Birds and a Few Insects - First Week of July 2025

First week of July.  Here are some photos of birds I saw.  I also saw Catbirds, Savannah Sparrows, Red-eyed Vireos, Field Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, Pine Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Meadowlarks, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Sandpiper, Barn Swallows, Ospreys, Red-tailed Hawks, Song Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Double-crested Cormorants, and Killdeers.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Northern Mockingbird

American White Pelican

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

American Goldfinch

I found a few butterflies this week....not so many dragonflies..some Common Whitetails and a couple of Halloween Pennants.

Northern Pearly-Eye

- Saw lots of Common Wood-Nymphs

Common Wood-Nymph

Clouded Sulphur

Halloween Pennant

Insects - Week of July 8, 2024

Looking for insects

Widow Skimmer  (female)

This is the 2nd time I've seen a Snowberry Clearwing.  First time was in July 2018.  It has been awhile.  I was so pleased to see it.  They are sometimes called "Hummingbird Moth".  They hover in front of a flower and sip nectar, just like a hummingbird.  

Snowberry Clearwing

Blue Dasher

Widow Skimmer  (female)

Viceroy

Halloween Pennant

Eastern Pondhawk

This is the 3rd Monarch I've seen so fair this year.

Monarch

Komoka Park

Blue-fronted Dancer

Red-eyed Vireo

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Week Adventures - July 20-22, 2020

July 20, 2020  Westminster Ponds, London, Ontario

I went to Westminster Ponds to mainly look for insects.  There were a few butterflies around.  A nice warm day 25c and sunny,  feeling like 31c.  Birds I saw were House Wrens, Catbirds, Downy Woodpeckers, and Barn Swallows to name a few.

Wild Indigo Duskywing

Monarch

Northern Broken-Dash

Halloween Pennant

Turkey Vulture

July 21, 2020 - The Coves

I decided to go to The Coves this morning.  It was 21c and cloudy,  I saw a nice variety of birds.  Wood Ducks, Great Blue Herons (8), Catbirds, lots of Robins, American Goldfinches, House Wren, Carolina Wren, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, House Finches, and Northern Cardinals.

Catbird

I was watching this Great Blue Heron wading around for fish. 

Great Blue Heron

As it was moving around, the heron kept looking up to the trees.  I thought I would look to see what the heron was seeing. 

There was another heron up there.  It looks like a young heron.  Maybe the heron in the water was trying to entice the young heron down to the water.

Great Blue Heron (young)

I always love to see Indigo Buntings!

Indigo Bunting

Wood Ducks (female and young)

Midland Painted Turtle

Group of Common Whitetails 

July 22, 2020 - Hyde Park, London, Ontario

A cloudy morning almost felt like rain.  It was getting more humid throughout the morning.  I saw swallows busy catching insects over the water - Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.  This time of the year one starts to see sandpipers as they fly back down south.  There were lots of Killdeers, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Least Sandpiper.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Tree Swallow

There was a lot of action in the woods and fields.  A lot of juvenile Robins and Starlings around.  I saw an Eastern Kingbird feeding its fledged young in a nearby tree.  There were Cedar Waxwings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Catbirds, Field and Song Sparrows, and a Willow Flycatcher, 

Cedar Waxwing

Eastern Kingbird

Strolling Hyde Park

Hyde Park Drainage Pond and Trails

A nice warm day today.  I walked Hyde Park Pond to see what was around.  A Great Blue Heron was busy fishing, a Doubled-crested Cormorant flew in to find some lunch.  An Osprey hit the water from the air three times momentarily disappearing under the water.  

Great Blue Heron

I usually don't see too many Indigo Buntings but today I saw one.  It was a distance away in a dead tree and I can only see the silhouette of the bird.  I didn't have my bins with me.  

Indigo Bunting

Spotted Sandpiper

There were some small frogs in a big puddle.  Dragonflies were flying around mostly Common Whitetails.  I saw a bigger frog jumping up from the water trying to catch a dragonfly.  When I was watching the frog missed a couple of times.

Northern Leopard Frog

I saw my FOY Eastern Amberwing and Halloween Pennant.

Eastern Amberwing

Halloween Pennant

Variable Dancer

There were a few Monarchs around, I found a Viceroy and another Red-Spotted Purple.  There were a few Cabbage Whites and saw two sulphur butterflies for the first time this year.  I was so happy to see them.  They wouldn't settle for a photo.

Viceroy

Red-Spotted Purple