I waited for a couple of hours to get these few distant photographs of the Northern Wheatear. This remarkable bird nests in the arctic and Greenland and flies to its winter home in Africa in one hop across the North Atlantic, a remarkable feat for this small open country thrush.

A few by acts of weather or circumstance migrate south through Canada to the gulf coast to overwinter and hopefully return north in the spring.

Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear 21

Northern Wheatear 10 Northern Wheatear 15 Northern Wheatear 18 Northern Wheatear 20

Northern Wheatear(file photo)

Northern Wheatear 30

I encountered an Eastern Kingbird, a frustrating bird at times as it insists on sitting on wires with its nose to the wind. The wind always comes from the wrong direction it seems.

Eastern Kingbird

This is a feisty bird like most large flycatchers that will harass raptors that come to close to its nest or young.

Eastern Kingbird 101 Eastern Kingbird 102

Least Sandpiper  Least Sandpiper 206

Lesser Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs 200 Lesser Yellowlegs 201 Lesser Yellowlegs 202 Lesser Yellowlegs 203 Lesser Yellowlegs 204 Old Pal, a fishing boat I see often along the coast

Old Pal 20 Old Pal 21

Semipalmated Plover", a shy bird Semipalmated Sandpiper 104

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper 108 Solitary Sandpiper 109 Solitary Sandpiper 110 Solitary Sandpiper 111 Solitary Sandpiper 112 Solitary Sandpiper 113 Solitary Sandpiper 114 Solitary Sandpiper 115 Solitary Sandpiper 116 Solitary Sandpiper 117 Solitary Sandpiper 118 Solitary Sandpiper 119 Solitary Sandpiper 120 Solitary Sandpiper 121 Solitary Sandpiper 122

Here are a few fall migrants that were good enough to pose.

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper 205 Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler 41

Northern Flicker also known as Yellow-shafted Flicker

There is a harder to find Red-shafted Flicker. The Northern Flicker posed for me for about ten seconds but that was enough. One must always have the camera ready to shoot!
 

Northern Flicker 10 Northern Flicker 11 Northern Flicker 12

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper 100 Semipalmated Sandpiper 101 Semipalmated Sandpiper 102 Semipalmated Sandpiper 103

Solitary Sandpiper

OK, there were at least four of them, a clear violation of the rules. Solitary Sandpiper 100 Solitary Sandpiper 101 Solitary Sandpiper 102 Solitary Sandpiper 103 Solitary Sandpiper 104 Solitary Sandpiper 105 Solitary Sandpiper 106 Solitary Sandpiper 107

About 20 years ago I visited Point Pelee National Park, a must visit place for all bird lovers. I was talking to some people when I said that Nova Scotia is good for fall birding up until the end of November. Jaws dropped and almost in unison they exclaimed, "fall warblers". This is a common perception relating to the challenge of sorting out some of the fall warblers. Juveniles look different from their parents and adult birds change their look as well.

The usual rules apply; does the bird have wing bars?, an eye ring?. What's the colour of the eye ring and feet? How about bill length and curve? Does it have tail bars or a different colour rump or underbelly? Look at plumage details and colour. Mannerism is important; bobbing tail or head, jerky motion or slow and steady. Is it a ground lurker or high up in the trees?

I use song to easily identify most warblers in the springtime when they are all singing often long before I see them if I see them at all. Fall warblers are usually silent except for chipping noises usually to maintain contact, or so we think.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 Chestnut-sided Warbler 4 Chestnut-sided Warbler 5 Chestnut-sided Warbler 6

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler 34 Magnolia Warbler 35 Magnolia Warbler 36 Magnolia Warbler 37 Magnolia Warbler 38 Magnolia Warbler 39 Magnolia Warbler 40

Wilson's Warbler

......note the yellow eye ring and dusty cap.

Wilson's Warbler 1 Wilson's Warbler 2

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron 210 Great Blue Heron 211 Great Blue Heron 212 Great Blue Heron 213 Great Blue Heron 214 Great Blue Heron 215 Great Blue Heron 216 Great Blue Heron 217 Great Blue Heron 218 Great Blue Heron 219

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron remained for about two weeks which is a typical stay for this crab eater when it finds suitable foraging. I have a lot of photos of this bird(s) but when they are gone, that's it probably for another year.

