Hello again and welcome to Summer! It was so cold in May, we were really beginning to wonder if warmer temperatures would ever actually hit. Well …….. they have: it’s 27C today. 🙂
Most of the photos in this post were taken earlier in the month. It’s much quieter in the yard now than it was a month ago. The birds are off nesting now and the ones that aren’t nesting have youngsters chasing after them for food! This post will be more photos than anything else but these are all visitors to the yard (aside from a small handful).
Black Capped Chickadee
Red Breasted Nuthatch
A tiny portion of the Pine Siskin flock that took over the yard for a month or so!
Blue Jays usually disappear for the summer but in recent weeks, I’ve had a couple coming around.
I normally have a half dozen Woodpeckers around in summer, between Hairies & Downies but so far this season, only this female Downy has been around … & sporadically at that.
Female Evening Grosbeak on the birdbath rim.
Male American Goldfinch. Haven’t seen many of them but at least a couple little Flying Lemons are here!
This male Eastern Bluebird was here for a few weeks in late May. Have not seen him since. 🙁
Evening Grosbeaks are nesting nearby so with any luck, I’ll get to host the young ones in the yard later this summer.
White Throated Sparrows are also nesting in the area.
Chipping Sparrows nest in my next door neighbour’s shrubs every year & use my yard for hawking insects to feed the young. 🙂
Beautiful Cedar Waxwings were around for a few weeks as fruiting trees & shrubs were in full bloom. This one was in my Crabapple tree.
Juvenile Starlings are throughout the neighbourhood now, loudly squawking to be fed!
Hummingbirds were very late to my yard this year. I didn’t have my first sighting until the end of May instead of the middle of the month.
When I sit out on my back deck now, I regularly hear Red Eyed Vireos & Ovenbirds calling from the woods outside my back fence. If I actually went out in the evening, I’d probably hear Hermit Thrushes too. One even last week, we had our patio doors open about 10:00pm when one of my (indoor only) cats freaked out & bolted for the screen. A bird had gotten into our gazebo! My husband & I went out to rescue it. I was able to scoop it up off the screen wall & look just quickly enough to discover that it was a type of Thrush but it was too dark to see clearly … plus the bird was panicked so we just let it go. No idea how it suddenly ended up in the gazebo!
Out in my backyard one day last week, I watched this majestic Bald Eagle soaring over my neighbourhood. It caught a thermal & quickly disappeared.
Another Swan was discovered on my local Manitouwadge Lake this week. I’m hearing now that they are expanding their range into this area & may even nest here in coming years.
Trumpeter Swan
While traveling to the Dorion’s Canyon Country Birding Festival at the end of May, my husband & I took a drive through the little town of Rossport where we’ll be catching a charter boat in July for a day on Lake Superior. As we were leaving town, we spotted this Turkey Vulture standing atop a power pole. It just stood there staring at us and then slowly flew away. Almost frightening looking things when you see them up close but still a majestic creature!
Turkey Vulture
We always visit the Nipigon Marina in Nipigon, On., on our way to the Festival because we almost always find Pelicans there. This trip did not disappoint but we only saw the one this time.
Pelican with Gulls at the Nipigon Marina
Ending with an interesting tidbit this month: I just learned yesterday that we actually have Whip-poor-wills up here. This is definitely a new one for me, having never heard them before. A friend even sent me a call that she recorded last night from her driveway … no mistaking it! I’ll be listening more closely for them from now on.
Thanks for reading/looking …. Happy Summer …. ‘see’ you in July!
Thanks so much, Gail!
Lovely as always, sorry for late response but we were away for month of July in Humid S On. You do an awesome job of keeping us informed of birds in our area. Thank you for all your hard work.
I do love what I get to see here. Thanks, Gilda!
Angie, it turned out we have a neighbourhood family of Bluebirds! I’m thrilled! Seen the adults & one juvie so far. 🙂
I was in Toronto when this landed in my email, so a late response. My usual thank you for posting and my usual amazement at the birds you see in your northerly backyard!
Our hummingbirds were really late this year too, but we are enjoying them now! Sorry the bluebird didn’t stick around.