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A Worm-eating Warbler Munching on a Berry, Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, FL
Monday was a good day! Thanks to the knowledgeable photographers and birders I happened to run into I came home with 4 lifers. This is a Warm-eating Warbler I have been told. Until this day I hadn't even heard of one, let alone seen one. And it was a bit of a challenge to find it. These birds are really tiny and blend in quite well. And that I had no clue what I actually was looking for didn't help either. So I totally missed it when it was sitting right in front of us munching a green caterpillar or bug (or so I was told).
We saw it a while later again as it was eating a berry. I guess birds like dessert too. Unfortunately for me it stayed in the back of the tree and these shots are 100% crops (in the large size). So excuse the quality.
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The Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) is a small New World warbler. It is the only species classified in the genus Helmitheros.
It is 4.3–5.1 in long and weighs 0.4–0.5 oz . It is relatively plain with olive-brown upperparts and light-colored underparts, but has black and light brown stripes on its head. It has a slim pointed bill and pink legs. In immature birds, the head stripes are brownish.
This bird breeds in dense deciduous forests in the eastern United States, usually on wooded slopes. The nest is an open cup placed on the ground, hidden among dead leaves. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs. Both parents feed the young; they may try to distract predators near the nest by pretending to be injured.
In winter, these birds migrate to southern Mexico and Central America.
Worm-eating Warblers eat insects, usually searching in dead leaves or bark on trees and shrubs, also picking through dead leaves on the forest floor. Despite their name, they rarely if ever eat earthworms.
Worm-eating Warblers have disappeared from some parts of their range due to habitat loss. They are vulnerable to nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird where forests are fragmented (from Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia).
arenaria interpres
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Chippewa County, Michigan
AF-S VR Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED
Nikon D300S
Canada Geese frequent the Refuge year round, but soon the fall migration will begin and the lake will be full of geese!
Photo Credit: Jennifer Jewett/USFWS
The pelicans are returning for the winter. Perched on a log far out in the bay. As their numbers increase, they will find perches closer to shore.
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com
Hard at work. The wife was in the same tree and another male on the other side of the trail above my head.
A male black throated blue warbler(dendroica caerulescens for those of you so inclined) spent an hour feeding in the hedge above and behind the pond.
He eventually came down for a drink and a bath.
arenaria interpres
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Chippewa County, Michigan
AF-S VR Nikkor 500mm f/4G ED
Nikon D300S
This isn't cropped. The bird landed in the tree next to me, and stuck around for a couple poses. Still no light, but it was higher up in a tree.
Photographed 24 September 2022, Morning Flight, Gooseberry Neck, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
Emily Murphy Park, Edmonton, AB, Canada
August 16, 2010
Saw the male feeding a juvenile, but I had no opportunity for a clear shot because of the leaves and branches. However, with the male continuously searching for food, he gave me a chance for these shots.
This is a young (hatch-year) Chestnut-sided Warbler, so his feathers are still growing in. Not only does he have pinfeathers, but his plumage is quite wet from the constant rain we were having - this certainly makes him look quite disheveled.
Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
August 2014
Not my usual type of photo as there are no homeless people in this shot.
Monarch Butterly shot with my 70-200, at Leslie Spit, Toronto
When the butterfly opens its wings, I realize it is a male. Males have two round black dots on each side near the abdomen. These are scent glands that release pheromones to attract females for mating purposes. No need for me to go look for butterfly eggs after his visit.
Male Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
SUNSET / BLOOD FLOWER Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias Curassavica)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com
Kingston, Ontario Canada
The feet say no to Blackpoll. This and the second picture show more of the wing. It has a fairly distinct strike through the eye.
Maybe Bay-breasted Warbler or a Blue-winged? Not a lot of yellow.
www.flickr.com/photos/rick_2025/44820822871/in/photostream/
You can see more of the tail and the best in this picture.
www.flickr.com/photos/rick_2025/44100495234/in/photostream/
More of the breast in this picture.
This thrush was quite comfortable and safe after the banding and wasn't quite ready to leave us yet, he just sat there for a couple of minutes before he took off
Happy Feathery Friday-Anything Goes Week
Taken in Toronto, Canada
We took a short drive to Peninsula Point State Park with hopes to see some of the monarchs migrating south. Peninsula Point is a popular stopping point for the monarchs as it is the shortest distance across the water from the UP to Door County. The monarchs gather here and rest in the cedar trees. When the sun comes out, they open their wings and flutter about waiting for the perfect weather to cross Lake Michigan on their way to Mexico. It was a beautiful sight!
This little mama was amazing. She was working her tail off feeding these little fledglings. She was bringing them caterpillars at a rate of about 3 per minute - which is amazing! I've never seen a parent warbler work that quickly. We were lucky to find this mama bird with fledglings on our only sunny day.
Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
August 2014
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