[Ontbirds] WORM-EATING WARBLER highlights morning of May 4 at Thickson's in Whitby

[Doug Lockrey]

Around 8am on May 4 Gord Gallant and others heard a "it isn't a Chipper, it isn't a Pine" song--in a tree was a WORM-EATING WARBLER. For the next 3 hours, and, no doubt, beyond, this bird concentrated on feeding within maple flowers and dead red oak leaves at heights of 3 to 5+ metres, never on the ground. It moved many times, staying along the east-west most southerly path of Thickson's Woods. Several of us "mastered" a crude triangulation procedure to zero on where the song was coming from.

The previous day's rains brought in some other good birds, for those who periodically broke away from the W-E W.

Here is a partial list-- 
Wood-Warblers--Am.Redstart, Nashville, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Ovenbird, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Pine, Blackburnian, Black-and-White, Worm-eating;   
Flycatchers--Great Crested, Least, E.Wood Pewee;
Baltimore Oriole, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, House Wren, Bank Swallows, Blue-headed Vireo, Swamp Sparrow, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, E.Towhee, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (a few), very many White-throated Sparrows.

>From the west, exit the 401 at Thickson Rd., go south down toward the lakefront, turning onto a roadway which parallels the marvelous White Pine forest.

Doug Lockrey, Whitby,ON