2023-05-19 Cabin Life | shadeTreeImaging

Pine Warbler - Setophaga pinus — I jumped at the opportunity when I was invited to visit my friend Judy’s cabin near the shore of Georgian Bay at Lake Huron. I filled the bird feeders when I arrived, and two days later, the local birds discovered the seeds and suit, and I captured all the images I could.

Black-Throated Green Warbler - Setophaga virens

After arriving Wednesday at Judy’s cabin, I placed seed and suet in the feeders next to the front porch. Unsure how, when, or ‘if’ the birds would find these offerings, I planned to return to Tiny Marsh, 20 minutes south. I found a delightful cafe four kilometers north of the cabin. After breakfast at the Tiny Hub Cafe, I drove to the nearby beach and warmed myself in the sun’s rays.

While so engaged, a nice young lady (Sylwia) and her 6-month old Bernese Mountain pup came to enjoy the sun and sand. Seeing I was OK with her dog, she sat with me and we enjoyed a conversation. When she learned I was a bird photographer, she told me of a place I might enjoy called Presqu’ile Provincial Park. It might be a location I could pass by on my way to Ottawa, where Judy’s oldest son has offered to let me park and rest at his home outside of the capitol city.

Rather than driving down to Tiny Marsh, I returned to the cabin and learned the local birds had discovered the food I left for them. I stayed the rest of the day, and enjoyed gathering images of the happy birds. Not only did the local Chickadees, Chipping and Song Sparrows come in, so did a couple of warblers. A female Black-Throated Green and a Pine Warbler dropped in to satisfy their curiosity. Not being seed eaters, they must have wanted to find out what all the commotion was about.

I revisited the cabin’s feeders on Sunday (Canada Day!) after noticing a Northern Flicker sniffing around the grounds. I especially wanted to get better Pine Warbler images than those I captured during my earlier vigil. After all, this was my first ever meeting with this species. Almost as soon as I took my post, a male Pine Warbler landed on the wire supporting the feeders, and then sampled the suet. The male Black-Throated Green came in shortly afterwards. I ignored the sparrows and chickadees that dropped in. I had plenty of images of these already. But when the Northern Flicker and a White-Breasted Nuthatch stopped by, I added them to my bag.

Gathering images faster than I can tell their stories is a bad habit I can’t seem to shake. As it turned out, I was not yet done digging myself into a hole. Friday, I drove to yet another wetlands called Wye Marsh. But that story hasn’t been prepared yet. (Soon, though!)