Playing with Immatures At the Vermilon River.

 This post is loaded with photos,so I'll keep copy to a minimum. The forest is filled with berries, so the food supply is incredible for all the wildlife, bird and four legged. There are also a lot of immatures around, which you'll see in this post. Opposite: Mystic Lake, one of the uninhabited Lakes that lies over the ridge to the east.

Blueberries

A cocky little Sparrow.

Dogbane

Remember click any photo for the slideshow.

Female Mallard

Evening Primrose

Wood Ducks

Warblers normally feed on the abundant insect supply. But as you'll see in this sequence. This Chestnut-sided Warbler is right into these berries. Of all of the berries you'll see, all are edible except one.That doesn't mean they all taste good though!!

 Chipmunks are ground squirrels,but this fellow is up a tree after the berries. Look at those cheeks!!

Again the cheeks

 In these two photos, he's cached his hoard.

Thistle

Toadflax

Red-eyed Vireo

Wild Iris.

Immature Redstart.

Nashville Warbler Immature

 This is the Northern Flicker out with an immature, almost fully grown.

He's not quite fully grown

Hiding Duck

Female Downy

 This sequence shows an immature Cedar Waxwing and his parents.

All three

Adult

An active teenager.

Immature Redstart

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Nashville Warbler

Vireo

 At first, I thought I had a small flock of sparrows,but they're either female or immature Purple Finch.

Vireo

My Little Sparrow again.

Thistle

Vireo

Unknown

Female Downy

This Red squirrel gave me quite the devil for coming so close. But you can't take a guy with a dirty face very seriously.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Uncertain?

Immature Redstart

The flock of Purple Finch playing.

Side View Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Immature Redstart

Bladder Campion

Dogwood Berries

Dragonfly

Female Downy

Canada Goose in reflection

Immature Redstart

Turkey Vulture

Tortoiseshell

Mountain Ash Berries, edible but very tart.

Nashville Warbler.

Thistle

I think these are Canada Mayflower Berries and they are poisonous.

Uncertain

Hiding Warbler.

White Admiral

At first, I thought this was a finch, but it's a warbler.

It's a Black-throated Green Warbler.

Same. A post to I'd Rather Be Birding,Our Worls Tuesday, and WBW.

Warblers,Woodpeckers,Wildflowers, Harriers, and Cuckoos Of The Vermilon River.

 What's that...Cuckoos, you say!!. You've been in the woods far too long. Well, you'll have to wait and see and even read the post before seeing anything. Opposite the River.
A post to:Id Rather B Birdin,Our World Tuesday, and WBW
I'd also suggest you try my video link where there is more news and a new video on wildflowers. Click here: Wildflower Video

 All the berries shown here are edible, even the white ones which are Dogwood berries, although some are more tasty than others. Eat your heart out Monsanto. These are Nature's bounty unsullied by DNA alteration.
Wood lore would normally say avoid white berries, which we'll do today because the blueberries are bountiful and sweet.

 I wasn't sure about today's hike because I'm squeezing it in between rain, so you'll see lots of water on the plants. I became even more unsure about the day when this Kingfisher blazed up and down the River at supersonic speed giving me such poor photo opportunities. But let's trek on

Blue bells

Bunch Berries

Looks more like a rain forest.

Joe Pye Weed

Meadow sweet, opposite contains the active ingredient of aspirin.

Nashville Warbler

Wild plums which are sweet and stain your mouth purple.

Choke Cherries

Blue Bells

Evening Primrose

Meadow sweet

Nashville Warbler

 As I came past the ski hill which is just a cleared part of the ridge, I saw this Northern Harrier circling and calling. He swept back my way, see below, at full speed.Remember he's a falcon so full speed is full speed. He's a male by the way.

Full speed and calling.

Landing

Posing

Back view

Side View

Facing me.

In flight

 Now the Harrier made up for the non-cooperation of the Kingfisher.But this doubled the pleasure, more Northern Flickers. Northern Flickers are ground woodpeckers, which I'm catching on trees and poles for some strange reason.

Watching me

Side View

He's a male-see the moustache at his beak

Side View

Wild Plums

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Wild Iris

Blue Vervian

Nashville Warbler

Fortunately, the wild flower site I gave you in the last post allows identification by colour. Vervian has to do with enchantment.

 Now this is really going to astound you. These photos were shot in a triangle of heavy bush at the River's edge. I catch Warblers, and Catbirds, usually imitating something else, in here. And a Catbird is what I thought I had. So when I looked at the photo, I was amazed by the eyes, and the beak. Cornell came through, and identified this fellow as a Black-billed Cuckoo bird. Now I thought Cuckoo's were a product of the south,even South America, or the Black Forest in the form of clocks, or perhaps in most nations' capitals where they're called politicians. But they're native to here in the summer of course.

What terrific eyes

Another view.

Larger size

Dogwood Berries

Joe Pye Weed

Evening Primrose

Raven

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Wild Iris

 I always see the Pileated's in the spring when the tree canopy is less dense, so this find is a bonus. She's a female.

No Moustache she's a female.

Side View.