Colourful Spring Arrivals!

I'm not sure if this female Baltimore Oriole was beginning to weave her nest, or if she had found this tangle of string and was trying to remove it to take to her nesting site. I'll need to keep an eye on the location.

Black and White Warbler deciding upon its next move.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Lots of insects gather at the blossoms for food, making a perfect feeding station for migrating warblers, including a Blackburnian Warbler with his "flame orange" neck!

This Yellow-rumped Warbler caught an insect in flight.

Eastern Bluebird landing on a dried Teasel stem.

The vigilant Bluebird pair were agitated by a Red-winged Blackbird that was flying back and forth near their nest box. They managed to chase it away. If given a chance, the Blackbird would have attempted to eat the Bluebird eggs.

Looks like these Eastern Bluebirds are having a conversation!

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, collecting material to build her nest. The male will help in choosing the location and building the nest.

Warbling Vireo, warbling his beautiful song!

A pair of Warbling Vireos were sitting briefly side-by-side. They didn't seem to be getting along, so I assume they were having a territorial squabble.

While walking along a trail in Canatara I found this nest on the ground. I placed it in a tree to take the photo. One side was damaged, perhaps from the winds the night before. To assist with camouflage, lichens had been attached to the exterior, likely using spider webbing as the sticky "glue". Downy feathers were inside but there was no sign of eggs anywhere. The nest may belong to a vireo, possibly the Warbling Vireo. Hummingbirds also use lichens in the construction of their nests, but this nest was about 3 times larger than the typical Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest.

Veery's travel long distances during migration. Their wintering grounds are restricted to central and southern Brazil. Veeries and many other songbirds migrate long distances at night. Many of these migrants alternate flapping with coasting, but Veeries may flap continuously throughout an entire night's flight! Their efficient wings carry them over longer transoceanic routes than other thrushes can manage.

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

Although I have heard their "whip-poor-will" call at dusk, this is only the second time I have actually seen the species. Many thanks to our bird hike leader Tom, for noticing this well camouflaged creature!! Eastern Whip-poor-wills lay their eggs in phase with the lunar cycle so that they hatch on average 10 days before a full moon. When the moon is nearly full, the adults can forage the entire night and capture large quantities of insects to feed to their nestlings!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Whip-poor-will/overview