Great Horned Owl Family

I stumbled upon a Great Horned Owl family when walking a path I have never been on before on June 25. The owner of the property had said he had seen an owl on the path but I was more interested in another bird he said he had seen which sounded like a small heron or something in the rail family. I didn't find that bird but a mother and two owlets at two different development stages. I noticed later in my photos that there was the remains of an eider duck hanging in a tree below the smallest bird.

Common Yellowthroat - Male and Female

The female - second picture - lacks the black mask of the adult male. One of our most common warblers usually found in low shrubbery and often near boggy areas. The male was photographed on July 3 in East Jordan, the female June 18 at Hemeon's Head.

Red-tailed Hawk

I saw this bird sitting on the wires one day when I was driving home. It was acting a little strange and seemed to have little fear of people as more than one walked past while I took photos. It wasn't until I started reviewing pictures on the camera that I noticed that the bird only had the use of one eye. I have seen it since in a different location and can only hope it survives until the eye heals but it didn't look promising. Food is a little more plentiful now than it will be during the winter months. June 4, East Green Harbour.

Courting Cedar Waxwings

The Cedar Waxwings were in courtship mode for most of the month of June. One indication is the passing of food from one bird to the next, in one case apple blossom petals and in the other what I assume is a damselfly. June 4, Little Harbour and June 17,  East Jordan NS.

Black-throated Blue Warbler Pair

I found this pair of birds foraging for bugs near my shop one day. They obviously had young somewhere nearby. It's usually easier to get shots when they're near the ground as they were in this instance but it makes capturing images more challenging due to low light conditions under the canopy of maple, pine, spruce and fir trees. This is the same male as in the earlier pictures. I should mention that the female looks like it could be a totally different species, there is not much similarity between the sexes. One feature they both have is the patch of white at the base of their primary feathers.  June 16, East Jordan NS.

American Redstart

This is a male Redstart from the previous year that is starting to show a little of the black of the adult around his head. Other than that he looks like an adult female.  June 4, Little Harbour NS.

Palm Warbler

Maybe it's my imagination but there seems to be fewer Palm Warblers around this year and fewer warblers in general. The woods seem especially quiet at times when there should be more birds singing. It usually gets a little quieter when parents are attending to young but since the beginning of the breeding season there have been a few birds that I normally hear that haven't made their presence known. May 28, East Jordan.