After many mornings of good bird survey conditions, I awoke today in Cochrane to a chilly 7 degree, temperature, strong wind and threatening rain. The sky was brilliant for about 5 minutes before dawn:

Other survey photos:

The rain held off until the last half hour of the survey but conditions definitely reduced the number of birds singing. Of the 50 three minute stops, several had no birds at all.

MYSTERY BIRD

Here is the species that I heard at almost every stop:

I will identify it at the end of the post.

After the survey, I had a look at the weather forecast for my next location: Gogama. Rain overnight and all morning. Not good for a survey so I decided to head home (720 kms). Too bad because I always enjoy visiting Gogama. Here are some photos from other years.

As I headed south, the rain cleared up and I got some wildflower photos at a rest stop north of North Bay:

MYSTERY BIRD

A spotted bird that is uniformly gray-brown above with a buffy eye-ring and buff cheeks and upper breast: Swainson’s Thrush

MAILBOX

Hi Miles,

Mom brings home lunch and the kids get grabby, but she divvies it up to each one. I worried for a long time about the quiet one in the back, but watch him make his big move! 🙂

NATURE POETRY

‘Tis June, and all the lowland swamps
Are rich with tufted reeds and ferns,
And filmy with the vaporous damps
That rise when twilight’s crimson burns.                       – George Arnold (1834–65)

Miles Hearn