BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON, 9/5/2015

   We identified this bird as a Baird's Sandpiper vs. other similar looking sandpipers as follows:

• The black legs vs. the greenish-yellow legs of the Least Sandpiper.
• More extensive black at tips of wings which extend over tail vs. the wings of a Semipalmated, Western or Least Sandpiper. 

   Baird' s Sandpiper is not a common migrant in this area, but it does show up periodically.  It is probably a juvenile, as it has a neat, extensive scaly pattern on the upperside.

   Baird's Sandpiper is a new species on our Life List, which now stands at 153.

BANDING OF WILSON'S WARBLER, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON, 9/6/2015

      The first four photos show the banding, measurement and release of a Wilson's Warbler.  The last photo is of a mist net where the birds are caught.

BANDING OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES, EGGS & CATERPILLAR, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

   This past weekend we went to the "Monarch & Migration Weekend" at Presqu'ile Provincial Park in Brighton, ON.  We walked the beaches in early morning to see the migrating shorebirds, saw a Monarch butterfly banding, saw a bird banding, went on on a  guided birding hike to Owen Point, drove to Calf Pasture Point to see humingbirds (we saw some) and had a great time.  The beaches at the park in the early morning are a great hotspot for migrating shorebirds.

   The banding of the Monarch butterflies was fascinating.  The first two photos show a Monarch butterfly being banded. The next photo is of Monarch butterfly eggs in a bowl.  The fourth photo was taken on the hike to Owen Point and is of a Monarch butterfly caterpillar on a Milkweed plant leaf.  Their eggs can only be layed on a Milkweed plant; they would die anywhere else.  The last photo shows the difference between male and female Monarch butterflies.

FRINGED GENTIAN FLOWER, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

JUVENILE SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON, 9/5/2015

      This plover is identified as a  juvenile Semipalmated Plover as follows:

• Single black breast-band
• Black patch around eye : in an adult this black patch extends across the forehead and above its bill; in a juvenile the extention is pale and may not be continuous.
• The bill in a juvenile can be all black, while in an adult it is orange and black.

   The Semipalmated Plover is new to our life List, which now stands at 152.

JUVENILE SANDERLING, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

HERRING GULLS, PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK, BRIGHTON, ON

   The first photo is of a 1st winter Herring Gull in flight.  In the second photo, the gull in the upper right is an adult Herring Gull and the gull in the center is a 1st winter Herring Gull.