Maine warblers and other birds

Cyndi and I took a trip to Maine in July, to visit my parents, eat some lobster, and see the Atlantic Ocean.

There are many icons that make me think of Maine.

The Black-capped Chickadee is the state bird, so it is near the top of my list.

Blueberry fields abound in Maine. I even raked blueberries once long ago to earn some extra money, when I was in high school. They're harvested with a tool that is a bit like a scoop with tines, called a rake.

Every morning before sunrise we were awakened by birdsong, and getting out of bed was always rewarded with wonderful views of warblers and other birds in the yard.

Here is a Magnolia Warbler.

This one is a Brown Creeper.

Here's Cyndi sneaking up to view the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that is feeding in the locust trees. My mother grew those beautiful sunflowers, and behind Cyndi is a tangle of thornless raspberry bushes.

The raspberries were ripe!

Here's the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, hard at work making a new row of holes to allow the tree sap to flow. The sap is sticky and attracts insects. I think the sapsucker eats both the sap and the insects. You can see a previous row of holes, with white sap, near the bottom left of the picture.

This Leopard Frog was living in the garden.

The call of the Red-breasted Nuthatch could be frequently heard.

Both the above photos are Northern Parula. They sure are colorful.

The Black-and-white Warbler, like a Nuthatch, will often go headfirst down a tree or branch.

Though not brightly colored, the Black-and-white Warbler is very elegant and beautiful.

I suppose this one, though a bit distant, is one of my favorites. An adult Blackburnian Warbler is feeding the juvenile.