October 13th, 2014

Our family spent the Thanksgiving weekend at the cottage on the Bruce Peninsula.  Once the bird feeders went up – a priority on arrival – they were quickly re-discovered by a variety of birds.  We had lots of blue jays, chickadees, and nuthatches to keep us entertained.   A red-breasted nuthatch comes to Sydney’s hand for a snack.  That smile says it all!

(Click on any of the photos to view it in a new window, then click again to zoom to full size.)

We also noted the arrival of dark-eyed juncos to their wintering territories on the Bruce, and the movement of hundreds of white-throated sparrows heading to the southern US from their nesting grounds in the Boreal Forest.  They would have flown over the open water of Lake Huron/Georgian Bay, navigating by starlight, and were busily foraging on the ground for insects and seeds in preparation for yet another night flight.  Incredibly we spotted two monarch butterflies on Sunday, about a half hour apart, struggling against a stiffening south wind.  They too likely crossed over open water the previous day with the assistance of a more northerly breeze.

I thought it a bit late in the season for this yellow-rumped warbler.   Not sure if it was a Peninsula bird hanging around, or a migrant passing through, but a nice treat either way.