This is a juvenile male Baltimore Oriole molting into an adult. A first year juvenile is similar to a female Baltimore Oriole. In this bird the head has turned dark brown/black already and the back of the neck and back are beginning to turn black.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
BREEDING FEMALE TENNESSEE WARBLER, PRINCE EDWARD POINT NATIONAL WILDLIFE AREA, MILFORD, ON
We can ID this warbler as a breeding female Tennesse Warbler as follows:
- Short, sharp bill.
- Short darkish gray tail.
- Grayish crown with dark eyeline and white eyebrow.
- Yellow throat and neck and breast lightly washed yellow.
- Undertail coverts white tinged with yellow.
- Greenish back.
This photo was taken a week ago, but we were just able to definitively identify the bird.
The Tennessee Warbler is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 302.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
FEMALE ORCHARD ORIOLE, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
We can ID this bird as a female Orchard Oriole as follows:
- Yellowish/greenish-yellow overall.
- Relatively short, pointed bill that is slightly downcurved (the downcurve can be seen in the second photo).
- Well defined white wing bars.
- Yellowish tail.
- Base of lower mandible is bluish.
It should be noted that the sighting of an Orchard Oriole at the park was reported today by another birder to eBird.
The Orchard Oriole is a new species to our Life List, which now stands at 301.
MUTE SWAN, NEST & EGGS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
We have seen this Mute Swan or its mate sitting in the nest for the past few weeks. This is the first time we have seen its eggs. It seems to have gotten up to preen itself. In the first and last photos there is a male Mallard in the background.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK IN CAPTIVITY, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
This female Broad-winged Hawk was on exhibit at the Spring Bird Festival at Colonel Samuel Smith Park. It is 18 years old and has been in captivity for quite awhile. This was a rescued bird and because of its physical condition (e.g., it is missing some talons) it cannot be released into the wild.
FLOCK OF WHIMBRELS IN FLIGHT, WHIMBREL POINT, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
We can ID these birds as Whimbrels by their long downcurved bills, their relatively narrow, pointed wings, dark wing tips and dark area on the leading edge of their wings. This flock of Whimbrels had 25 -30 birds. The Whimbrels are migrating to the Arctic..
SAVANNAH SPARROW, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
We can ID this sparrow as a Savannah Sparroe by its notched tail (see second photo), yellow lores (see second photo) and boldly streaked back.
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
The male Brown-headed Cowbird is on the left and the famale on the right.
RED-NECKED GREBES, THEIR NEST & THEIR EGGS, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
The Red-necked Grebes nest on floating platforms provided by the park. They seem to love them for nesting. In the third and fourth photos you can see the eggs, because the grebe has gotten up from sitting on the eggs and is turning them with its beak. This is done so the eggs incubate evenly.
BLUE JAY, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON
Even though we can't see the blue color because of the lighting, we can ID this bird as a Blue Jay from its crest, dark necklace, pale gray underparts and white belly.
.FEMALE AMERICAN KESTREL, LINCOLN, ON
We can ID this falcon as a female American Kestrel as follows:
- Size: We estimated to be about the size of an American Robin. A kestrel is about 9", while a robin is about 10", so the size is consistent with it being a kestrel.
- The wings are rufous barred of a female, rather than the gray of a male.
- The tail is the barred tail of a female, rather than the single black tip of a male.
