On Wednesday, I headed out to Bruce Caves to look for warblers. Apparently I had allowed my guard to be lowered after a relatively bug-free visit to Isaac Lake the previous morning, as I deliberately neglected to go back into the cottage and retrieve the bug spray that I realized I’d forgotten as I pulled out of the driveway. Stepping out of the car at the conservation area, I was immediately surrounded by an enormous cloud of hungry blackflies. My unwelcome entourage accompanied me throughout the duration of my hike, and unsurprisingly I kept the visit short.
A male Black-throated Green Warbler sang from the treetops at the head of the trail — one of the most common warblers that I encounter on the Peninsula. Further down, a Black and White Warbler crept up and down tree trunks in his endearing nuthatch-like manner. A few sketches were enough for me, and the woods seemed rather quiet anyway, so I beat my retreat from the swarm. Never delude yourself: insects, not humans, rule the planet.
On Thursday morning I dropped Loki off at my parents’ place (he loves road trips, but camping is a little rustic for a parrot) and drove down to Rondeau for two days. Things were very slow in the park, and although there was a good variety of migrants, finding them took a lot of effort. Compounding the problem were the vast numbers of Yellow Warblers, chipping and chasing one another about. They’re pretty, lively birds, and delightful enough to have around, but after raising the bins for the hundreth time to find you’re looking at yet another Yellow Warbler you can’t help but sigh!
Magnolia Warblers were the second most common warbler I encountered in the park, though by no means abundant. Their bold plumages are a delight to sketch, as distortions in markings can be one of the easiest ways to suggest the form of a bird.
Canada Warblers have a plumage that is similar to a Magnolia, and in my mind are even more handsome. I love seeing these warblers head-on, as it makes the crescent of yellow that arcs over their lores look like their eyebrows are sliding off. Wilson’s Warblers, on the other hand, lack any bold markings save their little black cap, making them resemble a small and sunny yellow catbird. Combine this with their big black eyes, and they have the sweetest face of any warbler.
Waterthrushes can sometimes be tough to get close to, as they like to inhabit dense, bug-infested swamps and bogs. Fortunately, the moderating effect of Lake Erie on the Rondeau climate keeps the blackflies at bay much later in the year than elsewhere in southern Ontario. It also has the added benefit of encouraging the trees to leaf out late, making warbler watching a good deal less frustrating.
My target species for the trip, however, was one of our rarest and most spectular Canadian warblers. The Prothonotary Warbler is named for the prothonotary clerks of the Roman Catholic Church, who were known to don golden-hooded robes. They are one of only two wood warbler species to nest in cavities, and are pretty much exclusively found in wooded swamps and sloughs. Habitat loss has led to a decline of the species across their northern range, and they are now listed as endangered in Canada. Rondeau is one of the few places in Ontario where they still breed, and my chances of spotting one were quite good. Sure enough, a male who had been regularly checking out the nest boxes along Tulip Tree Trail appeared in the early afternoon on Friday, enthralling a large group of birders and photographers who had gathered on the boardwalk. He stuck around for a good twenty minutes, probing under tree bark with his long warbler beak and chasing off any Yellow Warblers that ventured too close. I’d been concerned that, when I saw him, I’d mistake him for another Yellow, but no need. This is one brilliant golden warbler, and my sketches certainly do not do him justice.
