I got full frontal look and realized this was a Common Yellowthroat.

I was somewhat confused because the behaviour was not what I typically find with this species.

Closer looks at the pictures suggest this may be an immature bird who didn't realize it is supposed to stay hidden and low in the bushes, not high in the branches. The excess fluffy feathers on the sides made me think this. Also in the mix is the possibility this may be an adult bird molting. There are some mottled blotches on its breast which are not typical of the Common Yellowthroat as it is supposed to have a bright yellow throat and breast. Despite all of the abnormalities about this bird, the one aspect of its behavior common to this species was that it stayed in the area where I was for over 30 minutes. I have often found this with these little birds. If this one had stayed low and mostly hidden, I would have identified it quickly by its behaviour alone.

It's Time

 While the woods have been pretty quiet and visibility of the birds hidden within has been difficult, that is all changing now. The little ones are finding their way out, and action in the trails is breaking loose. It will only get better over the next month.

 One of the nice things about this time is seeing all of the variations of the young.

 These three images all show juvenile Yellow-rumped Warblers. Yet, each one is different. The middle shot shows more streaking than I have seen on a YRW juvenile. Because of this, I am guessing it is the youngest of the three.

 This Ruddy Turnstone did its best to hide away yesterday. It hung low on the seaside of the rocks and only briefly popped up to look around. The time for shore birds is also here. Beaches will begin to crawl and inland ponds such as Forest Pond, Fourth and Second Pond in Goulds may yield some exciting finds. Likely, fields in the same area will also host some interesting birds.

 While pursuing a thrush (maybe a Swainson's or Gray-cheeked) that I got only a brief glimpse of yesterday, this Northern Waterthrush jumped up on a branch right in front of me. It looks like it is singing, but it was only chipping - a lot. (My efforts to get another look at the unknown thrush failed.)

Well, the rain this morning bodes well for me to get my wine bottled today. Although, I have to admit, the Black-backed Woodpeckers seen at Long Pond loom large in my mind this morning. Then again, there are all of those shore birds reported in Renews. Choices! Choices!

Walking the Beat

 Several mornings last week I ventured in and out of trails off Blackhead Road and the Cape Spear area. To change things up a little, I did the same thing in Goulds yesterday morning.

 Not surprising, I found much the same in terms of birds and butterflies.

 The one different species was this Mourning Dove on Second Pond trail. He seemed to be collecting material for a nest. Is it possible they could be nesting this late in the season? I heard several Mourning Doves calling from the woods over the first one-third of the trail.

 Once again, I came upon a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. This one was alone near the end of the trail, not another bird nearby.

 Butterflies were most common along Second Pond trail and Power's Road. During the day, I saw six species of butterflies.

 At one point on Second Pond trail, I entered a birdie daycare. There were young birds of a variety of species everywhere.

 It is so nice when there are birds flying all around. However, the challenge of these kinds of events is to focus on one to photograph.

 Included in my favorite pictures of the day is this robin having a grand time splashing away on the edge of Third Pond.

 It is like the White-throated Sparrows never disappeared all summer. They sang loudly in the spring and well into the summer. When they weren't singing, they were chipping.

 Continuing to be out in the open, their duty at this time is to watch over the fledglings.

 And watch they do! This species of sparrows seem to be really vigilant parents.

 Their frisky young were everywhere, keeping the parents on their toes to keep them fed and out of trouble.

 To close today, I have included a series of images of a White Admiral from yesterday. Each one shows an angle of this species I had not captured before.

 These pictures are included in my Butterfly Index accessible from the tab above. I also added other shots not included in this post.

Photographing butterflies is quite different from photographing birds. It takes a long time for these ballerinas of flight to settle down and stay down in a "photographable" position; not to mention the added challenge of photographing something so small. Yet, it is quite fun and adds yet another interesting dimension to being outdoors. Time flies even faster when looking at birds, butterflies, dragonflies and flowers. I have to confess my morning of birding ran well into the afternoon.

Birds with Charisma

 Recently, I took a hike along the East Coast Trail between Cape Spear and Maddox Cove. This is an area not to be overlook as I have seen a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Tennessee Warbler in this area. Of course, there are the many other common summer birds.

 It was a quiet morning with very little foot traffic. This gave me the opportunity to really stop, look, listen and enjoy my time with a few birds who showed a lot of personality.

 I have seen several single Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in several areas so far this summer. They are still making some noise while many of the other birds have gone silent. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I have never seen two flycatchers together nor any immature Yellow-bellied Flycatchers that I am aware of. Do they breed here?

On the other hand, it is apparent the Blackpoll Warblers breed here. There are three areas that I know of where they are currently busy feeding and protecting their young. One is up the East Coast Trail, another is the gravel pit at the back of the trail near the bus shelter off Blackhead Road, and the other is along Power's Road.

I'm sure there are more areas around, but I have watched the process unfold in two of the locations mentioned above.

This plucky little Swamp Sparrow was not happy when I must have gotten too close to its young. It chipped its head off!

As I moved along the trail, this one kept tabs on me and continued to follow and scold me.

Despite their diminutive size, small birds stretch up and adopt a brave,  defensive stance to shoo away unwanted intruders.

At last, this one could relax a bit as I moved out of its zone.

By contrast to the agitated Swamp Sparrow above, this Yellow Warbler was a picture of serenity as it perched in the cooling shade of a tree.
As common as all of these birds are at this time of the year, the pleasure of seeing them and then, watching them is still pretty high.