The Calm Before The Storm

Ten days ago at the cottage I was totally crying the blues about how quiet it had been on the birding front, but since then I've been begging for mercy. I am now so cynical about my latest avian adventures that the call of a loon right off the dock now makes me groan, I kid you not. 

But let's rewind to Thursday, August 4th, when even the Osprey in our area were MIA, as the babies continue to fledge and expand their territories, and the parents enjoy some freedom from the nests once again.  

 

A single young Hooded Merganser was swimming near the beach:

One of the few Ospreys that I saw that day, this one's an adult:

It was so slow that my camera lens was drawn to Mallards:

 

This one preened itself in the sunshine:

 

Cedar Waxwings continue to be seen everywhere:

 

And yes, it's arrived: warbler hell! Well, not quite, these two were readily identified, first a Butter Butt, aka a Yellow-rumped Warbler:

This first fall female Black-and-white Warbler was a good find, what a pretty young bird!

My slow day ended with this off the dock:

Little did I know that I should have been savouring the slow pace, as the next several days would mean a few thousand photos to sift through...