Drink your Teaaa!

The classic Eastern Towhee song, given by males, sounds like a loud "drink-your-tea"! A pair of Towhees have spent the past few days in or near our yard. This bird is typically found in the undergrowth, so we were delighted to have it break out in song while in a clear location! They are most often found scratching in leaves on the ground, making a loud rustling sound.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/overview

Eastern Towhee, female.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was eyeing up possibilities for her next snack! Many flies were at the tree, drinking sap dripping from holes made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of the smallest song birds in North America. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been reported drilling sap wells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants, though they have a strong preference for birches and maples because of the higher sugar content. The sap attracts insects, an important food source for the species.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview

Butterflies, such as this Eastern Comma, and many other insects are currently benefiting from sap dripping from trees. The bark is dark because it is covered in dripping sap.

Mourning Cloak butterfly with wings open.

Mourning Cloak butterfly, wings closed while drinking tree sap.

Sarnia Bay has been a popular resting spot during migration this week. Recent rainfall and subsequent run off from farm fields makes it difficult for birds to forage for food in the cloudy waters of Lake Huron. A few of the species found in the clearer waters at the Bay are below:

Male Bufflehead sporting his iridescent colours in the sunlight.

As many as 9 Common Loons have been reported at Sarnia Bay. I managed to locate 5 of them.

Immature Common Loon, with juvenile colours. (From a distance I had originally hoped that this was a different loon species.)

Immature and Adult Common Loons

Double-crested Cormorant: The "stringy, feathery double crests" are visible on males only during breeding season.

Horned Grebe, moulting into spring breeding colours.

Red-breasted Merganser, male. This species was the dominant species at the Sarnia Bay with well over 500 individuals being seen.

Female, or immature Long-tailed Duck