Rain was predicted for the entire day so it appeared that I would not undertake an outing on this day.
However, there was a let up for a little over an hour at noon, so I rushed out to Seton Park in East York and here is what I was able to photograph.
Junction of West & East Don Rivers Animal den opening Some botany:
Cow-parsnip (Heracleum maximum) Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Violet (Viola) Ostrich Fern fiddlehead Celandine (Chelidonium majus) Goutweed (Aegopodium podograria) Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) Basswood (Tilia americana) Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna) Riverbank Grape (Vitis ripiaria) Apple (Malus) Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) Trout-lily in seed (Erythronium americanum) Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) White Spruce pollen cones (Picea glauca) The White-throated Sparrow has a lovely, whistled song which is sometimes rendered as “Dear, sweet, Canada, Canada, Canada.”
White-throated Sparrow (Tan-striped adult) White-throated Sparrows (Tan-striped adult s) White-throated Sparrows (Tan-striped adult s) In addition to hearing and seeing these birds, I heard a song which contained a white-throat-like whistle but which then degenerated into a series of husky buzzes. I remember hearing this same call in Moosonee. It was as if the bird had one singing lesson with a white-throated sparrow but then decided not to bother learning the rest.
This is the White-crowned Sparrow.
White-crowned Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Other birds:
Red-winged Blackbird (female) Red-winged Blackbird (male) European Starling Song Sparrow Song Sparrow Ring-billed Gull Canada Geese “displaying” Rock Pigeon Northern Flicker (male) American Robin Baltimore Oriole (male) American Goldfinch (male) American Goldfinch (female) American Goldfinch (male) NATURE POETRY
May is bee in blossom,
Miles Hearn