The juvenile Common Yellowthroat lingers well into November. It's one of our latest nesting warblers. There are later lingering warblers but many of them are moving through from their western nesting areas to the Atlantic coast before turning south. Warblers that don't have far to go to overwinter also linger sometimes into December, usually a fatal decision.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat 71 Common Yellowthroat 72 Common Yellowthroat 73 Common Yellowthroat 74

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 333 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 334 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 335 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 336

OK, Mr. Crab, give it up! Yellow-crowned Night Heron 337 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 338 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 339 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 340 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 341 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 342 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 343 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 344 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 345

This is the second Yellow-crowned Night Heron to arrive. Unlike the earlier arrival which was a juvenile this is a first summer bird starting to sport some adult plumage.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 346 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 347 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 348

The Pair Posing Together

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 349 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 350 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 351 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 352 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 353 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 354 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 355 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 356 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 357 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 358

My first quality full frame camera was the Canon EOS-1Ds, purchased and used about 15 years ago. It was a beauty of a camera with a solid machined metal body of aluminum alloy, built like a tank. I could use the camera battery as a door stop even though it had a very short usage life. I wouldn't even try to carry that beast around now. As Canon's first full frame camera it had mayor flaws, the obvious flaw besides the short battery life was how noisy it was at 800 ISO. I had to shoot these sunrise scenes at this speed due to the low light. Well, I've restored these photos using modern noise reduction software. 

You need to match a  receding tide with sunrise at near or near low tide, plus some clouds for the reflections. Try coordinating that combination some time. Martinique Beach Provincial Park hosts Nova Scotia's mainland's  longest and best sand beach. Cape Sable and Sable Island have great beaches as well but are off shore.

Sunrise Reflecting on a Wet Beach
Martinique Beach Sunrise 100 Martinique Beach Sunrise 101 Martinique Beach Sunrise 102 Martinique Beach Sunrise 103 Martinique Beach Sunrise 104 Martinique Beach Sunrise 105SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 106SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 107SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 108SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 109SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 110SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 111SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 112SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 113SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 114SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 115SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 116SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 117SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 118SONY DSC Martinique Beach Sunrise 119 Martinique Beach Sunrise 120

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron continues to visit. It is my experience that when they find a good crabbing area they stay for two to three weeks. The immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron is not rare, not even uncommon. It's a reliable annual regular in Nova Scotia. Finding adults is a different matter. The adults are rare and not seen every year. Look for them in the spring in coastal salt marshes and shallow waters near the shore usually about two hours after high tide.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 314 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 315 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 316 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 317 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 318 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 319 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 320 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 321 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 322 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 323 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 324 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 325 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 326 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 327

I photographed Grandeur of the Seas off Shoal Point and Chebucto Head, at the entrance to Halifax Harbour. It was about one hour before sunset so the sun's glow is clearly seen highlighting the ship.

This is a medium sized cruise ship with a nice clean design and lots of freeboard.

Grandeur of the Seas

Grandeur of the Seas 100 Grandeur of the Seas 101 Grandeur of the Seas 102 Grandeur of the Seas 103 Grandeur of the Seas 104 Grandeur of the Seas 105 Grandeur of the Seas 106 Grandeur of the Seas 107 Grandeur of the Seas 108 Grandeur of the Seas 109 Grandeur of the Seas 110 Grandeur of the Seas 111 Grandeur of the Seas 112 Grandeur of the Seas 113 Grandeur of the Seas 114

Monarch and Painted Lady Butterflies continue to move through my area. It appears to be a bumper year for Monarch Butterflies. They are everywhere.

Painted Lady Butterflies often visit our Summersweet -clethra bush. One time we had hundreds in the shrub but so far nothing.

