A Walk on the Upper Bluffs: May 2021

Every spring there are are few days when warblers are everywhere. I’ve had as many as 15 species in one hour. I headed out to the eastern Scarborough Bluffs hoping that it might be today.

MYSTERY BIRD

I will identify it at the end of the post.

The only warbler I saw was the Yellow Warbler:

Yellow Warbler (male)
Yellow Warbler (male)

Other birds:

Eastern Catbird
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Eastern Catbird
House Finch (male)
Red-winged Blackbirds (female)
American Goldfinch (female)
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Ring-billed Gull
Baltimore Oriole

Some botany:

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Red Ash with Midges
Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana)
Red-osier (Cornus sericea)
Hawthorn (Crataegus)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
White Birch (Betula papyrifera)
young White Birch
Starry False Solomon-seal (Maianthemum stellatum)
Buffalo-berry (Shepherdia canadensis)

MYSTERY BIRD

A species where the female looks nothing like the male. This one looks like a large streaked sparrow. The large bill and broad white eyebrow stripe identify it as a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

MAILBOX

Monarch butterflies filmed by Hummingbird drone

Breathtaking Footage of Half a Billion Butterflies – 1Funny.com

NATURE POETRY

Month of little hands with daisies,
Lovers’ love, and poets’ praises;
O thou merry month complete,
May, thy very name is sweet!         – Leigh Hunt (1784–1859)

Miles Hearn

1 thought on “A Walk on the Upper Bluffs: May 2021

  1. Lisa Volkov

    Yes, it sure LOOKED like a Sparrow! Quite the surprise.
    These pictures are all so beautiful. I love the Upper Bluffs. Thanks, Miles!

    Reply

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