Northern Parula

 One of two Parulas found on the day feeding low in the trees and in the marsh vegetation. It was getting a little late in the year to find these birds although it was mid November at the time (18th). It would be quite unusual to find them now. He/she was showing signs of the late date - puffing up it's feathers for better insulation against the colder weather.

Not So Blue -Indigo Bunting

Indigo Buntings were relatively common in Nova Scotia this Fall. It wasn't uncommon to see more than one individual at a time for a few weeks in late October to early November. Some birds displayed more blue than others but the one I was able to get the best photo of was typical of most of those I saw - mostly brown and easy to overlook. I won't venture to say what age or sex this bird might be but if I had to hazard a guess then possibly a first year male. November 13, East Jordan.

Leucistic American Robin - Birds and Berries - Part 6

This bird is definitely lacking some colouring on its head which makes it fit into the more general description of how leucism is defined. There can be more striking examples of this phenomenon in which the bird is almost pure white but still has normal coloured eyes instead of the pink eyes of albinos. In mammals this condition (mutation) is often referred to as piebald. This American Robin was part of the larger flock of robins pictured in the previous post. November 11, East Jordan NS.

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Birds and Berries - Part 5 - American Robins

This is almost the end of this line of posts since the robins arrived in large numbers and stripped the trees of their remaining berries. After taking these shots and leaving at the end of the day I had hopes that I could return several more times to take pictures. I was amazed that on the following day by early afternoon the only berries remaining were the ones a few robins were cleaning up that had fallen to the ground. There was one bird in the flock that stood out from the rest so I'll save those pictures for a subsequent post. November 11,  East Jordan NS.

Birds and Berries - Part 4 - Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 Shortly after the male arrived, there were at least two female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks feeding in the same area. I managed to find one in good light late in the day on one occasion to get these shots. These birds somewhat resemble a large female Purple finch but with a much larger bill and more striking head pattern. November 7, East Jordan.