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly 116 Monarch Butterfly 117 Monarch Butterfly 118 Monarch Butterfly 119 Monarch Butterfly 120 Monarch Butterfly 121 Monarch Butterfly 122

Painted Lady Butterfly

Painted Lady 54 Painted Lady 55 Painted Lady 56 Painted Lady 57 Painted Lady 58 Painted Lady 59

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron was up to its usual ways,....eating crabs. The process is simple enough if a tad rough on the crab; catch the crab, shake-rattle-roll the crab to dislodge all the sea weed, pound the crab on rocks to remove all those annoying appendages that some humans seem to like, crack the shell to allow all the gastrointestinal juices to penetrate the soft centre of the crab, and then swallow it whole. Sound good?

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Yellow-crowned Night Heron 300 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 301 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 302 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 303 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 304 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 305 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 306 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 307 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 308 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 309 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 310 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 311 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 312 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 313

 I visited Cape Sable last Saturday, including Cape Sable Light, the southernmost location in Nova Scotia. The weather was iffy from the get-go, with dark skies, and foreboding rain. Sure enough when I made it to the southern beach a thunder storm rolled in and Hans got wet. Fortunately I brought a light jacket to ward off the cool onshore wind.

Cape Sable Light

The clutter of trees is known as the "forest" since it represents the only tree growth on the sand spit of Cape Sable. It used to shelter birds from the rampaging Merlins but alas most of the trees have died so its not as useful to migrating passerines as it used to be.

Blue Flag Iris

They are scattered in small numbers about the sand spit.

Cape Sable Light

This foggy image was taken just as the thunder storm was approaching. There is very little shelter on the sand spit from rain or lightning.

Cape Sable Light is the tallest light in Nova Scotia

South Beach

Island Sheep

Shorebirds

The shorebirds are difficult to photograph well in this environment but include; Semipalmated Sandpipers and Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Black-bellied and Golden Plovers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers and rarely Buff-breasted Sandpipers.

South Beach... looking west 

Lobster Traps Aplenty 

This is the, "almost a full moon", the day before the partial lunar eclipse of July 16, 2019. This moon image is rare for my part of the world since it is relatively fog and mist free and also shows the bright orange of the near sunset capture. The partial lunar eclipse the following day was clouded out.

Partial Full Moon
Full Moon -1 July 16, 2019 10 Full Moon -1 July 16, 2019 11

These are just a few of the wildflowers of the coastal barrens in early summer. Most others can be found on my website. There is much more to come.

Harebell

Harebell 101 Harebell 102

Wild Rose

Wild Rose 100 Wild Rose 101

White Water Lily

......found in rocky ponds  White Water Lily 100

Yellow Water Lily

Usually found with White Water Lily, often blooming together.

Grass Pink Orchid

.......often blooms side by side with Dragon's Mouth Orchid

Grass Pink Orchid 100 Grass Pink Orchid 101 Grass Pink Orchid 102 Grass Pink Orchid 103 Grass Pink Orchid 104 Grass Pink Orchid 105 Grass Pink Orchid 106 Grass Pink Orchid 107 Grass Pink Orchid 108 Grass Pink Orchid 109 Grass Pink Orchid 110 Grass Pink Orchid 111 Grass Pink Orchid 112

Yellow Water Lily

Pitcher Plant

......a predator catching insects in its leaf cup.  Pitcher Plant 200 Pitcher Plant 201 Pitcher Plant 202

Dragon's Mouth Orchid

Dragon's Mouth Orchid 200 Dragon's Mouth Orchid 201 Dragon's Mouth Orchid 203 Dragon's Mouth Orchid 204 Dragon's Mouth Orchid 205 Dragon's Mouth Orchid 206

Golden Heather

......blooms for a short time. 

Dragon's Mouth Orchid

Dragon's Mouth Orchid 207

Dragon's Mouth Orchid 208

Pitcher Plant Pitcher Plant 100

Cotton Grass

Cotton Grass 100 Cotton Grass 101

Evening Primrose

Grass Pink Orchid

Grass Pink Orchid 113 Grass Pink Orchid 114 Grass Pink Orchid 115 Grass Pink Orchid 116

Sheep Laurel

Sheep Laurel 100

St. John's Wort

.....often used as a sedative.